Devil in the White City Questions

1. Before reading this book, what did you think the expression “The Windy City” meant?
I thought it meant that Chicago was rather chilly with a strong wind factor.
2. Could this many murders and/or disappearances have gone undetected in a different city?
Yes, it is all in the size and excitement.

3. Do you think Holmes was born with an evil inclination or were there events that drove him
to evil?
I think that he was born an evil psychopath. You simply can't create an evil that strong.
4. There are two different producers that have optioned this for a movie - who do you think
will be cast as the main characters?
Holmes: Hayden Frye
Burnham: Alex Purut
Root: Jackson
Mrs. Holton: Kyndall Wells
Julia: Lillian LeQuire
Numerous women: Melissa Early, Ana Neville, Jared Nava
5. What surprised you most about this book?
How easy it was for Holmes to get away with all of the evil that he did unnoticed for as long as he did.
6. If you had a young daughter in the late 1800s, how would you have felt about her traveling alone or
moving to Chicago?
I would not want her to go there. If she insisted on going I would make sure that she was married or had a companion with her at all times.
7. Who was more powerful – Burnham or Holmes?
Holmes was more powerful because if you have the ability to sway people from the truth with sly words and an intense gaze, you can do anything.
8. What did Holmes look for in women and why?
Vulnerability and trust because those are the kind of women that can easily fall into the trap of his cruel lies and pure evil.
9. What did it mean to be a doctor or a pharmacist in this era?
It meant that you give people meds. It doesn't require any real skill because everyone just wants an answer...it didn't have to be the right one.
10. On page 62, Holmes suggests that “women as a class were so wonderfully vulnerable”.
To what extent, if any, does this hold true today?
I think that this definitely holds true today. I think that women are always vulnerable because of, first and foremost, the size difference. And also the underlying desire to look for good in someone.