Holmes: A serial killer in his own words

by Herman Mudgett, H.H. Holmes, Matt Lake (Annotations)

H.H. Holmes did what few serial killers ever do. He published a series of autobiographical documents that revealed his sociopathic tendencies--and lied about his crimes. The infamous killer of the Chicago World's Fair published a memoir and a confession, both of which conceal more than they reveal of the truth. Then he gave a speech at his hanging that recanted everything. This series of documents, edited and explained by Matt Lake, author of Weird Pennsylvania, show the dark but charming side of a man who lured somewhere between 24 and 200 men, women, and children to their deaths.

194 pages, Paperback

Published July 14, 2016

Reviews

[Christina Collins · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been a huge fan of, H.H. Holmes. For a long time, I have always wanted to read his own writings. I finally purchased this book and could not set this book down for one second. His details of lies were hilarious. Trying to convince people he is innocent, making himself look like a victim. I knew right away, many people in that time thought it was ludicrous. It's how I thought. At the very end, I was intrigued by his true confession of what he had done. His crime spree was very interesting. I did enjoy reading this book and am proud of finally owning a copy to place on my bookshelf. A great read if you are a fan of his. I'm not saying what he had done was right, but his methods to commit these murders brought amazement to how he created this hotel with secret rooms and got away with it for a long time. It's outstanding. A true serial killer he was. I recommend this book to serial killer fans. You won't be disappointed.

[Sammy McGregor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Definitely a one of a kind read but it was brilliant to get a chance to walk in the mind of H H Holmes. The foreword from the publisher and the author that compiled the work were amazing too!

[Andrea Lewis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating how the mind works, and how self absorbed he truly is. One to read again later, to see how much I missed!

[Patricia English · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a sort of interesting book, It takes a bit to get into but once you do its an interesting read. I do like the other books better, but this was in his own words.

[Luke Simmons · Rating 3 out of 5]

A truly depraved man. A bundle of lies and more lies nicely wrapped in some horrifying truth.

[Charlotte]

This dude…. What a weasel. Ugh. A lot of spelling mistakes but it was kind of crazy to hear his side of things.

[PaulPowers · Rating 2 out of 5]

Quite boring. Context notes would make it better.