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We are guessing you did not encounter a book called The Devil in the White City and think, "Aha! This sounds like a fun and lighthearted read!" And it is great that you're not hoping to read something uplifting--this is not a book for individuals that wish to feel warm n' fuzzy inside. He is handsome. He is suave. He has a large house in Chicago.

He is the definition of a lady-killer.

Before 20th-century serial killers such as Ted Bundy and John Wayne Gacy made headlines (and accusations) across the nation, Holmes was seducing girls, promising to marry them, and then finishing them off into his homemade vault before they might even say "I do." He is responsible for the murder of twenty-seven men and women in the 1890's...and what's even more terrifying is that his predictable patterns never once captured the attention of Chicago authorities.

Fasten your seatbelts folks--this is a really grim (and very true) story.

Erik Larson's The Devil in the White City chronicles the murdering spree of America's first serial killer. However, it's more than simply another legitimate crime mini-series. This book provides powerful insights into the character of human ambition, because in the exact same time Holmes was constructing his own passing trap apartment complex, renowned architect Daniel H. Burnham was constructing the greatest event ever in the history of America: the Chicago World's Fair of 1893, a.k.a. the White City.

You may not be familiar with the fair itself, but you're definitely acquainted with a few of the inventions that surfaced there, such as steam engines, light bulbs, Ferris Wheels, and zippers.

However, this fair wasn't only thrown together to give the good folks of Chicagoland a wonderful time. The prior World's Fair had been put in Paris and therefore, when Burnham helmed the Chicago World's Fair, he was confronting the daunting task of demonstrating that America could throw as great a party as Europe.

Oh yeah--and this White City was constructed only a few short blocks from the resort where Holmes was busy getting his murder on. What's so appealing about The Devil in the White City is the juxtaposition of pride (Burnham) and unfathomed wicked (Holmes) and the way the single event brings out such distinct sides of human character.

So catch some Cracker Jacks (that made their initial appearance in the Chicago World's Fair) and delve into.

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