From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Devil in the White City, a true story of love, murder, and the end of the world’s “great hush”
In Thunderstruck, Erik Larson tells the interwoven stories of two men — Hawley Crippen, a very unlikely murderer, and Guglielmo Marconi, the obsessive creator of a seemingly supernatural means of communication — whose lives intersect during one of … communication — whose lives intersect during one of the greatest criminal chases of all time.
Set in Edwardian London and on the stormy coasts of Cornwall, Cape Cod, and Nova Scotia, Thunderstruck evokes the dynamism of those years when great shipping companies competed to build the biggest, fastest ocean liners; scientific advances dazzled the public with visions of a world transformed; and the rich outdid one another with ostentatious displays of wealth. Against this background, Marconi races against incredible odds and relentless skepticism to perfect his invention: the wireless, a prime catalyst for the emergence of the world we know today. Meanwhile, Crippen, “the kindest of men,” nearly commits the perfect murder.
With his unparalleled narrative skills, Erik Larson guides us through a relentlessly suspenseful chase over the waters of the North Atlantic. Along the way, he tells of a sad and tragic love affair that was described on the front pages of newspapers around the world, a chief inspector who found himself strangely sympathetic to the killer and his lover, and a driven and compelling inventor who transformed the way we communicate.
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Interesting read but too much detail about Marconi and wireless communication. Not enough about the famous murderer
What we take for granted today with our smartphones, Amateur Radio services has resulted from the shoulder of giants, even ones less than six foot tall. Wireless communications has a history, as well as the early telegraph services as an initial foe. Read more to weigh in on your perspective, thoughts.
Husband loves all EL books.
Erik Larsen has a way of making history come alive. I’d have thought that a book on the inventing of the wireless would be dry and boring, but he really detailed a lot that I’d never heard of before. Excellent read!
Another good read from Erik Larson, I’ve enjoyed all of his books.
Erik Larson takes two seemingly unrelated events – the invention of wireless telegraphy by the Italian inventor Guglielmo Marconi and the brutal murder of an American living in London – and weaves them together into a single narrative. In many ways, Thunderstruck is reminiscent of Devil in the White City. There, the protagonists are the architect …
I love all of this authors books.
I love historical fiction and Erik Larson is the best!
Another favorite author, have read all his works, love his style. Recommend all his books.
If you love history, you will love this book I recommend anything by Erik Larson
GOOD BUT SLIGHTLY ODD TELLING OF THE STORY