One of my goals in 2021 is to read more. See other books I've read or listened to here.
I read Thunderstruck by Erik Larson twice. But I completely forgot it the first time.
At a critical point in history for the development for wireless communication, there is a gruesome and unexplained murder that captures the worlds imagination. As Marconi is ruthlessly and singlemindedly strives to pioneer his wireless device, Dr Crippen’s wife goes missing. Could this invention be the key to solving the crime?
Soooo, I’m not sure where I got this book or how I read it and completely forgot that I did, but that is true. I picked this book up bc I was planning on reading another Larson book for a video (I’ll link it below!) but decided I wanted to read this earlier work first. Once I started reading it, I did remember some of it, that I could have only known if I had previously read it. I was glad in a way that I didn’t completely remember it. I might not have enjoyed it as much if it was not at all surprising. I really love the way that Larson takes two storylines that seem completely different and intertwine them. These stories more than other books I have read by him are very connected and the one very much informs the other. I also think that Larson does a great job of making the two stories equally interesting and compelling. One might in inclined to think that the invention of wireless telegrams was not very interesting or exciting but the there is a lot of drama there! I still don’t know what the wireless really is or how it works, so even though a lot of the science went over my head, I really enjoyed reading about it. The murder mystery of this history is also very compelling. There are a few gory moments and the lead detective is a fun character to follow. I would highly recommend this book for those who love history but don’t often read non fiction, those who read true crime, people interested in interconnected historical events, or people who have read other Larson books.
Have you read this book? Do you like true mysteries?
This book is featured in my Feb Wrap Up and in my BookTube Spin Spin 1 Vlog: https://youtu.be/DD3hiNMNHF8