True Crime Studies: The Devil in the White City review
If you ever spent the day googling “true crime books” and making a list of the best recommendations, then there’s a chance that you’ve run into this book before. The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America Forever by Erik Larson is a historical non-fiction book that details the life and crimes of Herman Webster Mudgett, also known as H.H. Holmes. Nicknamed the American Ripper, Holmes is believed to have taken over 200 lives during his lifetime, many of whom have never been recovered. Their bodies were turned to ash or sold to medical universities for study.
The man and his infamous Murder Castle live on in our history’s frightful memory as if he had been the Devil reborn.
“I was born with the Devil in me. I could not help the fact that I was a murderer, no more than the poet can help the inspiration to sing. I was born with the Evil One standing as my sponsor beside the bed where I was ushered into the world, and he has been with me since.”
Holmes in his memoir Holmes’ Own Story
One of the few convicted murderers to have ever written a memoir, Holmes’ statement declaring himself no different than a demon has given him quite an ominous presence in American history. For some, just looking at his photo brings to mind the words “Devil” and “monster”. There’s something sinister about someone sitting in a jail cell, whose face has yet to show even an ounce of fear for their impending hanging, claim that they have the Devil in them. It didn’t help that nearly everyone who met the man was instantly charmed into submission.
Before going any further, let’s stop to clear something up. If you’re thinking that the Devil in the White City is all about Holmes, you would be wrong. This is not a detailed 390-paged account of H.H. Holmes’s life, crimes, and arrest. The Devil in the White City isn’t a true-crime book but is actually about the World’s Fair Columbian Exposition of 1893. The fact that Holmes makes an appearance is because he happened to be apart of it. It is 80% fair and 20% Holmes.
A dark shadow that lives behind the scenes
Larson chops the book into two narratives. One for the fair and one for Holmes. He conjoins them so that they rise, thrive, and fall at the exact same pace. A structure that elevates the notorious serial killer to an almost ghost-like presence. He lives and breathes in the shadows. Living just outside the marvelous spectacle that was the World’s Fair but close enough to feed on it.
While the shadowy background is filled with Holmes, the other narrative follows a man named Daniel Burnham. For those not familiar with the name, Burnham is the Chicago architect credited with building what is referred to as the White City. The 1893 Columbian Exposition in Chicago was the first Columbus Day celebration (if only they could see the way people hate on this holiday day- oh boy, would they be mad) that lasted six months. To properly celebrate this, an entire city was built for the occasion. The White City, named because all the buildings were painted white.
Burnham and others, including Frederick Law Olmsted, John Root, and Sol Bloom were the ones who made the fair a reality. Their struggles and architectural process are what make up most of the book.
Hiding in plain sight, spotlight for the fair
Anyone who reads this will learn EVERYTHING about that fair. Every single flaw, union riot, arguments between firms, budget cuts, etc. EVERYTHING! There will come a point where you’ll forget Holmes is even there, and this, I believe, is the point. The further you go, the less you’ll see Holmes, no different than how the city of Chicago did not see him.
One thing is for certain, Erik Larson gives a brilliant description of 1890s Chicago. He is so detailed and specific in the way that he pulls the city from history that it feels like you’re right there. You can see the people, hear them, smell their unwashed bodies as they march in the streets, and aggressively cheer in front of the Chicago Tribune when it’s announced that Chicago will serve as host to the fair.
How it deals with Holmes
Anyone familiar with H.H. Holmes knows what he did and how he did it. True crime enthusiasts know all about the Murder Castle and its many secret rooms. Any mention of Holmes guarantees a discussion about that freaking hotel and the elaborate crimes he committed inside. After a while, these same details start to repeat themselves, but this is where Erik Larson stands strong.
Larson ignores most of what happened inside the walls of the Castle. He describes how it’s built and briefly mentions what it looked like inside, how it smelled, and such, but rarely does he dive into the gory details. It’s a brilliant change of pace. He puts more focus on the victims. Those who disappear inside our obsession with murderers.
We get to know women such as Alice and Nellie Pitezel, Julia Smythe, Emeline Cigrande, and Minnie and Annie Williams; just some of the innocent victims who were so easily fooled. A study of Holmes is forgotten, and the study of those around him is put in its place. It creates a much more harrowing effect because we see what they saw and felt hours before they realized the horrible truth.
Verdict
Even though I couldn’t care less about the World’s Fair, I really liked this book. The moments featuring Holmes are incredible and the moments lacking his presence are just as good. This is a true testament to Larson’s skills as an author because the subject of architecture and generic Chicago “fun fact” history is mind-numbingly boring to me. Yet, the novel narrative technique Larson adopts in order to write The Devil in the White City makes every detail enthralling to read.
(5 / 5)
Published in January of 2024, This Wretched Valley is Jenny Kiefer’s debut novel and is a horror written for hikers, campers, and all of your general outdoorsy type people. Reminiscent of Scott Smith’s The Ruins, with a healthy helping of Adam Nevill’s The Ritual, This Wretched Valley is a story of restless and vengeful spirits with some spectacular body horror scenes you will not forget.
The Plot.
Set in Kentucky, This Wretched Valley’s main plot covers a week in March of 2019. The time-stamped chapters follow four college friends and their faithful Australian Shepherd. One of the four friends, Clay, has discovered a rock formation that appears to have never been climbed or explored. The group embark on an expedition that is part rock climbing exploration and part scientific research. From the moment they enter the valley at the base of the rock things don’t feel right. Their dog, Slade, is acting funny and the plant life grows in unusual varieties and patterns for this part of Kentucky.
After an accident climbing the rock things go from bad to worse, with strange apparitions appearing before them and dead animals being left at the edges of the camp. The worst thing is that despite following their GPS, they can’t seem to find their way back to the car. Tempers flare, but is it because of the situation they find themselves in, or is something influencing their emotions?
Highlights.
One of the highlights of This Wretched Valley is the short chapters that are dotted throughout the book. These chapters tell the stories of other people who came before our hikers, from other centuries, that suffered due to their presence in the valley. As the main chapters culminate the characters from the historical chapters begin to pop up in the present.
The descriptions of the injuries the hikers suffer, real and imagined, are excellent. Kiefer really knows how to make a reader squirm, if you enjoy blood and gore this book is for you. There is one scene in particular with a swarm of flies that I read twice.
Drawbacks.
I know it is a necessary evil in horror, that the main characters must miss things that may seem obvious to the reader for the story to build. I mean, if the hikers in This Wretched Valley picked up on how the dog was acting in the first chapter and left we wouldn’t have this excellent book. That being said, so many things begin to go wrong, but each is shrugged off or explained away. The ignorance of huge things that were happening right in front of them seemed a little too wilful. Perhaps we can give Kiefer the benefit of the doubt and assume that maybe this was the point, the wilfully ignorant get what they deserve.
Another grip I have with this book is the head-hopping. Rather than focus on one character in a chapter and reading their point of view, Kiefer has head hopped. Delivering various points of view within a chapter, sometimes within a paragraph. And that’s fine, many authors do this. However, at times it was hard to figure out who was seeing or thinking a particular thing. Going back to reread some paragraphs did help, but stopping in the middle of the action to reread is not ideal.
The Final Take.
While I’m not an avid outdoorsman myself – camping, hiking, and climbing aren’t my passions. I found myself thoroughly engaged with the descriptions of the natural world in this novel. Kiefer, a rock climbing enthusiast, clearly brings a genuine passion and expertise to her depictions of This Wretched Valley. I believe any reader who enjoys these pursuits will find a particular resonance in her writing.
For those interested, I discovered that Jenny Kiefer owns Butcher Cabin Books, a unique horror bookstore in Louisville, Kentucky. If you’re in the area perhaps pop in and explore a book store dedicated to the world of horror literature.
(4 / 5)
Book Reviews
This Work of Darkness: the people of Salem are waiting.
“Old Mother Gossip says something is wrong in Salem village.”
“Lives coil within lives. Dreams coil within dreams.”
First and foremost, I would like to thank Lucretia Grindle for providing me with an ARC of This Work of Darkness. Being immersed in 17th-century Salem Massachusetts was just what I needed to escape the insanity of the holiday season. With a planned publication date of January 16, 2025, This Work of Darkness is Book 2 of Grindle’s Salem duology. For anyone who has not read The Devil’s Glove, Book 1 of this series, please see my review here.
The Plot.
In the opening chapters of This Work of Darkness, we meet back up with Resolve Hammond. Now a young woman of means, living comfortably within the English family home in the heart of Salem, Massachusetts. Her days are filled with the rhythms of life in the bustling town – tending to the English family store and interacting with the townsfolk.
However, beneath this veneer of contentment lies a deep-seated guilt. Years ago, Resolve made a solemn promise to Thaddeus and Abigail Hobbs: she would always protect and care for Abigail as a sister. Driven by a conscience burdened by her broken promise, Resolve seeks out Abigail. The stark contrast between her own privileged existence and the abject poverty and despair she witnesses at the Hobbs farm does nothing to alleviate her guilt. Abigail’s deteriorating mental state serves as a painful reminder of Resolve’s failings.
As Resolve grapples with her guilt and the haunting memories of her past, a sinister undercurrent begins to stir within Salem. Accusations of spectral visitations and inexplicable afflictions erupt within the community, casting a pall of fear and suspicion over the townsfolk. One by one, the women in Resolve’s life – her friends, her confidantes, the very fabric of her social circle – are swept away by the hysteria, accused of witchcraft, and dragged before the court.
Highlights.
A key highlight of This Work of Darkness lies in Grindle’s masterful weaving of historical figures and events with her compelling fictional characters. This is historical fiction at its finest. The novel is rich with recognizable names and occurrences from the Salem Witch Trials, prompting me to frequently delve into further research, eagerly verifying the historical accuracy of characters I didn’t immediately recognize. To my delight, many of these were indeed real figures, and the book itself served as a fascinating gateway to deeper historical exploration. Grindle deserves significant praise for her poignant portrayal of the human suffering that unfolded during this period. Unlike many novels on the Salem Witch Trials, This Work of Darkness delves deeply into the individual experiences of its characters, meticulously exploring their motivations, relationships, and the profound impact of the hysteria on their lives.
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Drawbacks.
This Work of Darkness is a sequel and as such of course must make references to the first work as a way to join the two together. However, I found that Grindle spent a lot of time in the first half of this novel recounting and rehashing the events of The Devil’s Glove. This can feel somewhat repetitive for readers experiencing this book as a sequel, and overwhelming for those approaching the novel as a standalone work.
As I mentioned in my review of The Devil’s Glove, Grindle is a wordsmith. This has not changed. However, while the phrase “Mother Gossip” (not a character but the gossip trending through the social circles of the story) initially adds a unique flavor to the novel’s language, its frequent recurrence throughout the narrative detracts from the overall reading experience. This repetitive use of the phrase, despite its initial charm, becomes somewhat tedious and disrupts the flow of the otherwise creatively written story.
The Final Take.
This Work of Darkness had me digging through the back of my bookshelf and rediscovering the joy that is Henry Miller’s, The Crucible. While the complete truth of the Salem Witch Trials may forever remain shrouded in mystery, Grindle’s exploration of the social and psychological factors that fueled the accusations was particularly insightful and entertaining.
As with its predecessor, I found myself captivated by the narrative, marking numerous passages and quotes. Perhaps my favorite from the entire series, is found in Chapter 29:
‘Truth, I would remind him, had little to do with anything these days. What mattered was what people chose to believe. That was what turned the jail keys.”
Pretty profound if you ask me.
(4.5 / 5)
Book Reviews
The Devil’s Glove: Before the Salem Witch Trials.
“The Devil does wear beautiful gloves.”
“Skin to skin. Blood to blood. Heart sister to heart sister.”
In Lucretia Grindle’s The Devil’s Glove: Salem Book 1 (May 2023), readers are transported to the chilling precipice of the Salem Witch Trials. This meticulously researched novel blends historical accuracy with supernatural elements. Grindle crafts a captivating tale of fear, mistrust, and the enduring power of human connection.
Set in the remote Puritan village of Falmouth, on the eve of the infamous trials, the story unfolds amidst the clash of cultures. A war is brewing between the English settlers and the existing Native American community, fueling suspicion and resentment. Grindle masterfully explores the themes of colonialism, othering, and the enduring human need for connection.
The Plot.
In 1688, on the eve of the Salem Witch Trials, we meet Resolve Hammond. A young woman with the unsettling gift of seeing beyond the veil of reality. When Avis Hobbs dies, Resolve’s mother, a healer with deep ties to the local Native American tribe, suspects foul play.
Despite the growing tension between the villagers and their Native American neighbors, Resolve’s mother remains silent, fearing accusations of witchcraft. But Resolve, privy to unsettling visions, senses a sinister truth. Who would poison Avis, and why does Avis’s daughter, Abigail, seem eerily pleased?
As the village descends into paranoia and the threat of war with the neighboring native community looms, Resolve must confront her unsettling gift and use it to uncover the truth, even as the men in power manipulate events for their own gain.
Highlights.
Lucretia Grindle is a wordsmith. I rarely find myself stopping to reread sentences and passages just because once was not enough. The prose in this book is unrivaled. Beautiful metaphors and turns of phrase adorn every page. I was so pleased to be reading on Kindle, highlighting line upon line, “murmur piles upon murmur like rotting leaves”, “feel for the flutter of the soul at the neck” and “the kitchen is a cave of shapes” are just a few of my favorites.
The research that Grindle must have completed for this novel must also be noted. This is not only obvious with the inclusion of real people but also in the immersiveness of the setting. Details so small you might miss them are dropped like rain throughout the chapters, each contributing to filling the bucket that is 1688 New England.
Drawbacks.
There are no drawbacks to The Devil’s Glove in so far as the plot, characters, and writing are involved. I did find some repeated metaphors and spelling errors; this however is not a problem with the story or the author but an editing issue that takes nothing away from the story or prose.
Not so much a drawback, but perhaps a misrepresentation was that The Devil’s Glove would tell the story of a mother and daughter who are suspected or accused of witchcraft. This is not this book. Although there is deep distrust between the Hammonds and the Puritan townsfolk, there is little in the way of actual accusations until the novel’s end.
The Final Take.
The Devil’s Glove is an exquisitely written novel that was a pleasure to read. It is reminiscent of Outlander with splashings of A Discovery of Witches. I was lucky enough to receive an ARC of the sequel, This Work of Darkness. I will be beginning this as soon as this review is posted. After reading the last lines of The Devil’s Glove there is no way I’m wasting a second to find out what comes next.
(5 / 5)
Jennifer Weigel
April 30, 2023 at 3:45 pm
I just finished reading this book and really enjoyed how much impact the Chicago Columbian Exposition has had on modern life, holidays, phrases and even some of the developments in technology of the era, all giving rise to how we perceive things even now. I rather enjoyed the back and forth interplay between Burnham and Holmes, both men’s rise to realize their visions despite obstacles, and the desire to fulfill their purposes. It was a grand foray into the opulence of the era and the shadows lurking behind its facade. The fair is equally as important as Holmes, and the contrast between the two paints a clearer picture of the horrors hidden between both realities.