The Devil In The White City – Book Review

The Devil In The White City was written in 2003 by Erik Larson.

Courtesy Photo

The Devil In The White City was written in 2003 by Erik Larson.

Zade Miller

Erik Larson’s hit book “The Devil In The White City” tells the true story of an up and coming architect named Daniel Burnham who has been chosen to complete one of the most daunting tasks of the century: building the 1893 World Fair in Chicago in under two years. Even worse, as construction begins, a strange man moves into the city. A psychotic serial killer, who begins to roam the streets, using the fair to lure young women to their death.

 

This fast paced story intertwines the lives of the two individuals, seamlessly transitioning from character to character. The story ingeniously blends American history along with the thrill of true crime, shifting tones keeping the readers on the edge of their seats page after page.

 

“A wonderfully unexpected book,” The Chicago Sun-Times writes. “Larson is a historian with a novelist’s soul.”

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    

One of the main focuses of the book is the struggle Burnham feels as he works day and night trying to build the greatest fair the world has ever seen, in only two years. The book also focuses on the life of Dr. H. H. Holmes, one of the most notorious serial killers in American history believed to have killed more than 200 people.

 

If anyone is a fan of architecture and period pieces, then they will find this book compelling and impossible to put down at times.

 

Although, if that doesn’t interest them, then this story can become dull and dry at times, as it focuses heavily on the architecture that went into the Chicago World Fair.

When looking for the next book to read, look no further than “The Devil In The White City.”