eMusic Book Club, Pick #2

The second eMusic Book Club pick is…

The Devil in the White City.

Erik Larson’s 2003 bestseller is a potent combination of history and true crime that reads (and sounds!) like a novel. For plot details, here’s a blurb from the publisher: “Bringing Chicago circa 1893 to vivid life, Erik Larson’s spellbinding bestseller intertwines the true tale of two men–the brilliant architect behind the legendary 1893 World’s Fair, striving to secure America’s place in the world; and the cunning serial killer who used the fair to lure his victims to their death.” Compelling narrative, lurid psycho killer shenanigans, and you just might learn a thing or two about American history. What more could you want?

Book club discussion will begin right here on 17dots on Tuesday, January 29th. While I strongly encourage all of you to download the audiobook edition of Devil from eMusic, I wouldn’t dream of turning away those of you who’ve already read the book and still want to contribute to the conversation. The more the merrier.

A note on the selection process: In Cold Blood was the book club frontrunner on the message boards—I certainly can’t fault your taste! If the pick was based solely on quality of writing Truman Capote’s masterpiece would be hard to surpass, but in all honesty the audiobook version dragged for me. If we take the entire listening experience into account, The Devil in the White City wins hands down. The narration is impeccable, the action is well-plotted, and in terms of pacing it’s, um, what’s the audiobook equivalent of a page-turner?