Thunderstruck is an interwoven tale of two men- Guglielmo Marconi (inventor of wireless) and Hawley Harvey Crippen (responsible for the grisly 1910 North London cellar murder). The book gives considerable back-story to both men, and culminates with how Marconi's wireless machines eventually play a role in the capture of Crippen as he fled across the ocean to America (where he was apprehended).
Erik Larson, the author, does a masterful job of building suspense here. Admittedly, the Marconi chapters (focusing on his struggles to understand and harness the wireless technology) were not as interesting as those on Crippen (focusing on his life of misery with his wife Belle, whom he eventually murdered), but it was still good overall. Larson strikes me as a cross between Bill Bryson (in throwing in tons of fascinating miscellany throughout the book) and Dan Brown (in his penchant for building suspense). In the end, I think a bit too much of Marconi was covered, but it's recommended nonetheless.
Rating: A-
No comments:
Post a Comment