The Scarlet Mansion [Hardcover]

Allan W. Eckert (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1985

The lightly fictionalized story of America's first known serial killer, Herman Mudgettalias Dr. Henry Holmeswho, during the 1800's, murdered at least 133 people. His 105-room Chicago mansion contained mostly toture devices, gas chambers, and incinerators. In a dramatic cross-country pursuit by Indianapolis Detective Frank Geyer, Mudgett is finally arrested in Boston and executed.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Allan W. Eckert, seven-time Pulitzer Prize nominee, has written 39 books, including his award-winning Incident at Hawk's Hill and The Frontiersmen, plus numerous other historical narratives, novels and non-fiction works, as well as books for young adults and children. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 500 pages
• Publisher: Little Brown & Co (T); 1st edition (June 1985)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0316208833
• ISBN-13: 978-0316208833
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.6 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,494,314 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Allan W. Eckert, seven-time Pulitzer Prize nominee, has written 39 books, including his award-winning Incident at Hawk's Hill and The Frontiersman, plus numerous other historical narratives, novels and non-fiction works, as well as books for young adults and children.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Scarlet Mansion, May 28, 2001

By 

R. Barlow (Nashville, TN) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Scarlet Mansion (Paperback)

I read this book when it first was published in 1985. Though many years have passed, my memory of the story remains vivid. I still wonder why historians do not mention this man more often when discussing serial murderers. Herman Mudget obviously was clever, as the reader soon learns, and no matter the number of people killed, he always should be mentioned in the same breath as Jack the Ripper and other well known serial murderers. Mr. Eckert has done outstanding research into the life of Herman Mudget, and his diabolical schemes to commit murder. Though serial murders are not to be praised in history, their exploits are part of history, and any study of them should be closely reviewed as a lesson from which we can learn, and Mr. Eckert's effort is among the best. Athough I still have my original copy, I am pleased to learn that this book is back in print so readers who have not yet had the opportunity to read this story now will be able to do so.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars By far the best fictional account of this man, March 24, 2003

By 

Eric Oppen (Iowa Falls, IA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Scarlet Mansion (Paperback)

Herman W. Mudgett, better known as Harry H. Holmes, was a true American monster---swindler, thief, and serial killer. Nobody knows how many people he killed at his "Murder Mansion"---a house constructed specifically to make murder easier to get away with---in then-suburban Englewood, Illinois (now part of Chicago). He killed for pleasure, for insurance money, and to avoid paying people money he owed them.

Robert Bloch tried to do justice to Mudgett in _American Gothic,_ but this book is far closer to the known facts of the case, and I cannot understand why it isn't better-known. I'm delighted to see that it's finally back in print.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Scarlet Mansion, November 8, 2003

By 

Katheryn I Pratt (Oxford, IN United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Scarlet Mansion (Hardcover)

Excellent book. Read it over 10 yrs ago and lost my copy. Finally found it again on Amazon.com. What a facinating read.
This man was truely evil incarnate. From the first page it will keep you reading well into the night and early morning.