In this tour de force book chronicling the devilish actions of turn of the century serial murderer and con-man H.H. Holmes we find out not only about his devious deeds, but the brilliant mind that was able to juggle so many scams before he was caught. Reading about Holmes reminds me a lot of the charming depravity of Ted Bundy. Both were selfish, self-serving psychopaths who are unable to empathize with their victims.
The earlier part of the book is far more fascinating then the end since it deals with Holmes’ crimes and his co-ordination of many wives and mistresses. He appears to have been an irresistibly attractive catch for any woman of the era. He had many properties including his architectural monstrosity called the Castle, he marketed his own natural remedies from his own pharmacy, and appeared to be a self-made man. The later part of the novel talks about when Holmes is finally brought to justice (after many murders and other conspiracies for personal gain). I admit that the courtroom drama in this section read rather dryly (the only exception being when Holmes tries to represent himself in court a la Bundy, very interesting).
This is my first reading of a book by Schechter, who is a prolific true crime writer. I also have his novel, Deranged, which tells the horrifying story of Albert Fish, a fiend of monstrous proportions. I’ll be reading that after finishing the 4th Dark Tower book by Stephen King, Wizard and Glass (these books just keep getting better and better-major kudos to Mr. King).
2 comments:
I need to find this one. I've found the story of H.H. Holmes fascianting.
If you want another good book on Holmes, get Erik Larson's The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic and Madness at the Fair that Changed America - an excellent book!
I also find it interesting that you mention Fish and King in the same breath: Fish is a secondary character in the sequel to The Talisman - Black House co-written by King and Peter Straub (both are also secondary Dark Tower novels).
Finally, I have to say that Wizard and Glass is my favorite DT novel.
Robert Bloch wrote a semi-fictionalized account of Holmes in his novel American Gothic. Not his best work, but it's Bloch, so it's always readable.
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