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The Devil in the White City
by Erik Larson
A novel based on real characters and events during the World's Columbian Exposition.
"The Devil in the White City" is an overwhelming thriller based on a true story split between two main characters Daniel Burnham, the chief architect for the World's Columbian Exposition and Herman Webster Mudgett a.k.a. Dr. H.H. Holmes, the first real-life American serial killer. Set in 1893 Chicago, Dr. Holmes builds his World's Fair Hotel and uses Burnham's fair as bait to draw in his victims.
The novel goes back and forth between Burnham and Dr. Holmes' points of view. Burnham's story focuses on the construction of the fair in the white city, Chicago, and the issues of assembling the exposition on time. Once you flip the page to the next chapter, Dr. Holmes' story comes to life. Dr. Holmes pretends to be a sophisticated and magnetic man only to gain the trust of those he wants to kill. His deceitful character attracts people to his hotel equipped with a gas chamber, dissection table, and a crematorium to dispose of dead bodies. Unbeknownst to Burnham, Dr. Holmes is turning a celebrated moment in history to a disaster of a lifetime.
Larson brilliantly separates the main characters to reveal the juxtaposition between good and evil. Burnham is a hard worker and aims to make a fair suitable for children as well as adults. On the other hand, Dr. Holmes is the "devil" who deviously poisons the joyful scene. The author is able to angle the story in a way that surrounds the reader with happiness and tragedy.
The book covers a complex true story in almost 400 crisp pages. Giving the facts during the time, the novel also provides the excitement and blood-curdling experiences in early 1890s Chicago. "The Devil in the White City" will have you glued to your armchair and will give your mind and eyes a great workout.
Title: The Devil in the White City
Author: Erik Larson
Publisher: Vintage
ISBN: 0375725601
Review written by: Lailaa Salaam
Reviewer's Rating:9
Reader's Rating: 0
Reader's Votes: 0
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