CoffeeCake & Crime

Happy 2026! This month we will read The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson. A rich narrative of the master builder, the killer, and the great World’s fair that obsessed them both. Two men, each handsome and unusually adept at his chosen work. The architect was Daniel Hudson Burnham, the fair's brilliant director of works. The murderer was Henry H. Holmes, a young doctor who built his "World's Fair Hotel" just west of the fairgrounds. In this book the smoke, romance, and mystery of the Gilded Age come alive as never before.

• If you are participating in our 2026 Read Widely: The American Experience Challenge, this book qualifies for the America Mysteries or American History Badge.

Digital audiobooks and ebooks are available through Boundless, and Libby. Digital Collection is available for FPLD library cardholders. Print copies are available to check out at the Circulation Desk one month prior to the discussion. 

Registration is required. You can register online or call Adult Services at 815-534-6173.