Theresa K. (Tesstarosa) - , reviewed on 2/17/2009 + 151 more book reviews

Helpful Score: 3

A very interesting look at the building and execution of 1992 World's Fair in Chicago and the life of a serial killer, HH Holmes, living in Chicago who took advantage of his proximity to the fair to feed his psychopathic desires.

I enjoyed the book, but it did take me some time to get into the book. Larson spends a great deal of time developing the background of the characters in the book (the architects for the World's Fair and HH Holmes.)

He moves back and forth between the two stories. The biggest problem for me was that the moves weren't always during the same time frame, as the early story of HH Holmes started before the World's Fair was even an idea. So you will find yourself reading about things from HH Holmes life in 1885 after reading about something with the World's Fair from 1890.

The most interesting thing to me was the fact that the view of "kids these days" enabled HH Holmes to really get away with murder. (And that we still think "kids these days.")

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