Devil in the White City by Erik Larson
Adult Nonfiction - 364.1523 L, CD Books - 364.1523 L,
Cassette Books - Larsen
Devil in the White City is a one-of-a-kind book that combines a history of Chicago at a pivotal time in its development and a riveting “true crime” story of a notorious serial killer. The main story revolves around building the “White City” for the World’s Fair in Chicago in 1893. Larsen unearths the telling details that bring history to life. He gives us an insider’s view of the clash of egos, the artistic temperaments, the nervous bankers, and the near disasters related to building a city within a city. Among the challenges faced by the fair’s sponsors was finding an attraction to rival the Eiffel Tower, which had been built for the prior World’s Fair. (The attraction they created was a huge success, but I won’t ruin the surprise by revealing it here.)
In contrast to the noble struggle to build the “White City,” the book describes the “devil” – Herman Mudgett and how he constructed a house of horrors. Mudgett selected perspective victims from the ranks of jobseekers and fairgoers flocking to Chicago. He befriended them and offered them a place to stay. Once he had the victims under his roof, he had plenty of time to arrange alibis to use if and when the victims’ families got suspicious. No one knows for sure how many people Mudgett murdered. He confessed to 27, but Larsen produces convincing evidence for many, many more.