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danoreading's review against another edition
4.0
Excellent book! I half-listened to this (Scott Brick is an amazing narrator), half-read it, depending on where I was at any given moment. This was a consuming read and I couldn't put it down. The end dragged a bit, but otherwise it was utterly fascinating.
bunnymother's review against another edition
3.0
A awesome review of a crime I knew lots about and the events surrounding the time of the crime that I knew little about. An interesting read all in all.
youraveragedave's review against another edition
dark
informative
mysterious
slow-paced
2.0
I tried twice before to read this book but just couldn't get into it. I thought I'd do the audiobook to help get through it. This book was everywhere years ago so I wanted to see what the hype was all about.
The premise is great. The crazy over the top plans for the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago. The top architects, landscape designers, scientists, engineers, inventors, businessmen, and politicians all come together to take on this Herculean task. Also there's a serial killing insurance fraudster operating in the shadows of the Fair. Throw in a political assassin. Makes for a compelling book, right?
Nope. Felt like neither individual component could hold the appeal of a mass audience so the author (or editors?) decided to mash it all together to bring on the people who enjoy history, engineering, and true crime.
The premise is great. The crazy over the top plans for the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago. The top architects, landscape designers, scientists, engineers, inventors, businessmen, and politicians all come together to take on this Herculean task. Also there's a serial killing insurance fraudster operating in the shadows of the Fair. Throw in a political assassin. Makes for a compelling book, right?
Nope. Felt like neither individual component could hold the appeal of a mass audience so the author (or editors?) decided to mash it all together to bring on the people who enjoy history, engineering, and true crime.
scarlettrmc's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
4.25
sageofthe6pack's review against another edition
informative
reflective
slow-paced
2.25
while i am not a fan of true crime, i was very disappointed to discover that the “devil” in the book title is probably less than 1/4 of the subject in this book. it turns out the planning of a late 1800s fair is more mundane and uninteresting than the story of a serial killer running rampant at said fair, but unfortunately, that was the topic this poorly named book decided to focus on.