Details a huge event in American history – the Columbian Exposition of 1893 – as well as a serial killer who may have claimed more victims than any other. These events have certainly faded from memory as the people who experienced them died off long ago. The repercussions of the grand expo were immense – from the mundane zipper to the ubiquitous Ferris wheel at every county fair all can claim roots to the 1893 Chicago fair. Larson spent countless hours meticulously researching the events of the time period. It’s really a story about two main “characters” – “Holmes” the killer and the exposition itself. Much of the tale tells the story of how the exposition (barely) came together and pulled of the greatest show on Earth. Reading about the exploits of Holmes, who has also attained legendary status but isn’t mentioned much among the other modern killers, made me think that serial killers have existed as long as time itself. It was the personality of the monster that created the killer – he had a need and fulfilled that need. Only in recent times, because of modern technology, have we been able to catch these most horrific criminals. Previously, killers like Holmes – who almost wasn’t caught, slipped underneath the radar. I really liked how the author would throw in a line at the end of a chapter that would allude to a later happening in the story, without giving away what would happen – it definitely kept me turning the pages. The fact that it was rooted in real history and had the true crime angle along with the triumph of great men made this a great book for me. I’d recommend it to anyone who likes either genre.

Has anyone done a tally of how many times Mr. Larson draws attention to people’s blue eyes? Sometimes it seems there’s a mention every page. It’s a pretty annoying tick in what is otherwise an excellent read.