# The Devil in the White City

The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America is a 2003 historical non-fiction book by Erik Larson presented in a novelistic style. Set in Chicago during the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition, it tells the story of World’s Fair architect Daniel Burnham and of H. H. Holmes, a criminal figure widely considered the first serial killer in the United States. Leonardo DiCaprio purchased the film rights in 2010. The concept has since been in development hell.

## Plot

The Devil in the White City is divided into four parts, the first three happening in Chicago between 1890 and 1893, while part four of the book takes place in Philadelphia circa 1895. The book interweaves the true tales of Daniel Burnham, the architect behind the 1893 World's Fair, and H. H. Holmes, a serial killer who lured his victims to their deaths in his elaborately constructed "Murder Castle".
Burnham ran into many challenges when it came to the World's Fair including a fire, difficulty engineering the buildings to be safe, and a lack of funds for the fair. H.H. Holmes was responsible for multiple murders. His "dungeon" was equipped with secret rooms, torture chambers, and he even had access to a big furnace to cremate the bodies of his victims. Holmes was known as a charming man who had the ability to seduce his victims. He mainly targeted women in the book.

## Reception

According to Book Marks, the book received "positive" reviews based on eight critic reviews with three being "rave" and two being "positive" and one being "mixed" and two being "pan". In the Bookmarks May/June 2003 issue, a magazine that aggregates critic reviews of books, the book received a (2.5 out of 5) based on critic reviews.
Janet Maslin of The New York Times praised the book as "vivid" and "lively", and commented on how the research done by Larson on the many "odd and amazing" events of the 1893 exhibition are "given shape and energy" by his "dramatic inclinations".
David Traxel for The New York Times criticized Larson for having "little sense of pacing or focus" in the "grab-bag" approach he took when discussing the exhibition. Regarding the discussion of Holmes in the book, he writes that Larson's "imaginative touches…sometimes goes farther than the sources warrant".
In a review for Newsweek, Malcolm Jones wrote "only in the notes at the back of the book does [Larson] admit that the chapters describing Holmes's murders are merely conjecture built on a handful of facts"; even so, the story of the fair was "too enchanting" so even that "grave misstep can't doom" the book.

## Adaptations

In 2007, a television documentary inspired by the book titled Madness in the White City aired on the National Geographic Channel.
Ann Reinking collaborated with composer Bruce Wolosoff and Melissa Thodos of Thodos Dance Chicago to create the ballet The Devil in the White City, based on the novel; the Chicago Sun-Times named it "Best Dance of 2011".
Leonardo DiCaprio purchased the film rights to the book in 2010. The film version, as originally planned, would have been directed by Martin Scorsese, written by Billy Ray, and produced jointly by Paramount Pictures, Double Feature Films, and DiCaprio's Appian Way Productions. In January 2025, 20th Century Studios revived the adaptation, with Scorsese and DiCaprio still attached to direct and star, respectively.
In 2019, Hulu began developing a series based on the book. DiCaprio and Scorsese were signed on to executive produce. It was announced in January 2022 that actor Keanu Reeves was in negotiations to star in the series and Todd Field would direct the first two episodes. Production and filming were expected to begin March 2023 in Chicago and Toronto, with the series expected to launch in 2024. In October 2022, Reeves left the production without comment. Field left the project a couple of days later. In March 2023, it was reported that Hulu would not move forward with the series. The show is being shopped to other distributors without Reeves or Field attached.

## Honors

* 2003 New York Times best seller (Nonfiction)
* 2003 International Horror Guild Award (Nonfiction)
* 2003 San Francisco Chronicle Best Book of the Year
* 2003 National Book Award (Nonfiction), finalist
* 2003 CWA Gold Dagger for Non-Fiction, shortlist
* 2003 Great Lakes Book Award (Nonfiction), finalist
* 2004 Washington State Book Award
* 2004 Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association Award
* 2004 Edgar Award (Best Fact Crime), winner
* 2004 Book Sense Book of the Year Honor Book, winner
* 2009 ALA Outstanding Books for the College Bound (History & Cultures)