This would have been better if it had been written as a science history book which is how it read. The murder mystery part of it was lost in the science history of telegraph communications.

This is not a novel so much as it is a history lesson. I got all the way through it and I do not regret the purchase, but be warned, its less story and more fact in chronological order.

very good story, but i think the book is misconstructed in a couple of important ways and might have moved quicker. non-fiction buffs will still enjoy it i should think

I enjoyed the story, but I was having a hard time listening to more than a half hour at a time. It took me half the book to realize the reading was very disjointed. The narrator seemed to add a comma to almost every sentence, breaking them up into short, choppy sections, and this made it very hard to listen to.

The story by Larsen was what I have come to expect from him after reading one and listening to another of his books.

While perhaps not up to the level of Devil in the White City, I found Thunderstruck completely captivating. Just as in his previous book, both plots are very engaging. As the author admits in the prologue, sometimes the detail is just a bit over the top, but the vast majority of the time the extra bits of trivia are quite interesting.

While the narrator starts out speaking quickly at the very beginning (and only the beginning), I had no other issues with the narration. It was clear and never detracted from the story.

The story was a slough. Felt like I was trudging in quicksand. Could not get past chapter 4.

To start out with main story without all the history leading up to it.

To detailed in science

He didn't have much to work with.

The entire beginning. He looses the ready very quickly.

I think this is on the second book I wished I hadn't purchased in all the years with Audio Books.

Another solid outing by Larson. This time, he examines Marconi and the invention/development/deployment of wireless telegraphy, and how that cutting edge technology led to the apprehension of Dr. Crippen (famous for murdering his wife). Larson, as always, has done his historical homework, and he builds the suspense by tracking both Marconi and Crippen from early adulthood to their convergence (or at least the convergence of Marconi's device and Crippen's fate) by laying out what was happening in their lives and the world. You come away feeling pity for Crippen and his poor choice of life partner, and with admiration tinged with some annoyance for Marconi, who had character flaws aplenty. An interesting look at how technology shrunk the world and a reminder that the public's breathless voyeurism is not a 21st century invention.

Interesting topic, but the narrator did nothing to bring it to life. At points it sounded like he was just reading words out loud with zero awareness of what he was saying; he occasionally sounded surprised that they're were no more words (ie he had reached the end of a chapter). Also, the production quality was inconsistent between chapters. I wish that I had just read this one myself.

I love how Erik Larson weaves good and bad parts of particular times together, and the details of all information related to the topic is explored. a most interesting and informative read. second time I have read this story.