{"product_id":"a-killer-called-holmes-elise-hermann-9798247623106","title":"A Killer Called Holmes: The Chilling Life of Herman Webster Mudgett, America's First Serial Killer, and the Truth Behind the Murder Castle","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eHerman Webster Mudgett and the Birth of Serial Murder in the Modern Age\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHe called himself Dr. Henry Howard Holmes a polite, soft-spoken man with kind eyes, impeccable manners, and an easy smile. But behind the name and the charm lived Herman Webster Mudgett, a man whose appetite for deception and death helped give birth to the modern serial killer.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSet against the electric rise of Gilded Age America, \u003cb\u003e \u003ci\u003eA Killer Called Holmes\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e pulls you deep into the chilling double life of a man who thrived in an era obsessed with progress, profit, and appearances. As cities boomed and fortunes were made overnight, Holmes learned how to weaponize trust-posing as a doctor, a businessman, a lover, and a savior, all while quietly orchestrating ruin. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eAt the heart of his legend stands the infamous Murder Castle, a labyrinthine hotel of hidden passages, soundproof rooms, gas jets, and secret chutes-long mythologized, rarely understood. This book peels back the sensational layers to reveal what the building truly was, how it functioned, and how much of its horror has been exaggerated, misunderstood, or deliberately obscured. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eBlending gripping narrative with meticulous research, this book traces Holmes's path from a troubled childhood to medical school, from insurance fraud to calculated murder, and from celebrated criminal mastermind to condemned man. It explores how greed, medicine, journalism, and America's hunger for spectacle allowed him to flourish and how myth-making turned a killer into a legend larger than his crimes. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eUnflinching yet restrained, \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eA Killer Called Holmes\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e does not glorify violence. Instead, it restores clarity to chaos, giving voice to the forgotten victims while confronting uncomfortable truths about how monsters are made and marketed. By stripping away legend and restoring Herman Webster Mudgett to the center of his own story, it confronts the unsettling truth of how America's first serial killer was able to thrive, and why his shadow still lingers over true crime history today. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThis is not just the story of a killer.\u003cbr\u003eIt is the story of \u003cb\u003ehow America learned to recognize one\u003c\/b\u003e.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Elise Hermann\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9798247623106\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Independently Published\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 02\/09\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 166\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.51lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.00h x 6.00w x 0.35d","brand":"Elise Hermann","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":48517120524543,"sku":"9798247623106","price":10.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_749eb138-e357-4d31-9e8b-f13446dd0432.jpg?v=1778730037","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/a-killer-called-holmes-elise-hermann-9798247623106","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}