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jaborch's review
4.0
Well after loving Rick Geary's interpretation of Lizzie Borden's tale, I was eager to seek out more of his Victorian murder mysteries. Despite remaining unsolved, the Borden murders were finite and the mystery around them contained to a handful of players in Fall River. Holmes's story stretches across the Northeast and Midwest, traveling from Chicago to Toronto to Boston. Holmes confused to murdering 27 people (though he later recounted this confession), but he was tied to the disappearance of more than double that number. Perhaps he is best known as America's first serial killer and the master of his own murder factory, located only a stone's throw from 1893 Chicago World Fair.
As with Geary's look at the Borden murders, he largely shies away from speculation in favor of a chronological retelling of the known facts supported by evidence and testimony of the time. We follow the promising young doctor from his school days in New Hampshire to the University of Michigan Medical School and at last to Chicago, where he reinvented himself as an apothecary. Geary's art style is familar while the narrative is more removed than that used in Lizzie Bordern. No longer are we listening to the gossip of a close friend, but instead we get an omniscient narrator walking us through the doctor's life. This clinical approach is helpful in a story with as many twists and turns as H.H. Holmes's and my only complaint is the book is too short to explore the many plots of the man.
The Beast of Chicago was an excellent primer to Murder Palace of Chicago and its purveyor. From here I can't decide if I should read Geary's exploration of Jack the Ripper next or a more detailed account of Holmes's exploits, cons, and murders.
As with Geary's look at the Borden murders, he largely shies away from speculation in favor of a chronological retelling of the known facts supported by evidence and testimony of the time. We follow the promising young doctor from his school days in New Hampshire to the University of Michigan Medical School and at last to Chicago, where he reinvented himself as an apothecary. Geary's art style is familar while the narrative is more removed than that used in Lizzie Bordern. No longer are we listening to the gossip of a close friend, but instead we get an omniscient narrator walking us through the doctor's life. This clinical approach is helpful in a story with as many twists and turns as H.H. Holmes's and my only complaint is the book is too short to explore the many plots of the man.
The Beast of Chicago was an excellent primer to Murder Palace of Chicago and its purveyor. From here I can't decide if I should read Geary's exploration of Jack the Ripper next or a more detailed account of Holmes's exploits, cons, and murders.
katiegrrrl's review
4.0
Rick Geary does it again. I love how he finds long forgotten Victorian mass murders. His artwork is spot on.
librarylove4eva's review
3.0
I didn't love it and really only picked it up to fill the time before [b:The Devil in the White City {Audio} {Cd} {Unabridged}|22305344|The Devil in the White City {Audio} {Cd} {Unabridged}|Eric Larson|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1400871650s/22305344.jpg|41695351] is available from the library.
The pictures felt crowded to me and very flat.
The pictures felt crowded to me and very flat.
quinnster's review
3.0
This review is for 4 of Rick Geary's Victorian Murder Books: The Borden Tragedy, The Case of Madeleine Smith, The Beast of Chicago, and The Saga of the Bloody Benders.
Dry, fact-based accounts of some of the more notorious murderers in history. They read almost like textbooks. There is no creative license taken in any of these. While interesting, some get downright boring. The Bloody Benders was spent going on a history lesson of Kansas and of the guesstimations of where the Benders might have relocated. Very little was spent on the family itself because it seems very little is known of the family, which begs the questions why include them in this series?
I found The Borden Tragedy most interesting because out of the four I read it had the markings of a true whodunit. By all accounts it would seem that Lizzie Borden was innocent. So who then, murdered her father and step-mother?
Madeleine Smith was also an intriguing because it seemed only she could be the culprit and if so she got away with murder to live a long and fulfilling life.
The Beast of Chicago was impressive mostly in how H. H. Holmes's trail of back and forth travels was kept straight!
If you're looking for no nonsense reads on murderers these are your books. If you're hoping for some entertaining read I might try elsewhere.
Dry, fact-based accounts of some of the more notorious murderers in history. They read almost like textbooks. There is no creative license taken in any of these. While interesting, some get downright boring. The Bloody Benders was spent going on a history lesson of Kansas and of the guesstimations of where the Benders might have relocated. Very little was spent on the family itself because it seems very little is known of the family, which begs the questions why include them in this series?
I found The Borden Tragedy most interesting because out of the four I read it had the markings of a true whodunit. By all accounts it would seem that Lizzie Borden was innocent. So who then, murdered her father and step-mother?
Madeleine Smith was also an intriguing because it seemed only she could be the culprit and if so she got away with murder to live a long and fulfilling life.
The Beast of Chicago was impressive mostly in how H. H. Holmes's trail of back and forth travels was kept straight!
If you're looking for no nonsense reads on murderers these are your books. If you're hoping for some entertaining read I might try elsewhere.
inkychaotics's review
3.0
A cool concept overall if you’re into knowing more about H.H. Holmes. The facts are pretty straightforward and flow well. The graphics are fairly simple, but work well with the narrative and contain some interesting details. I think this concept could have been a little more exciting either with the info or the imagery, but I did enjoy it overall.
richard's review
One of Geary's best true crime comics. Holmes' traveling fraud, bigamy, and child murder spree was criminally ambitious to say the least, but building an elaborate murder castle really put him over the top.
singerofstories's review
3.0
This book is exactly as the title promises: An account of the life and crimes of...H.H. Holmes. In case you don't know, H.H. Holmes is known as America's first serial killer. I first became interested in him when I was in college and living in Chicago, where Holmes built his "murder castle" during the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago.
So basically I already knew the story of Holmes but now in graphic novel form? Exciting! I sat down to read the story of the man and his grisly crimes. Indeed, the crimes and the story was there but man, there was just so. much. dry. content.He changed his name to this. Swooned this woman. Then married her. Made up this story and sent her there. Then another associate came along. Name change. New marriage. Death. Disappearance. New name. Marriage. New story. Death. New name. Marriage. I would say parts of the book were interesting and had good illustrations to go with them, but at some point it just began to drag. And then it was repetitive and I got to the point where I would kill for a contraction. But I made it through and...it was ok.
So basically I already knew the story of Holmes but now in graphic novel form? Exciting! I sat down to read the story of the man and his grisly crimes. Indeed, the crimes and the story was there but man, there was just so. much. dry. content.
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