The Rif Raff Book Club's October reading was The Devil in the White City by Erik Larsen.

The Devil in the White City by Eric Larsen

I really liked this book. I was pleased that it was a nonfiction story told in a way that let you get to know the characters through dialog. The event of the World Fair set here in Chicago made it an enjoyable read. The Chicago historical references were interesting and I found myself set back in that time standing at those locations. The copy of book I was reading had helpful diagrams of the fairgrounds and some photos from the time. The switching back and forth chapter to chapter from fair preparations and the diabolical workings of Mudgett the serial killer had a suspenseful building effect that most nonfiction works fail to provide. All the world "firsts" were impressive from AC/DC electric to union labor. The book had an unusual ending extending past the end of the fair and wrapped the story up neatly. I would recommend this book to a variety of readers. It has wide appeal.

This book was a very interesting read, and I enjoyed the historic education it provided, with things like the history of the "ferris" wheel, the ac/dc technology of the light bulb, Bill Cody etc. I was hoping that some reference to Olmstead designing the first suburb of Riverside, IL would appear, but unfortunately it did not. The enigmatic character of the doctor also kept the pages turning.However depraved Holmes was, he certainly had a way of concealing this side of himself, almost to the point where I began to feel some of the people he encountered were complete fools. I saw Larson speak at the Oak Park library, and he mentioned the book has been optioned by Hollywierd and that Johnny Depp has been considered for the role of Holmes. This provided a perfect visual image as I read the passages about the serial killer. Overall, I enjoyed this book, but I thought it could have been edited down a bit, as the extreme level of detail of Burnham and the other architects and how they politicked to make it all finally happen became a bit tiresome, and frankly uninteresting after some 300 pages.