FOUR STARS  ∗∗∗∗ (out of five)

BY KERRY -- You know the old saying, “truth is stranger than fiction”? Well, here’s exhibit A: Chicago in the year 1893 was the setting for both glorious achievement and horrifying evil, and Erik Larson meticulously intertwines the two in “The Devil in the White City” (Crown Publishing Group, 2003).  Simultaneously unfolding the details of the creation of “the white city” for the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition and the gruesome acts of serial killer H.H. Holmes, Larson’s book is both educational and nightmare-inducing.

The creation of, essentially, a city within a city is laid out in painstaking detail, including Chicago’s battle with New York to host the worldwide celebration of the 400th anniversary of Columbus’s discovery of the New World . Architect Daniel Burnham is the central character in the “white city” portion of the book (the two tales are woven together throughout) and his race against time, the elements, and the ever-present proverbial red tape to see the colossal undertaking finished on time is fascinating. Add to that appearances by Thomas Edison, Nikola Tesla, Buffalo Bill, and even the RMS Titanic, and you have the most fascinating history lesson imaginable.

In stark contrast, just across town, H.H. Holmes was doing some construction work of his own. After purchasing an entire city block, Holmes renovated the buildings into a hotel just in time for the influx of visitors to the World’s Fair. What guests didn’t know when they checked in was that the structure was less a hotel than a house of horrors.  The labyrinthine building that came to be known as the “Murder Castle” was outfitted with hallways that led nowhere, windowless rooms, dead-end stairways, and doors that opened to brick walls. Guest rooms were sound-proof (for obvious reasons) and some were airtight — allowing Holmes to lock victims inside and suffocate them. Other rooms were used as gas chambers, while some were lined with iron plates and used as incinerators.  After Holmes tortured and murdered his victims, he often sold the bodies to universities for educational purposes.

Many of his victims were young females employed in his pharmacy on the ground floor of the hotel. Holmes required all his employees to purchase life insurance and name him as benefactor. I’ll give you three guesses how that ended. Holmes didn’t discriminate, however, and also murdered numerous men and even children. In the end, Holmes confessed to 30 murders, although the actual number is estimated to be around 200.

“The Devil in the White City” is a brilliant account of 1893 Chicago and all of the stunning brilliance the city showcased, as well as the horrifying evil it concealed. The only reason I didn’t give the book five stars is that I would have liked some insight into Holmes’ psyche, which the book does not explore.  The book is soon to be made into a motion picture starring Leonardo Dicaprio. I can’t wait!