Nonfiction Book Club
April 26, 2025 @ 10:00 am - 11:00 am
This month, we will discuss Thunderstruck by Erik Larson.
According to eriklarsonbooks.com, Thunderstruck is:
The saga of how the lives of the inventor of wireless and of Britain’s second most famous murderer (after Jack the Ripper) intersected during one of the greatest criminal chases of all time. The inventor was Guglielmo Marconi, the young Italian genius; the killer was Hawley Harvey Crippen, who murdered his overbearing wife and fled Britain with his mistress, unaware that Scotland Yard was hot on his heels. The book—an instant New York Times bestseller—brings to life a host of forgotten characters, including spirit mediums, ghost-hunting physicists, Scotland Yard inspectors, and one of the great pioneers of forensic science. The climax occurs during a trans-Atlantic chase which, thanks to the miracle of Marconi’s invention, was followed by millions of people around the world—with Crippen and his mistress completely unaware.
Copies of this book are available at the library.
Our discussion will be held in a hybrid format. The host will be in person at the BFL, while some members will join over zoom. You are welcome to join either way. For zoom, please register here to receive the meeting details: