Do you like murder? Do you like history? Do you like historical murder? Do you like history more than you like murder? Well if you answered “Yes” to all of these questions we’ve got a book for you.

Spoiler alert, the story about the Chicago World’s Fair is at the core of this book. The serial killer in the book is the sauce while the transformation of the windy city into a national and global exhibition space is very much the steak.

This is a good book, if not a meandering one, but many of us in the BBC enjoyed it much more for the detailed descriptions of the extremes of the Chicago World’s Fair than the detailed extremes that the serial killer in the book went through to attract, capture, and kill his victims. The great tragedy of this book is that it is unbalanced, there is so much cool history in here that it drowns out the real life dramatics of these murders by overshadowing them with the real life dramatics of putting on a massive global gathering in 1893. Weeks later many of us had forgotten details about the murders but not forgotten the details about the fair and its huge and hidden legacy still visible in the world today.

This story will make you want to stay away from boutique hotels forever, instill a healthy fear of extreme flatulence, and long for the days of global insane exhibitions. Oh, you’ll also appreciate the shit out of Ferris wheels, chewing gum, ambulances, and electricity. If they ever find the right cast and director this will certainly make a great movie or miniseries one day. 

BUY THIS BOOK