Review: Devil in the White City

The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America by Erik Larson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Dark history in the white city.
After a false start a year ago, when I couldn't get into this book, I picked it up again. I had just come across "Bloodstains" by Jeff Mudgett, the great grandson of the "devil" in this book, and thought I should read this first (I recommend reading them in this order; it gave good context for Mudgett's revelations).
Overall, this was a pretty good book, but tying together two largely unrelated storylines isn't easy to do. While both were joined by the time and place of the Chicago World's Fair, flipping from a mass murderer's arrival in the city to the architects planning the site couldn't help but feel disjointed.
In the end, the stories were joined in the grizzly nightmares and calamities during the fair. It was disturbing to learn that the disappearing women barely registered with authorities and the "devil" carried on under their noses.
It is a dark history, but interesting nonetheless.

Read my review of Bloodstains
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Review: The Missing Millionaire

The Missing Millionaire: The True Story of Ambrose Small and the City Obsessed With Finding Him by Katie Daubs
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Love a true Canadian mystery...
In all honesty, the lack of a definitive answer to what happened to Small made it hard to spin a compelling tale, so I would find my mind drifting. The book was well enough written that I stayed with it, and in the end, it was worth the listen. I like that I have added to my knowledge of Canadian mysteries and history. Would probably be even more interesting to Torontonians.

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Review: Looking for Madeleine

Looking For Madeleine by Anthony Summers
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A tragic story, still a mystery
What happened to little Madeleine McCann remains a mystery after all these years. Snatched from bed in the Portugal resort bedroom she shared with her siblings (who slept through the whole thing) while her parents were out for dinner nearby (checking on the children at intervals), Madeleine's disappearance captured the world's attention. I was always curious about aspects of the case, especially after the many bizarre suspicions, sightings and suspects in the news. Without knowing what is or isn't true, I felt this telling of the story was balanced and largely neutral, and put things into perspective. Having said that, there are many more questions than answers, leaving me to wonder if the truth will ever be known.

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Review: Priceless - How I Went Undercover to Rescue the World's Stolen Treasures

Priceless: How I Went Undercover to Rescue the World's Stolen Treasures by Robert K. Wittman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars


As an art lover, I have always been fascinated by stolen art and forgeries. Who did it? Why? How? Where is the work now? Is it hanging on some rich person's wall? (and who does that anyway?!?!). Is it stuffed in a garage somewhere? Did someone stash it somewhere and then die? Can it be covered before it is destroyed and lost forever?

FASCINATING STUFF. If this interests you as much as me, you'll probably enjoy Priceless. It was pretty interesting to learn about how major heists were resolved. It was freaky to learn about works almost recovered and then the opportunity lost due to turf wars and egos. Regardless, listen and you will travel the world in pursuit of lost treasures.

The book was written as a memoir, so it includes the background as to how the FBI's first art sleuth got to his post, which was not what I might have imagined.

It was heartening to learn that the priority was on recovering works first, and catching the bad guys second.

It was equally disheartening to hear about how the art crimes division would fall out of favour, and an intelligent and dedicated agent would be bounced around supervisors that didn't get or appreciate art. But all in all, interesting tales, and a good listen for art and mystery lovers.

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