Synopsis: Daniel H. Burnham, the architect responsible for the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair’s construction, tangentially collides with H.H. Holmes, a serial killer masquerading as a charming doctor who uses the Fair as an opportunity to lure victims into his World’s Fair Hotel, which had a crematorium and gas chamber, near the fairgrounds.
My Thoughts: I heard really good things about this book before picking it up, with a few readers whose opinions I really value claiming it was one of the best books they’d read in recent years. I’m not sure I enjoyed it as much as they did – some sections were a slog for me, particularly the ones that went in-depth about the architecture. The last 50 pages flew by and I was shocked by how gruesome and terrible the crimes committed were and how many times police interacted with Holmes and yet didn’t suspect him – or how people installing the crematorium who didn’t think it was suspicious. At times the murder aspect felt a bit like the Tell-Tale Heart – it all felt very Poe.
Have you read this one? It’s a good October read!
TW: child murder, harm to children, murder
Read It Like Rory 