H.H. Holmes: The True History of the White City Devil

H.H. Holmes is widely considered to be America's first real serial killer, thanks to books such as Erik Larson's Devil in the White City painting him as such. Selzer (host, Mysterious Chicago podcast), however, seeks to debunk much of the fictionalized and sensational aspects of Holmes's alleged killing spree during the 1893 Chicago World's Fair in this comprehensive and intriguing account. Many accepted estimates put his kill count at somewhere between 30 and 200; Selzer, thanks to exhaustive research of previously undiscovered and ignored primary sources, narrows that down to four confirmed murders: Holmes's business partner, Benjamin Pitezel, and three of Pitezel's children. Selzer sets the record straight with regard to Holmes lore—he didn't lure young, single women into his "murder castle" in Englewood during the World's Fair, and his "castle" never functioned as a hotel. In fact, Holmes was much more notorious for his insurance fraud schemes. According to Selzer, much of Holmes lore came from unfettered sensationalized journalism, rampant gossip, unreliable witnesses, and Holmes himself—he was a compulsive liar and probably enjoyed the notoriety before he was sentenced to death.