In 1910, Edwardian England was scandalized by a murder: a mild-mannered American named Hawley Crippen had killed his wife and buried her remains (well, some of her remains) in the cellar of their North London home. He then went on the run with his young mistress, his secretary, Ethel Le Neve. A Scotland Yard inspector, already famous for his part in the Ripper investigation, discovered the murder and launched an international hunt for Crippen that climaxed in a trans-Atlantic chase between two ocean liners. The chase itself ...
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In 1910, Edwardian England was scandalized by a murder: a mild-mannered American named Hawley Crippen had killed his wife and buried her remains (well, some of her remains) in the cellar of their North London home. He then went on the run with his young mistress, his secretary, Ethel Le Neve. A Scotland Yard inspector, already famous for his part in the Ripper investigation, discovered the murder and launched an international hunt for Crippen that climaxed in a trans-Atlantic chase between two ocean liners. The chase itself was novel, but what captured the imagination of the world's public was the role played by a new and little understood technology: the wireless, invented by Guglielmo Marconi. Thanks to Marconi's obsessive fight to perfect his invention, the world was able to learn of events occurring in the middle of the Atlantic as they unfolded - something previously unthinkable. Police, jurists, and editors of the time all agreed that if not for Marconi, Crippen would have escaped. But Marconi had struggled to gain acceptance for his invention as a practical technology (many viewed the wireless as a novelty or a supernatural device, while distrust of foreigners remained prevalent in England and America). It was the Crippen case that helped convince the world of the potential of Marconi's miracle technology, so accelerating the wireless revolution that eventually produced radio, television and cell phones. With a cast of colourful, captivating characters "Thunderstruck" is Larson at his commercial best, doing what he does so irresistibly well: cleverly bringing together two seemingly disparate yet inextricably linked lives to paint a fascinating, exciting portrait of a hugely significant age of cultural, social and technological change while evoking the darker side of human nature.
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Add this copy of Thunderstruck to cart. $4.99, very good condition, Sold by Brit Books rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Milton Keynes, BUCKINGHAMSHIRE, UNITED KINGDOM, published 2007 by Three Rivers Press (CA).
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Very good. Simply Brit – welcome to our online used book store, where affordability meets great quality. Dive into a world of captivating reads without breaking the bank. We take pride in offering a wide selection of used books, from classics to hidden gems, ensuring there's something for every literary palate. All orders are shipped within 24 hours and our lightning fast-delivery within 48 hours coupled with our prompt customer service ensures a smooth journey from ordering to delivery. Discover the joy of reading with us, your trusted source for affordable books that do not compromise on quality.
Add this copy of Thunderstruck to cart. $5.08, very good condition, Sold by Goldstone Books rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Ammanford, CARMS, UNITED KINGDOM, published 2007 by Three Rivers Press Ca.
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Very good. All orders are dispatched within 1 working day from our UK warehouse. Established in 2004, we are dedicated to recycling unwanted books on behalf of a number of UK charities who benefit from added revenue through the sale of their books plus huge savings in waste disposal. No quibble refund if not completely satisfied.
Add this copy of Thunderstruck to cart. $6.75, very good condition, Sold by HPB Inc. rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 2011 by Random House Audio.
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Very good. Connecting readers with great books since 1972! Used books may not include companion materials, and may have some shelf wear or limited writing. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority!
Add this copy of Thunderstruck to cart. $6.97, good condition, Sold by Reuseabook rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Gloucester, GLOS, UNITED KINGDOM, published 2007 by Doubleday.
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Dispatched, from the UK, within 48 hours of ordering. This book is in good condition but will show signs of previous ownership. Please expect some creasing to the spine and/or minor damage to the cover. Aged book. Tanned pages and age spots, however, this will not interfere with reading. Grubby book may have mild dirt or some staining, mostly on the edges of pages.
Add this copy of Thunderstruck to cart. $7.99, good condition, Sold by ZBK Books rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Woodland Park, NJ, UNITED STATES, published 2007 by Crown.
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Used book in good and clean conditions. Pages and cover are intact. Limited notes marks and highlighting may be present. May show signs of normal shelf wear and bends on edges. Item may be missing CDs or access codes. May include library marks. Fast Shipping.
Add this copy of Thunderstruck to cart. $7.99, fair condition, Sold by ZBK Books rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Woodland Park, NJ, UNITED STATES, published 2007 by Crown.
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Fair. Used book-May contain writing notes highlighting bends or folds. Text is readable book is clean and pages and cover mostly intact. May show normal wear and tear. Item may be missing CD. May include library marks. Fast Shipping.
Add this copy of Thunderstruck to cart. $7.99, fair condition, Sold by Dream Books Co. rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Denver, CO, UNITED STATES, published 2007 by Crown.
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Fair. This copy has clearly been enjoyed-expect noticeable shelf wear and some minor creases to the cover. Binding is strong and all pages are legible. May contain previous library markings or stamps.
Add this copy of Thunderstruck to cart. $8.00, very good condition, Sold by HPB-Ruby rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 2006 by Random House Audio.
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Very good. Connecting readers with great books since 1972! Used books may not include companion materials, and may have some shelf wear or limited writing. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority!
Add this copy of Thunderstruck to cart. $8.25, good condition, Sold by ZBK Books rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Woodland Park, NJ, UNITED STATES, published 2006 by Crown.
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Used book in very good and clean conditions. Minor cosmetic defects may be present. Pages and cover intact. May include library marks notes marks and highlighting. Fast Shipping.
Add this copy of Thunderstruck to cart. $8.29, good condition, Sold by Good Books Will Follow rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Blue Springs, MO, UNITED STATES, published 2007 by Crown.
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The book has been read but is in good condition. It has very minimal damage to the cover including scuff marks but no holes or tears. The dust jacket for hard covers may not be included. The binding has minimal wear. The majority of pages are undamaged with minimal creasing or tearing minimal pencil underlining of text no highlighting of text and no writing in the margins. There are no missing pages. See the seller's listing for full details and a description of any imperfections.
Another excellent book by Erik Larson. He has a way of writing well-researched, incredibly gripping books, almost to the point of "I can't put this down until I'm finished." I wish he would write more.
william S
Jul 28, 2011
Thunderstruck--not as exciting as the name implies
Thunderstruck is not nearly as interesting as Larson's previous works. Isaac's Storm dealt with a hurricane and huge loss of life. The Devil in the White City covered the Columbian Exposition and a serial killer. Thunderstruck is about Marconi's involvement in the development of radio, and a single homicide--a much different book than the previous two, and to this reader, pretty lame. It's a good book if you are REALLY into murder mysteries, or the history of radio. Thunderstruck certainly does not live up to the standards set in disaster coverage and true crime that the previous two books established.
Nocturne
Dec 27, 2007
Builds up and then belly flops
I have only read one of his other books--White City--and mainly bought that book because it was about my home town. I love murder mysteries that combine real history so thought this one might be good. He does a great job of fleshing out the characters and building suspense but left me asking lots of questions such as why the murder remained in England rather than return to the US permanently (he could have just left his wife behind and started a new life in the US). I learned a lot about Marconi though and what he went through to insure his invention was recognized and utilized. But the ending was kind of lame--basically within a few sentence: bad guy was caught and executed, Marconi went on to become famous (duh). I felt the same way about White City so I think it is a flaw of the writer. I just find this writer's books inadequate, they kind of whet your appetite but then never serve the meal.
Velma
Oct 9, 2007
Another Winner
Erik Larson has done it again. Another wonderful book of real history that reads like fiction. Here he tells the story of Dr. Crippen who murdered his wife in London and Marconi the developer of wireless communication. The two tales weave in and out of each other without the reader ever losing interest in either one. This is popular history at its best. No one should miss it.
carolynMaine1
Jul 26, 2007
Book Club Choice
My book club chose this book for our book club based on Larson's previous book, Devil in the White City. We found the writing style to be good fodder for discussion. The descriptions of the (real) people in the book to believable, the history to be fasinating. To be able to talk about technology and crime was unique. The way he tied the two together was nerve-wracking, and even though we all knew Crippen was guilty, how he was caught was crime fighting at it's best. How he was caught before the science we have now showed how good police work can triumph.
