02328cam a2200373 i 4500 551019883 TxAuBib 20220312120000.0 060410s2006||||||||||||||||||||||||eng|u 2006011908 9781400080670 1400080673 9781400080663 (OCoLC)67392598 TxAuBib rda Larson, Erik. Thunderstruck [Adult Nonfiction] / Erik Larson. 1st edition. New York : Crown Publishers, 2006. ix, 463 pages, soft cover : illustrations, maps ; 25 cm. txt rdacontent n rdamedia nc rdacarrier Maps on lining papers. Includes bibliographical references (p. 437-443) and index. The mysterious passengers -- Ghosts and gunfire -- Betrayal -- Secrets -- An inspector calls -- The finest time -- Pursuit by thunder -- Epilogue: into the ether. Tells the interwoven stories of two men--Hawley Crippen, a very unlikely murderer, and Guglielmo Marconi, the obsessive creator of a seemingly supernatural means of communication--whose lives intersect during one of the greatest criminal chases of all time. Set in Edwardian London, an era of seánces, science, and fog, and on the stormy coasts of Cornwall, Cape Cod, and Nova Scotia, Thunderstruck evokes the dynamism of those years when great shipping companies competed to build the biggest, fastest ocean liners, scientific advances dazzled the public with visions of a world transformed, and the rich outdid one another with ostentatious displays of wealth. Against this background, Marconi races against incredible odds and relentless skepticism to perfect his invention: the wireless, a prime catalyst for the emergence of the world we know today. Meanwhile, Crippen, "the kindest of men," nearly commits the perfect crime--From publisher description. 20220312. Crippen, Hawley Harvey, 1862-1910. Murderers England London Biography. Murder England London Case studies. Murder Investigation Great Britain Case studies. Telegraph, Wireless Marconi system History.