THE WHITE CITY

It's always a tough choice with historical fiction: risk bogging down the story with painstaking accuracy, or play fast and loose with the facts. Debut novelist Michod takes the latter tack in his fast-paced, sensational rush through the 1893 Chicago World's Fair, where the hunt is on for a serial killer who preys on young boys. Beginning with an immediate sensory whirl—wind whipping off Lake Michigan, bustling exhibition halls, excited crowds—this literate thriller pulls readers along pell-mell until the end. When young Billy Rockland, son of a prominent Chicago architect, wanders away from his parents, he's discovered by the ominous Skurlock, who whisks him into the fair's dark fringes. Meanwhile, the corpses of mutilated boys have the city in a panic. Add to the mix Potter Palmer, a prominent industrialist and friend of the grieving Rocklands; a twisted subplot involving striking workers and blackmail; the intrepid (but sometimes disoriented) forensic psychologist Dr. Elizabeth Handley; and of course the killer himself, who may or may not be the man dragging around the uncomplaining Billy. Michod keeps the suspense high, and he enlivens his tale with plenty of period visuals; he also indulges in a stylized, torqued syntax that can be awkward. While first-novel prose excesses may be excusable, fuzzy characterization is not; the urges and motivations of the main players are implausible at key moments, and readers may find it difficult to suspend disbelief and sympathize. This is a smart, daring attempt to weave fact and fiction, but here's hoping that Michod's next story doesn't get lost in the razzle-dazzle. (Jan.)