Looking for something to read? I couldn’t put this book down: “The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America,” by Erik Larson. There are two stories going on at the same time: one is the designing and building of the 1893 World’s Fair in Chicago (and architect Daniel Burnham) and the other is the serial killings by Dr. Henry H. Holmes. The stories alternated in chapters. The designing and building to create a “White City” is interesting when you imagine that in 1893 many of the Expo’s visitors had never seen lightbulbs or experienced electricity. The Fair attracted a lot of attention; it had 27 million visitors!
The serial killer featured in this historical novel was young, rich and handsome. Dr. H. H. Holmes first purchases a drugstore that attracts female customers and then he built his “World’s Fair Hotel” nicknamed the “castle” by its neighbors. Only sociopathic Holmes wasn’t using it strictly as a hotel; he had rooms with no windows into which he could pump gas; a kiln in the garage to incinerate his victims; an airtight vault; and other torture chambers where he could dissect his victims. He killed his victims over a period of years.
The author does a good job of bringing the “Gilded Age” to life by using real-life characters including Buffalo Bill and Thomas Edison.
I recommend this book. Leonardo DiCaprio bought the movie rights in 2010 and will star as Dr. Holmes. The latest news on this movie that I read was dated Oct. 25, 2018 and it said the movie has “not gone into production, and won’t anytime soon.” So make sure you read the book!
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