H. H. Holmes

The True History of the White City Devil

By: Adam Selzer

Narrated by: David Bendena

Length: 17 hrs and 16 mins

Publisher's summary

This is the first truly comprehensive book examining the life and career of the murderer who has become one of America's great supervillains. It reveals not only the true story but how the legend evolved, taking advantage of hundreds of primary sources that have never been examined before, including legal documents, letters, articles, and records that have been buried in archives for more than a century. Although Holmes is just as famous now as he was in 1895, this deep analysis of contemporary materials makes clear how much of the previously known story came from reporters who were nowhere near the action, a dangerously unqualified new police chief, and lies invented by Holmes himself.

©2017 Adam Selzer (P)2017 Dreamscape Media, LLC

Deeply researched, well read

Adam Selzer must have invested hundreds of hours into compiling all this data. He didn’t just collect old news articles—he somehow got access to original trial transcripts, often handwritten stenographer notes published here for the first time. Maybe his next book should be about how to find stuff like that!

The reader’s performance is perfect for me: unobtrusive, and steady enough so that I can listen attentively or fall asleep listening depending on my mood.

The audio production is overall good but there’s a slight occasional sibilance (sounds like the reader has a lisp, but he doesn’t). I got used to it but it was a little annoying at first. Check the sample for yourself.

The truth

I've read several of the books on Holmes and watched American Ripper. It's just my personality to test everything and I kept thinking, "Where's the evidence?" Although I do enjoy the sensationalized story for fictional and entertainment purposes, I appreciate Mr Selzer's mind frame (like mine) to test the story against the evidence to make a clear line between fact and fiction.

Fascinating and complex life of the White City Devil

This was such a fascinating novel of the notorious H H Holmes.

The author relied on thousands of hours of research to bring the true story of Holmes, rather than following the most common tales and myths.

I greatly enjoyed listening to the huge amount of knowledge and history within this novel, but I found myself slightly bored at times when the author got into a long rant about something that, to me, did not need to be as detailed. This is not even much of a complaint, I greatly enjoy true-crime, and I love the details within this book, but over 20 hours in the cruel mind of Holmes was a bit much for me.

I thought I knew the story of HH Holmes, but I soon learned that I had unknowingly bought into the huge hype of the almost supernatural mythology of the ‘Murder Castle’ in Chicago.

I am so happy that I randomly decided to pick up this Audible book hoping for more information of “America’s First Serial Killer’.

The author did a great job bringing Holmes to life, slugging through the huge media hype and legend. He brought so much horrific truth to this novel, that it almost makes the media sensationalism a bit trite.

I do plan on reading Larson’s Devil in the White City to get a good look at all angles of the Holmes tale, but this novel is definitely going to prove the most comprehensive.

VERY long, sometimes boring, but overall OK

This is definitely a book that was not well edited. Why say in 100 words what you can say in 1000? The publisher's notes on this book makes it sound exciting and captivating. It is a serious let down. Not one of my favorite reads.

Maybe the truth is just not as sexy as the myth

The book was informative about the story of H.H. Holmes and presented a lot of counter arguments to the well-known devil and his murder castle story. Which is kind of the problem. The book always seems to be in service of a story which only exists in relief to the sensationalized horror stories. It's not an enviable task, to be sure. It's almost guaranteed to end with a whimper. The author does a good job to set the record straight (if in fact it does), but there's nothing all that special to keep the listener's attention.

A fascinating historical account

The amount of research that went into this book is impressive. I liked the way the story was told, and how it differed from the sensationalized accounts. It provided an amazing view I into a time I knew little about, including how the reporting of the day led to many of the tall tales of today.

Wonderfully researched..

As comprehensive as possible, given the lies and constant obfuscation of the subject, and the completely insane levels of myth-making that have gone on for over a century.
However, would it be out of place to ask... I don't know, maybe it's expecting too much..... But maybe, if you're hiring someone to read an audiobook, um... maybe make sure they can actually read?

More Complete Telling of the H. H. Holmes Saga

This particular book seems to have been fact checked further than other tellings of Holmes' doings.

One encounter specifically, H.H. Holmes killing of the pharmacist/physician widow who wasn't. I've heard that story time and again, but knowing the physician was a woman who outlived Holmes by 4 decades and her husband survived as well, is an example of the authenticity lended to this book via the author's good detective work.

Also, I really enjoyed that discussions of deaths possibly caused by Holmes, the facts around them and the "mixed bag" presentation. I'd rather that than just assuming and carrying on.

So far, having read several treatises regarding Holmes, including Devil in the White City, I'd put this book at the top, without reservation.

Just the facts

The book listens/reads like a textbook. It has the truth but is not for entertainment.

No Holmes Left unturned

Incredibly well authored and researched book that takes tremendous precision and separating fact from fiction from mythology.