BOOK REVIEW: The Mysterious Case of Rudolf Diesel by Douglas Brunt

Here’s something different. I had a recommendation for a non-fiction history book from a novelist I met at a meeting: The Mysterious Case of Rudolf Diesel: Genius, Power, and Deception on the Eve of World War I by Douglas Brunt. Yes, the title is too long, clearly trying to get all the key words in. But the title fits. This is a very interesting book.

Rudolf Diesel (inventor of the diesel engine) was one of the most famous, successful inventors of his day. He rose from poverty and obscurity to become exceptionally wealthy and he was sought after for lectures and consultations all over the world. Yet on September 29, 1913, he boarded a ship to cross the English Channel and on September 30, he went missing. Had he committed suicide? Did he fall overboard accidentally? Was he murdered?

Brunt provides a biography of Diesel, situating him within his time. This includes a look into the lives of John D. Rockefeller and Kaiser Wilhelm II, two unscrupulous, powerful men who had reasons to wish him dead and the means to conduct an assassination. Brunt also explains in clear layman’s terms how diesel engines work and how they differ from other modes of power production at the time. He weaves all this together, bringing the reader up to the night of Diesel’s disappearance. And then, he makes a compelling case for what might have been the true story of what happened to Diesel.

This is a fast-paced read that taught me stuff I didn’t even know that I wanted to know! Highly recommended.