i read this book years ago and recently reread it.. Very detailed look at H.H. Holmes. A serial killer during the 1800's. The book describes the many years of his life, not only being a killer but a con man. Very well written . . ( )

on Saturday, October 22, 2005 I wrote about this book ( a lot)


Good morning Rosie ;)
Just want to let you know I have been reading this book for the last couple of days
The thing was I started with another book. The Devil in the White City, which is about a serial killer and about how Chigaco got his fair (World's Columbian Exposition)

I think when I was reading that book i did a search for the name of the serial killer H.H Holmes and realised Depraved was about him.
So I ended up reading 2 books at the same time. Not really ,my cup of tea normally but this time I did not mind.
I just read a few pages of the one book and then the other.
Anyways I have read 3/4th of Depraved and very interesting story.

( )

To be honest, I'm not sure how many recognize the name of Dr. H.H. Holmes in modern day America. I know that I hadn't heard of him until recently, and that was more in passing than anything else. Perhaps more have heard of him due to a recently published book by Erik Larson: "The Devil in the White City."

When I did hear about Holmes, I only heard about his exploits in the Castle. But Holmes' "career" as a serial killer wasn't limited to just Chicago; the man kept changing his story, but admitted at one point to killing 27 people. Experts think that the number is much higher; around 50 people disappeared during Chicago's World Fair after staying at the Castle. But perhaps the most chilling of Holmes' crimes are the children: at least four, including three from one family.

If this had been marketed as a fictional story, I would have accused the author of being completely unrealistic and overly dramatic. But this isn't fiction; Holmes really was this cunning, and he really did manage to get people to trust him (inexplicably, in some cases).

The first half or so of the book is riveting; I could barely bring myself to put the book down. But Schechter got bogged down in the details, unfortunately, and I felt far too much time (not to mention pages) was spent on the bizarre Pitezel crimes, including devoting at least a chapter to each stop along the way (and there were several stops). And the last fourth of the book is devoted almost entirely to the trial, with large swaths of direct quotes from Holmes' lawyers, the prosecutor, the judge, and witnesses. Those could have been condensed a little better, I believe. I'm all about primary documents, but in this case, I think they would have been better if used less.

Still, an intriguing read, and I'm a fan of Schechter's nonfiction. I just don't think this is the best example of it. ( )

An amazing and eerie book ... all the more so because it is true. Unbelievable that evil people such as he lives among us and can get away with his crimes. A fascinating read !!! ( )

Awesome. Great book.
Suspenseful and interesting right up to the end. ( )