Similar to his
Devil in the White City, Larson ties together the story of somebody's monumental achievement and another person's major crime. In this book, we learn of the gruesome exploits of Dr. Hawley Harvey Crippen along with the wireless achievements of Marconi.
The story of Crippen is told in a sympathetic manner. Not until the end, does he come across as a killer. I was wondering early on in the story which of the characters would be the actual killer. (The doctor was one of the last one's suspected.)
Marconi's adventures were also well-done, portraying the story of an inventor and shrewd businessman, who alas had some social difficulties. We feel for his obsession with trans-oceanic radio communication - even as he goes down numerous false paths. We also see his secretiveness and willingness to borrow from others, while being reluctant to share himself.
The novel provides a great deal of background for the characters and the early 1900s culture that they lived in. The final "murder" happens quickly with a trans-Atlantic boat chase enabled by Marconi's in-boat wireless communication. We also get a small coda of how Marconi was supposed to travel on the titanic, but a last minute change of plans prevented it.
The novel was very engaging, with the pacing providing numerous details, yet still moving along quickly.
Erik Larson explores the life in England during the time of the Blitz by focussing on Churchill and his family. The portrayal is a mixture of "life as normal", "total paranoia" and "putting on a straight face." Churchill's family still continued on their normal (if very quirky) lives despite the German bombing. However, he was also scared for the future of his country. Germany was coming from a position of strength. Britain desperately needed America to help out. However, there were politics at play there also. Churchill could not appear too desperate. Germany was not able to have their easy victory, and Britain ended up more united. The US eventually became all in after the Japanese attacks at Pearl Harbor. The book tries to present the "personal" view of a world leader during trying times. It is not really a biography and not really a history. Churchill and his family had plenty of foibles. Sometimes he seemed to be stuck in minutia that seemed out of place during war time. Other times, he managed to give the perfect speech for the time.
