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Chautona Havig

Chautona Havig

Using story to connect YOU to the Master Storyteller

Is True Crime My New Favorite Fictional Escape?

by Chautona Havig · 17 Comments

The picture stunned me.  After a lifetime of riding Ferris wheels at county fairs, I saw an up close picture of the original—the first one shown at the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair.

Ferris Wheel car 1893

Look, I knew that the ones I’d ridden were tiny compared to the “real thing,” but I was not prepared for that picture.  Sure, it was tall—humongous! But it was also crazy wide!  The little seats that rock back and forth as you climb higher and higher weren’t there.  Instead, great big glass-enclosed trolley-like cars held sixty people each!  There were thirty-six of them suckers!

I’ve never been afraid of roller coasters or other fair and amusement park rides, but something about the idea of being packed in one of those cars with fifty-nine other people gives me the willies.

Let me ride in it alone!

Years after that, I learned about H. H. Holmes—the “first serial killer” in the United States.  Reading up on his castle of horrors was one of those, “Why did you start this?” kind of rabbit trails.  Morbid fascination kept me going, but frankly, that’s why I read fiction—even thriller stuff.  It’s not real. I can convince myself that it didn’t happen rather than aching for the people who really endured such horrible situations.

So, you might ask, if the giant wheel of the World Columbian Exposition and the first serial killer in the US aren’t my cups of tea, why would I voluntarily request a review copy of a “true crime” novel involving both?

I could claim that I didn’t know the Ferris wheel would be in the book.  It would be true, too.  I didn’t know.  It would also be a lie.  Because… see… the answer is, I just don’t know!

Is True Crime My New Favorite Fictional Escape?

Note: links are likely affiliate links that provide me a small commission at no extra expense to you. Additionally, I requested a review copy of this book–opinions are given freely without compulsion (who ever had to compel me to share an opinion, right?)

Is True Crime My New Favorite Fictional Escape?

The White City opened with a character I feared would make me run screaming. Winnie Wylde deceptively gives every evidence of being a shallow, self-absorbed, thoughtless girl on the first page or three of the book. Everything shifted around there, and page after page after page passed with me falling more and more in love with the girl at every turn.

No, she isn’t perfect, but she does have admirable qualities and a dogged determination to redeem herself after an unfortunate (or two or three or more) miscalculation of motives and events in the past. Add to that her love of the old “penny dreadful” type stories, and well… can you blame her police inspector father for brushing her concerns aside?

Layer by layer, the story unfolded, and as it did, something delightful happened. You got to see the horrible crime from outside the usual box of all the gruesomeness and ugliness.  Instead, Grace Hitchcock told the story from someone out to prove the guilt of Mr. Holmes in order to prevent further horrors.

We’re not treated to all the gory details, because Miss Wylde doesn’t encounter them much herself. Instead, you see her undercover efforts fail and succeed, and watch as she uncovers the truth—all the horrible bits of it.  And yet we’re not dragged through much of that horror at all.  If all true crime was like this, I’d love it.

But it’s not just a fun book with an interesting storyline.

The White City is also brilliantly written.  I don’t know if any part of the writing even once pulled me from the story.  In fact, I just sat here for a few seconds, trying to find something I didn’t like, and the closest I could come were the descriptions of Miss Wylde’s clothing.  The thing is, there’s a point to those descriptions, and I really didn’t mind.  I’ve never read anything by Grace Hitchcock before, but I’m off to find more.  This woman… she can write.  And anyone who can write like this needs a larger share of my bookshelf space.

So… yeah. Well written, great plot, what’s not to love?  What else could there be to recommend it?  Well, there is just one more thing….

I just loved how similar Winnie Wylde is to a favorite character of mine—Madeline Brown. 

Both girls have a doting aunt determined to see them well married.  Both girls have indulgent fathers who, despite desires to protect them, allow a bit of sleuthing where other fathers wouldn’t.  And both girls have a great love of detective stories—although Miss Wylde has a taste for the more lurid tales, I think.

Seriously, if you love mysteries, The White City is for you. If you love history, this book is also for you. Is true crime your jam?  You’ll want to spread a little of this on your toast (okay, that was just a weird one, wasn’t it?). And… if you enjoy Madeline Brown, you’ll love Winnie.  I swear, these girls are literary soul sisters!

Oh, and did I find a new fictional escape?  Well, I may change my mind after the next one I’ve requested a review copy to read, but I doubt it. I’m sure not sorry that I requested a review copy of The White City! Even if I never read another true crime book again afterward, I plan to read every single one in the True Colors: Historical Stories of American Crime series by Barbour Books.

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Comments

  1. Bethany says

    January 14, 2020 at 4:12 am

    Just joined the hold list for this at my library. : )

    Reply
  2. Julie Waldron says

    March 23, 2019 at 12:23 pm

    This sounds like a good book, that would be difficult to put down.

    Reply
  3. Caryl Kane says

    March 15, 2019 at 5:10 pm

    The White city sounds fascincating! Thanks for sharing.

    Reply
  4. James Robert says

    March 15, 2019 at 12:20 am

    Hello! Thanks so much for sharing your book with us. Always fun reading about another book to enjoy.

    Reply
    • Chautona Havig says

      March 15, 2019 at 3:10 am

      I know you look for fiction for your family. This would be a not-so-gruesome way to introduce them to a historical fact. I really enjoyed the lack of ick in a very icky situation.

      Reply
  5. Rita Spratlen says

    March 14, 2019 at 5:33 pm

    I love crime stories and have been looking into all types of them. You are so right!! This book sounds wonderful too! Amazing what I am finding now that I am looking too!

    Reply
  6. Amelia says

    March 14, 2019 at 3:29 pm

    I can’t wait to read this one! Thanks for the giveaway!

    Reply
  7. Florence Wright says

    March 14, 2019 at 11:55 am

    I DEFINITELY saw the similarities between her and Madeline, very early in the book. But what I LOVED is that it didn’t seem like a copy or a rip-off. I really enjoyed the story and was horrified at the end to find out that it is based on truth … eeeek!!! (Because I don’t read any more than I have to to know if I might like a book or not … spoilers!!!! And the oddest most obscure things can spoil books for me.)

    Reply
    • Chautona Havig says

      March 14, 2019 at 12:58 pm

      Wasn’t that awesome???

      Reply
  8. Emma says

    March 14, 2019 at 11:21 am

    This sounds very intriguing! We read a children’s book about that first Ferris Wheel, The Great Wheel. It’s about how it was built, and has a delightful romance built in. I think we’ve read it two or three times together, and I look forward to reading it again. Those cars are, indeed, amazing.

    Reply
  9. Vicki Hancock says

    March 14, 2019 at 8:00 am

    I have been wanting to read the The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson but now this one sounds just as good. I’ll probably end up buying it if it goes on sale. I

    Reply
  10. achococat says

    March 14, 2019 at 7:52 am

    Everywhere I went, people were talking about how much they loved this book. I finally purchased and read it, and while it was good, I just didn’t understand the hype. For me it was just kind of…”meh.” It’s interesting to me to see that you loved it, too. I wonder what I’m missing?

    Reply
    • Chautona Havig says

      March 14, 2019 at 12:59 pm

      I think people who prefer more authentic true crime that really focuses on the actual criminal and his actions wouldn’t like this. I get why you didn’t, but it had the elements of a good true story without making me live through the suffering of the victims.

      Reply
      • achococat says

        March 14, 2019 at 9:35 pm

        Oh, I think I was getting this one mixed up with the Devil in the White City! Okay, I have to read this one. 🙂 It’s been a while since I’d read it, so I was fuzzy on the details.

        Reply
        • Chautona Havig says

          March 15, 2019 at 3:11 am

          Oh! Yes. I haven’t read that one. Again, this is mostly about a fictional person trying to find that. We get bits and pieces of the true history with a fictionalized version of how he got caught.

          Reply
  11. Patty says

    March 14, 2019 at 4:39 am

    I am not sure that true crime novels would be my cup of tea either, but I might have to check this out based on your recommendation.

    Reply
    • Chautona Havig says

      March 14, 2019 at 4:52 am

      Perhaps read the “look inside” portion at Amazon. It might give you an idea of the kind of fiction it is. 😀

      Reply

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Taking the pulse of Christian fiction

Episode 231: A Chat with RomCom author, Shannon Sue Dunlap
byChautona Havig

Shannon Sue Dunlap isn’t new to rom-coms, and her first book in the Sweetheart Series promises to be a literary riot, and it lives up to that promise. I’m only halfway through it and am thinking mean, ugly thoughts of everything keeping me from being able to escape into the crazy small-town politics and quirky characters. So far the com far outweighs the rom, which makes me thrilled to bits. Listen in to discover what makes Lone Star Sweetheart so much fun.

Note: links may be affiliate links that provide me with a small commission at no extra expense to you.

Why Did This Author Write a Rom-Com about a Loveable Shrew?

Well, I think we can safely blame Shakespeare for that. Shannon Sue Dunlap has taken inspiration from Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew in her Katherine, but unlike Katerina, Dunlap’s character is actually trying to learn to tame the tongue. Maybe someone should send her over to the book of James. There’s that whole bit about not being able to tame it, being an “unruly evil, full of deadly poison.”

Kate’s isn’t that bad, but not for lack of trying. Or something.

Shannon Sue Dunlap isn’t joking when she says that her Katherine is a “loveable” shrew. Seriously, I love this character. She’s forthright, no-nonsense, and “what you see is what you get” in her approach to life. I respect that. Add to that her boss who has shaken up the town of Sweetheart, Texas, and you’ve got the makings of a great story. I’m loving Lone Star Sweetheart.

But this isn’t all Dunlap has written.

Under the pseudonym, Shannon Kent, you can find her sweet and clean romances (including one Christian romance) inspired by Korean dramas. If you said I’d be not only chomping to read a sweet and clean romance about Korean tour guides and all that entails but also ready to watch a Korean drama on Netflix… Okay, I might not have laughed in your face, but I’d’ve been laughing on the inside.

Best part… one of them ties into her Sweetheart Series

Lone Star Sweetheart by Shannon Sue Dunlap

Katherine Bruno’s passionate, unfiltered temper makes her the shrew of small-town Sweetheart, Texas. When she’s drafted to help the mayor’s wife run against her own husband, Katherine meets opposing big city political consultant Ryan Park. The good-looking, flirtatious campaign manager gets under her skin, but fraternizing with the enemy is off-limits.

Katherine must battle her lack of experience, campaign sabotage, and her growing feelings for Ryan as she strives to succeed. His unprejudiced acceptance of her strong-willed character beckons her heart, but his jaded rejection of God is an insurmountable barrier. Will Ryan return to his faith and stay with her in Sweetheart or leave when the election ends?

You can find out more about Shannon Sue Dunlap AND get that first novella in the Korean Crush series free on her WEBSITE.

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