Janet Maslin of The New York Times praised the book as "vivid" and "lively", and commented on how the research done by Larson on the many "odd and amazing" events of the 1893 exhibition are "given shape and energy" by his "dramatic inclinations".[4]
David Traxel for The New York Times criticized Larson for having "little sense of pacing or focus" in the "grab-bag" approach he took when discussing the exhibition. Regarding the discussion of Holmes in the book, he writes that Larson's "imaginative touches…sometimes goes farther than the sources warrant".[5]
In a book review by Malcolm Jones, he summarized the book and talks about how these are very accurate and good stories and that the stories on murders are all based on facts. He states that this book was successful because the stories of the murders are extremely enchanting and this is why it was a best seller. He also talks about the fair being a marvel of American engineering and the fair was instated to show America is still able to be successful enough to host something like this.
