As a true crime fan, I gladly offered to review this title that is part of a new series, True Colors, by Barbour Books. The White City is the first of this series of “Historical Stories of Romance and American Crime.” (publisher)
This story joins the villain H.H. Holmes, (who built the murder castle during Chicago’s World Exhibition of 1893) along with inspirational romance. I was especially curious to see how the author would combine true crime and romance into one captivating tale.
The main character, Winnifred, involves herself in a police investigation that eventually leads her to interact with H.H. Holmes. Her father is the local police chief and knows of his daughter’s curiosity and sense of adventure. He allows her sleuthing in this “minor” investigation, only with the aid of a new detective as her bodyguard. The plot throws her into an alarming situation that fits within the history known of H.H. Holmes. In the meantime, two men vie for her attention (one being the new detective), and she must choose one of the suitable beaus.
In my opinion, this book isn’t so much an American Crime story as it is more in the “cozy mystery” genre, while using something from history as a plot point. However, it does give the type of inspirational romance a new twist from it’s usual predictable tropes.
The cover is misleading — it doesn’t translate that the reader will be reading anything that includes true crime. To the author’s credit, she does give the history of H.H. Holmes and other details in the back of the book that were not included in the story.
In the end, if you enjoy uncomplicated, cozy mysteries, and Christian romance, then this book will be a delightful and perfect weekend read.
Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley.com for my review. As an Amazon Affiliate, there may be links in this post, which if you click through and make a purchase, I will receive a small commission that helps support this blog. You are in no way obligated to use these links.