Murder by Gaslight

Dead Men Do Tell Tales

By: Troy Taylor

Narrated by: Charles Huddleston

MURDER BY GASLIGHT:
THE AUTHENTICATED HISTORY OF DR. H.H. HOLMES, HIS INSIDIOUS MURDER CASTLE, THE 1893 WORLD'S COLUMBIAN EXPOSITION AND THE HORRORS OF GASLIGHT ERA CHICAGO

Chicago during the Gaslight Era was a place that embodied both the elegance of America’s Gilded Age and the vice, crime and sin of the most corrupt city in the country. During the 1880s and early 1890s, Chicago was home to killers, thieves, gamblers, con artists and whores – and hosted perhaps the greatest World’s Fair in our nation’s history. It was to this place that a man named H.H. Holmes was drawn like a moth to the flame and Chicago embraced him as one of its own. Charming and dapper, Holmes soon slashed his way into American history with devious schemes, unconscionable swindles – and bloody murders. Killing for profit and convenience, he claimed an unknown number of victims with his infamous “Castle” on Chicago’s South Side, a grandiose monstrosity that was filled with trapdoors, winding passages, secret doors and staircases, torture chambers a crematorium and worse.

Then, finally on the run from the law, he left a trail of corpses behind him before his past crimes finally caught up with him and led to what the newspapers called the “Trial of the Century.”

In this spellbinding book, author Troy Taylor tackles the chilling tale of H.H. Holmes, cutting through the myths and exaggerations that have plagued the strange story for years and presenting a clear and concise account of Holmes’ murders, his swindles, his confessions and the myriad of lies that effortlessly spilled from his lips. How many people did Holmes really kill? Who was the intrepid detective that finally brought about his downfall? And did a supernatural curse really surround those who sent Holmes to the gallows? You’ll find out in one of the author’s best books so far!"

©2013 Troy Taylor (P)2022 Troy Taylor

Excellent Book, Mush-Mouthed Narrator

This is one great book, especially for those familiar with the city of Chicago. It doesn't get too depressing before interspersing more light-hearted fare. There is a great amount of detail, so much so that one wonders how the author could know all of that. But what ruined it for me was the narrator. He has a slurry, loose-lipped narration technique that makes him sound as if he's had a shot of novocaine or he's falling asleep. Almost to the point of drooling. He'd start a new chapter with crisp inflection and enunciation, only to slough off and begin slurring as he continued. He pronounced "important" as "imporant," without the second "t." I loved the book and tried hard to finish it, but the narration made it necessary to take frequent breaks.

Listen with the lights out . . .

I enjoyed this format…the story sprinkled with music from the time period. The narrator voice was perfect for this. Low and slow! I liked listening to this at night in the dark! Really set the mood!

Psychopath until the end.

Although this has a kind of slow start with a history of patent medicines included, it’s a riveting tale of a psychopath’s life. The tell of person’s tragically entangled in his life with many losing their battle. Holmes doesn’t give up on his own life while having blatant disregard for others. The narrator has a way with telling the story that keeps the listener very engaged.

Listened by Nightlight

This is a fascinating book. Imagine life in the 1890’s, early Chicago history, and a deceitful, intelligent, and ruthless main character. H. H. Holmes never ceased to amaze me with his antics, Chicago ‘castle’, and by living multiple lives. Yet I sympathized with his numerous unfortunate victims. Justice eventually prevails thanks to dogged Pinkerton detectives (there’s a short history about this agency), but it hardly seemed enough for the carnage that Holmes wreaked. Charles Huddleston was superb as narrator, adding depth, emotion, and character accents to the story. I particularly enjoyed the period music including gramophone, piano, strings, and even a barbershop quartet. They highlighted important passages and chapter ends, and transported you back to that time. Overall, it was extremely entertaining and I’m grateful never having to cross paths with a villain like Holmes.

Best HH Homes book ever!

Troy Taylor always digs deep for the truth in the history - not satisfied with myth or sensationalized tales. If you want the truth of the notorious HH Homes and all his evil deeds, this is the book for you. Taylor takes the reader along for a ride to all the places stained by Homes and allows our emotions to pull us along.
The performance of Mr. Huddleston was perfect for this book and the music enhanced the experience. He is rapidly becoming one of my favorite Audible readers.

Read Adam Selzer's book instead.

The Good: Narrator is fantastic. It's read clearly and with great enthusiasm. Sure, he pronounces half of the names incorrectly and dons a bizarre Southern drawl for some "characters," it was easily the best part. Overall, it's an entertaining book with just enough lurid detail to keep you engaged. The Bad: Perpetuates TONS of false and/or unconfirmed rumors, such as the Castle being erected for the purpose or murder hotel guests attending the World's Fair (The HHH Castle was NEVER a functioning hotel and those who stayed there were generally employees and contractors living there longer-term). It's maddening, especially since the author goes out of his way to acknowledge just how much of H.H. Holmes's legacy is invented myth and not supported by the evidence. Troy Taylor presents information that Erik Larson (The Devil the White City) admits in his own book that he completely made-up for dramatic effect as FACT. All that is bad enough, but don't worry, there's more! He calls sex workers "prostitutes" and speaks about them with the spurious judgment of a sensational crime journalist from a century ago. He says "committed suicide" even though that terminology is considered, at best, extremely insensitive and, at worst, completely inappropriate. Suicide is not a crime or something done to you against your will. STOP saying "committed suicide." Even bluntly saying "killed themselves" is more appropriate. The Ugly: The G-D music. It was cute the first couple times to build atmosphere, but it almost killed this book for me. EVERY chapter you can expect up to a minute grating, old-timey music (often repeated) and if that's not bad enough, don't worry, you will also get music every chapter break. It's less sensational but not as entertaining as The Devil in the White City and doesn't even hold a candle to Adam Selzer's H.H. Holmes.

enough with the music

Ridiculous music through out very distracting,
I have other books that have music between chapters but this music is like every few minutes and goes on each time for a full minute after 10 minutes in I uninstalled the damm thing will get on kindle maybe

There are better books on HH Holmes

Having read the excellent Devil in the White City years ago, I was interested in this book since it focused more on Holmes. Sadly, it didn't add much to what I already knew. Worse, the presentation was terrible. There are random musical interludes throughout the performance that are jarring and don't add anything to the book. They ruin the flow of the narration. Also the narrator isn't great. He's okay, but his cadence and inflection are off in places, which coupled with the unnecessary music, made this a tough listen for me.