The release date for the English version of 'Thunderstruck' by
Erik Larson is Oct 2006. If you enjoy this novel, it is available for buy as a paperback from Barnes & Noble or Indigo, as an ebook on the Amazon Kindle store, or as an audiobook on Audible.
The intertwined tales of two men, Hawley Crippen, an improbable killer, and Guglielmo Marconi, an obsessive inventor of a communication method that seems to be supernatural, whose lives come together during one of the most significant criminal trials in history.
An actual account of murder, love, and the breaking of the "great hush" in the globe
Erik Larson's Thunderstruck weaves together the tales of two men whose lives cross paths during one of history's most epic criminal chases: Hawley Crippen, an improbable killer, and Guglielmo Marconi, an obsessive inventor of an apparently magical method of communication.
Thunderstruck captures the energy of those bygone eras, when the wealthy outdid one another with ostentatious displays of wealth, scientific advancements dazzled the public with visions of a transformed world, and great shipping companies competed to build the biggest, fastest ocean liners. The story takes place in Edwardian London and on the stormy coasts of Cornwall, Cape Cod, and Nova Scotia. In this context, Marconi struggles to improve his invention—the wireless, which was a major driving force behind the creation of the modern world—against overwhelming obstacles and unwavering criticism. In the meanwhile, "the kindest of men," Crippen, almost pulls off the ideal crime.
Erik Larson skillfully directs these competing stories towards a never-endingly thrilling collision on the North Atlantic's seas. Along the way, he shares the story of a terrible and depressing love affair that made headlines worldwide, a chief investigator who discovered that he had an odd amount of empathy for the murderer and his partner, and an inspiring and determined entrepreneur who revolutionized communication. As the globe drifted inescapably into the first big conflict of the twentieth century, Thunderstruck paints a vivid picture of a time of séances, science, and fog, inhabited by inventors, magicians, and Scotland Yard detectives, all under the kind and fun-loving leadership of Edward VII. Thunderstruck is a magnificent narrative history written by a master of the genre, capturing the reader's attention from the very first page and filled with intriguing information about the people, the period, and the new innovations that both unite and separate us.