Finally, a book review about a book I actually liked! I know, I was getting worried, too.

The Devil in the White City, by Erik Larson, is one of the most absorbing and compelling novels I have ever read. It is, in the main, the true story of the architect, Daniel H. Burnham, who, assisted by a number of other architects, politicians, engineers and famed landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted, brought the World's Columbian Exposition, more commonly known as the 1893 Chicago World's Fair, into being. Burnham faces some familiar devils threatening the success (and the very existence) of the fair, such as greed, bureaucracy and the personal ambition of others; that he succeeded at all, much less with the fantastic and innovative flair for which the exposition is remembered, makes for a truly remarkable and fascinating tale.

Woven through the history of the exposition is the darker tale of Dr. H.H. Holmes, one of the first documented psychopathic serial killers in America. This may seem an odd juxtaposition, but Larson intertwines the two narrative threads in a way that is both suspenseful and powerful. The fair, as well as the overall environment of America at that time, set the stage for Holmes to murder and swindle with impunity. The tales of his "castle", equipped with soundproof vault, human-size kiln and ominously placed gas jets, and the nefarious deeds conducted therein would strain belief were not the book non-fiction. His prolific career as a forger, seducer and murderer is both repugnant and engrossing. Larson does a fabulous job of recreating the times and circumstances that allowed Holmes to operate for so long undetected.

I was intrigued and entertained by some of the facts I learned. I remembered, in some cobwebby back corner of my mind, that the Ferris wheel debuted at the Chicago World's Fair, but I did not realize that the cars carried by the very first Ferris wheel were not seats for two to four people, as I was used to seeing, but actual railway cars, large enough to hold sixty people and equipped with lunch counters! Buffalo Bill Cody, denied exhibit space by the fair's organizers, showed the pioneering, improvisational spirit of the American west by simply leasing a large parcel of land adjacent to the Jackson Park fairgrounds, enabling him to take advantage of the exhibition's visitors, special promotions and commercial buzz without having to conform to the Exhibition Committee's rules or split the profits with them. A brewery which won a taste contest at the fair thereafter touted its first place win in the name of its beer: Pabst Blue Ribbon. Kinda makes you shudder to think of the beers that lost, doesn't it?

Verdict: an interesting, edifying book that is well-researched, well-written and vastly entertaining. Buy at least two copies now, because you'll want to loan one to a friend.