The Devil in the White City cover art

The Devil in the White City

 Preview
LIMITED TIME OFFER

3 Months Free + £10 Audible voucher

£5.99/mo after 3 months. Cancel monthly.
Get this deal
Offer ends on 5 July 2026 at 11:59 BST.
More purchase options

The Devil in the White City

By: Erik Larson
Narrated by: Scott Brick
Get this deal

£5.99/mo after 3 months. Offer ends on 5 July 2026 at 11:59 BST. Cancel monthly.

Buy Now for £16.67

Buy Now for £16.67

One was an architect. The other a serial killer. This is the incredible story of these two men and their realization of the Chicago World's Fair of 1893, and its amazing 'White City'; one of the wonders of the world.

The architect was Daniel H. Burnham, the driving force behind the White City, the massive, visionary landscape of white buildings set in a wonderland of canals and gardens.

The killer was H. H. Holmes, a handsome doctor with striking blue eyes. He used the attraction of the great fair—and his own devilish charms—to lure scores of young women to their deaths.

While Burnham overcame politics, infighting, personality clashes and Chicago's infamous weather to transform the swamps of Jackson Park into the greatest show on Earth, Holmes built his own edifice just west of the fairground. He called it the World's Fair Hotel.

In reality it was a torture palace, a gas chamber, a crematorium.

These two disparate but driven men are brought to life in this mesmerizing, murderous tale of the legendary Fair that transformed America and set it on course for the twentieth century . . .

©2003 Erik Larson (P)2024 Penguin Random House LLC Americas Murder Sociology State & Local True Crime United States Urban Exciting Chicago
adbl_web_anon_alc_button_suppression_t1
All stars
Most relevant
Loved the serial killer story and how it intertwined with the building of the White City.

Great American Novel

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I’ve wanted to listen to this book for a long time. This one did not disappoint in any way. What a fascinating and disturbing account of the minds who conceptualised and built the world fair in Chicago and the disturbing and depraved mind of what many consider to be the first known American serial killer.
Intricately woven with connections and parallels that make you gasp - worthy listen.

Shocking and brilliant

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Who would imagine that the story of a trade fair could be so riveting? This writing at it's very best!

Masterpiece

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I only ordered this title because Destin recommended it.
it was actually really interesting though.
I was surprised to learn (about half way through) that it was not a work of fiction.
It was an interesting window to a place I've never been in a time beyond living memory.
I enjoyed it and I'd recommend it, although a few parts describe murder which was a bit dark, so maybe not good for kids.

Smarter Every Day

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Really interesting but too many jumps and quite random makes it more difficult to follow and some stories were less interesting than others.

Good but too many random jumps

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews