Words of a Monster

Decades before the term “serial killer” was coined, H.H. Holmes murdered dozens of people in his now-infamous Chicago “Murder Castle.”
In his autobiography, Holmes struggled to define himself in the language of the late nineteenth century. As the “first”—or, as he labeled himself, “The Greatest Criminal of the Age”—he had no one to compare himself to, and no ready-made biographical structure to follow. Holmes was thus nearly able to invent himself from scratch.
This book minutely inspects how Holmes represented himself in his writings and confessions. Although the legitimacy of Holmes’ accounts have been called into question, his biography mirrors the narrative structure of the true crime genre that emerged decades after his death.

Rebecca Frost is an independent scholar and freelancer. She lives in L’Anse, Michigan.

Rebecca Frost
Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 283
Bibliographic Info: notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2019
pISBN: 978-1-4766-7704-0
eISBN: 978-1-4766-3740-2
Imprint: Exposit

Introduction: Establishing “America’s First Serial Killer” 1

Part I: Introducing H.H. Holmes 9

One. Separating the Man from the Myth 11

Two. The Start of a Legend 31

Part II: Holmes’ Own Story 49

Three. Troubled Youth 53

Four. Of Wives and Mistresses 67

Five. Holmes, Pitezel and Hatch—Facets of Manhood 78

Six. Holmes the Storyteller 95

Seven. Protestations of Innocence 110

Part III: Moyamensing Prison Diary Appendix 127

Eight. “My Wife” 130

Nine. Life Behind Bars 143

Ten. Hatch, Miss Williams and the Children 157

Eleven. Evidence and Motive 173

Part IV: Holmes Confesses 27 Murders 191

Twelve. The Transformation from Innocent to Confessor 196

Thirteen. Details Revealed and Concealed 205

Fourteen. Those Hurt the Most 225

Conclusion: A Man of Mystery 241

Chapter Notes 267

Bibliography 271

Index 273

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