Erik Larson’s research 🧐 is bar none some of the best out there. I have read “Devil in the White City”, “Dead Calm”, “The Splendid and the Vile”, etc. all great 📚. This work did not disappoint.

I was hoping for a good historical based murder mystery but was very disappointed by a overly detailed account of the development of wireless communication. The author has performed wonderful research but I grew weary of reading lots of material that was unrelated. It was a better book for the reader who wants to know more about Marconi.

I read this entire book within 48 hours. It is one of the best I've read in a long time. Interesting, exciting and factual, I learned a lot while enjoying the history and mystery that is so nicely woven together by the author. If you like murder mysteries this one is sure to draw you in. Larson put a ton of work into this as you will see by his footnotes and documentation. Can't wait to read more by this gem of a writer.

It took more than 3/4 of the book before the reader sees the connection between Crippin and Marconi but the ride is interesting along the way and when we finally get it, it is pretty cool! Larson is pretty damned good. Not Chabon but not many are....

Last 1/3 is thrilling but takes too long to get the guts of the story. Devil is much better. Learning about Marconi is really interesting and I would rather have read more details about the science of radio than the endless often tedious exposition on Crippen's dull existence. The two stories never really connect in an interesting way like they did in Devil.

As was the case in Devil in the White City, Erik Larsen again weaves two stories smoothly together: The account of a New York chemist in the early 1900s accused of doing away with his wife, and a contemporaneous story of Marconi's invention of radio and it's practical application. The common denominator between these accounts is revealed late in the book with many twists and turns. Larsen's writing places the reader squarely in the scene at the time. Facts are laid out in such a way as to make these real life characters and their stories compelling. Those who find historical accounts of true events, crime drama, invention and intrigue will surely enjoy Thunderstruck.