Rating: 
Summary: The US Five are the literary equivalent of Ed Wood
Review: After only 10 pages into The Devil's Rood, I made the observaton that it read like a high school creative writing exercise. After looking through the US Five's web page, I found that I was close to the mark, except that this pedestrian work is the creation of a college professor and four of his former students. The dramatic monlogue device, or whatever you call it, gets old very fast. Since you only hear one part of a conversation, the text does it's best to give you an idea of what the other characters are saying with unnatural utterances and silly dialogue. By the time you are a quarter of the way through the book, you no longer think of the book's style as a gimmick, but as the only way five very poor writers, with an ear for cliches and preposterous dialogue, could blend their respective messes together. I did get some enjoyment out of the book once I allowed myself to laugh out loud. I could just imagine the US Five getting together on the weekends:drinking coffee and guffawing over the salacious letters and dialogue they had written in their spiral notebooks during the week. I'm sure they received a lot of pleasure at their literary sewing circle. It's too bad they didn't use their research to write a real novel, as opposed to The Devil's Ruse (Sic). It is my guess that the positive reviews I've read were written by family members of the five authors. An awful mess.
Rating: 
Summary: A Book That Makes One Think
Review: As an avid reader, I am always pleased to discover books that are original and thought provoking. The Devil's Rood is definately this type of book!! I can not say it was an easy "read", but once I grew accustomed to the style, I was hooked!! The mind of the main character and the manner in which he manipulated so many around him was fascinating. Kudos to the authors for originality and daring to try a different style of writing!!
Rating:
Summary: Don't Believe Everything You Read
Review: Don't believe everything you read in this book as much more than the 75% suggested by the author(s) is made up. Don't believe everything you read in the 4/5 star reviews above because the book wasn't nearly as enjoyable as they say. Is the book scary? No. Is the manner of storytelling new, unique or effective? No. Those who rave on endlessly about the merits of this work do not read nearly enough. The author(s) open with a narrative figure that disappears never to return after the brief intro. Many of the one-sided dialogue/monologues are too similar in tone and style to make you believe in the characters. What is described as "the wildest book I ever read" or "a totally new concept" is nothing more than a gimmick designed to disguise a rather poorly told story. Could have been much better, but is not worth the price of admission.
Rating:
Summary: THE BEST!
Review: I don't read that many books a year, but ,this book is probably the best best book I have read ever. I love the style, dramatic diolog, and can't wait until the sequence is written! Please let me know if this is going to movie. Would love to give you some ideas to use.
Rating:
Summary: THE BEST!
Review: I don't read that many books a year, but ,this book is probably the best best book I have read ever. I love the style, dramatic diolog, and can't wait until the sequence is written! Please let me know if this is going to movie. Would love to give you some ideas to use.
Rating:
Summary: A revealing true story
Review: I found this book to be disturbing as well as entertaining. The fact that this man actually lived is disturbing because I've never even heard of him. I have read plenty of fiction and non-fiction on the subject of serial killers, and this is the first time I have run into this diabolical fiend. The monologue style was particularly engrossing, and made for a very quick read. Being in on only one side of the conversation really allowed you to use your full imagination. I would be interested to see more about Mr. Hermann Mudget.
Rating:
Summary: A revealing true story
Review: I found this book to be disturbing as well as entertaining. The fact that this man actually lived is disturbing because I've never even heard of him. I have read plenty of fiction and non-fiction on the subject of serial killers, and this is the first time I have run into this diabolical fiend. The monologue style was particularly engrossing, and made for a very quick read. Being in on only one side of the conversation really allowed you to use your full imagination. I would be interested to see more about Mr. Hermann Mudget.
Rating:
Summary: Keep the lights on -- it's chilling!
Review: One of the most outstanding books I have ever read. This is a definite page-turner. It's hard to believe a man like Midgett/Holmes could have done the things he did; it's even harder to believe hardly anyone has heard of this demon -- until now. I especially liked the way the story was written -- using one-sided conversations, diary entries, letters, actual newspaper accounts -- the writing is superb. ...
Rating: 
Summary: eaves dropping
Review: The Devil's Rood is a fictional account of the life of Herman Mudgett, also known as HH Holmes, one of the cruelest cold-blooded killers ever to have lived and largely regarded as the country's first serial killer. Mudgett, a self-assured man whose handsome looks and suave demeanor are bait for many girls and trusting souls in nineteenth-century Chicago. He runs his demented empire from a monstrous building called the Castle and swindles people out of everything from furniture to life savings to land holdings. Many people lose their lives at his hands as well. In addition, he is a bigamist, marrying at least three different women under various pseudos, and a monster, describing his misdeeds to a mute acquaintance through one-sided correspondence, speaking casually of his conquests as if such a thing were normal. The Devil's Rood is not a mystery in the traditional sense and approach. Apprize its unique first-person monologue style.
Rating:
Summary: Unique, Horrifying, Exciting, Interesting...You Name It!
Review: This is the most uniquely written book I have read to date. The U.S. Five have unearthed a way of relaying a story that has you writing the story along with them. I found myself playing the other part of the many one sided conversations and didn't even realize it. This book is captivating in its portrayal of the truth of the horrifying circumstances surrounding our first serial killer and does it in an exciting and interesting manner. I couldn't put it down front to back. This is a "must read" for any dedicated reader.
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