The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America .PDF
Aria Hartlief
The Godfather of Murder starts out with the killer, Harry Blevins, wanted for murder. He turns over a clue to a private detective, Bob Grant, who goes after the culprit instead. But when Harry kills a man in the course of trying to get a witness to help pin the crime on the Godfather, a bullet wounds Harry and he become paralyzed. And while he recovers, a stranger who claims to be the Godfather steps forward and tries to convince the police not to look into the case, claiming he didn't kill Harry. The only way they can figure out who killed Harry is by tracking down the real Godfather, and this requires a number of turns of events that make this storyline compelling.
One of the best parts of the book is when we get to know and recognize some of the other characters. For example, Peter Bogucki, the detective who is searching for the real Godfather, knows instantly that Harry is the real suspect because he took the bullet that killed Harry. And it is revealed that the real Godfather is hiding out somewhere in New Hampshire. And we get introduced to Jim Fairbanks, the new detective, who is a steady and level-headed investigator. The supporting cast, especially Holly Freeze, provides a lot of support for this dark comedy. Although it's not as funny as Hemmingway's other stories, The Devil in the White City makes a smart and entertaining read.
If you are a fan of vampire movies, or horror films in general, and you happen to like Erick Larson's work, then The Devil in the White City: Murder by Erick Larson should be on your list. It is a modern take on the ancient myth of The Count of Monte Cristo. Although this story was written over a hundred years ago, it doesn't take a lot of reading to figure out what is going on in this story. In fact, reading to this point could give you an idea on how to prepare yourself for a vampire movie of the year.
The story begins with a master vampire hunter named Dr. Van Helsing. Van Helsing has been hired by the newly started vampire agency, Twilight Company, to track down a satyr who has been loose in London. Van Helsing tracks the vampire to a cabin in the woods. He assumes the dead man was either killed by his own personal hunting staff, or possibly a vampire on vacation. Once there, Van Helsing is surprising to find the body of the man has been soaked in blood and has been dismembered beyond recognition. This leaves Van Helsing with only one other lead, the last remaining eye witness to the murder, a lady called Cassie.
The next morning, Van Helsing tracks Cassie down in the hope that she will reveal the name of the man who killed her boyfriend. But when she tells him where he lives, Van Helsing realizes she may have been more involved in the death than she let on. And now that he knows she is connected to a vampire organization, he has a bit of a problem on his hands. What starts as a sad story about a murder quickly turns to one of intrigue and secrets.
The story picks up after two weeks. Van Helsing is working late one night when he sneaks into a storage facility that he knows houses several vampires. He quickly takes a number of valuable objects, including a crucifix, and flees. An hour later, he's cornered by three men who seem to know he is there. The three men want information about a newly started vampire organization called the Omega Group. They are after information that could put them in position to kill Van Helsing, since he knows all about them.
So, as you can see from the synopsis, this book is very action-y. I'm a big action guy myself, so I thought the story would be just like that. However, the book is not that exciting, especially when compared to its predecessors. It wasn't that different at all, but it lacked a little bit of excitement that kept me reading.
I also noticed that the novel lacked a strong central character. Well, it could have been because the Omega Group isn't very mainstream. It also could have been because I'm already pretty bored with vampire stories, so I couldn't care much for the novel's lead. It didn't help that he was just too derivative of other vampire stories.
But, all that aside, this book is still a great read. Larson does an excellent job of presenting a creepy, yet entertaining read. There are parts that will get you really engrossed, especially when the killer reveals his motives. I always love when authors give their villain some complexities, because it makes the read more interesting. Larson does a great job of that here.
Overall, this was a fun, fast-paced book about a serial killer that I enjoyed quite a bit. I would recommend The Devil in the White City: Murder by Erick Larson to anyone who likes to read fantasy novels. However, if you're looking for a dark, gory, thriller with a lot of twists and turns, then you might not enjoy this book. But, if you like a story that's written in first person, with a lot of twists and turns, and just a touch of darkness, then this is definitely the book for you.