Knew nothing about Rudolf Diesel, the invention and sale of the Diesel engine and Diesel’s mysterious disappearance and death—the subjects of this interesting biography of Diesel and social history surrounding his invention of the Diesel engine. Brunt writes well and the story is interesting and his solution to Diesel’s death is plausible-my only problem with the book was the emphasis on the actual selling of the Diesel engine around the world—it seemed repetitive. But I enjoyed the book overall and would recommend.

What became of Rudolf Diesel, inventor of the internal combustion engine? And will the engine be used for good or evil? A fascinating account of his mysterious disappearance on his way from Belgium to England.

A fantastic narrative nonfiction! I really enjoyed the narrator on audiobook. Thank you to the publisher for my gifted copy. This is my first Brunt book, and it won't be my last. He did an excellent job sharing a story about a little known man, other than the famous last name he bears. I appreciated all the work Doug put into this book!

Rudolf Diesel, German inventor of the diesel engine, disappeared off a ship in 1913. Was it an accident or suicide or murder?

This sounded like a great premise for a book and an accessible way for me to take in some mechanical history. It was- sort of. This is the most boring interesting book I've ever read. If you like machines and history, this one is for you. I do not but I like mysteries and true crime and there is some in the beginning and end of this book that made the whole topic more interesting.

Thank you to Netgalley for the advance copy for review.

On Sept 29, 1918 on board a ship going from Belgium to England, one of the most famous inventors of the time, completely disappears. The next morning Rudolf Diesel is reported missing. Did he fall overboard walking in his sleep? Did he commit suicide? Or worse, was he murdered?

The book begins with this mystery, but most of the book is the history of Diesel's rags to riches life; the history of the world leaders from Germany (Kaiser Willhelm II), England (Winston Churchill) and America (John D. Rockefeller); and the history of the power commonly used in the day - steam engines and the use of coal. But then there is last few chapters of the book that analyzes the media reports of the day and what really might have happened to the inventor of the diesel engine. This invention changed so much for the power of whatever country could obtain the diesel engine.

Although the book was 80% history and 20% on the mystery of what happened to Rudolf Diesel, I enjoyed all of it.

My thanks to Net Galley and Atria Books for an advanced copy of this e-book.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC copy of this book.

Prior to this book I knew next to nothing about Diesel other than he made an engine. I had no idea how much he was tied up in the industrial revolution in Europe or the robber barons of the late 19th and early 20th century America, leading up to the beginning of WWI.
The ties ins the author makes between Kaiser Wilhelm, Rockefeller, and Diesel were fascinating- I felt most engaged during these parts. How all those people melded together to form some crazy intersections on labor unions, corporate greed, and the alliances that formed and led to WWI is still something I'm still putting together. It all peaks with Diesel's disappearance in 1913; I'm still not convinced that it's a suicide.
There were times in the book that drolled on; especially the biographical parts of Diesel progressing through his education and the first iterations of his engine. I'm glad I stuck through those sections to get to the meatier part of the book, but I think those sections could have been shorter.
Good book for those interested in the cultural and economic expansion at the turn of the century, or those who enjoy Erik Larson books. 3.75 stars.

Fascinating dig into the time and history of the diesel engine and the genius who created it. From a family in poverty to an engineering education in the nineteenth century to innovations crucial to the War To End All Wars and the one after it it is a detailed bio followed by informed speculations worthy of Manning Coles and Ian Fleming. Perfect read for those of us who really geek history and espionage.
I requested and received an EARC from Atria Books via NetGalley. Thank you!

This was a really interesting looking to Rudolf Diesel and life. I was expecting more of a "jump into the missing part," but really, it was not badly put together. You get to know Rudolf, his upbringing, the good, the bad, and the really not so good parts.

I enjoyed the science, the technology, and the aspects of his life which led to his disappearance, and the long-standing mystery about his fate. Highly recommend this one!

3.5 stars, rounded up. This book was well-written and clearly well-researched. I know absolutely nothing about engines, thermodynamics, or physics - and yet I was able to understand the significance of Diesel’s invention.

I enjoyed reading about Diesel’s life and his dedication to both innovation and the arts. Thankfully, he kept meticulous notes in journals about his life and it was fascinating to read about the socio-political upheaval of Europe at the beginning of the 20th century.

I do feel like the marketing for this book is a little off: it’s not really true crime and it doesn’t read like it. I enjoyed the speculation that the men who felt the most threatened by Diesel’s success could pull off an assassination but it seemed like a stretch, almost like the author added in these elements to hit some kind of word count. The two possible culprits, John D. Rockefeller & Kaiser Wilhelm II, don’t get the same amount of coverage throughout the biography (we see considerably more of Wilhelm) and the suspicion peters out quickly.

I did enjoy the theory that Diesel is not dead but was instead a defector to Great Britain. Again, some of the evidence is circumstantial and a bit of a stretch but so is an assassination attempt.

Overall, Diesel lived an incredible life and more people should know not only about the significance of his engine but the purity of his intentions.

Thank you to NetGalley, Douglas Brunt, and Atria Books for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Fascinating. Scary. Were corporate hyjinks a Thing back in the early 20th century? Maybe so. What happened here?
Well written. Very detailed and maybe a little bit too detailed considering we don't know the answer to this riddle. But it kept my interest all the way through.

I am always wary reading a book from an author who is primarily known for novels. This is not an indictment of a novel writer, but I have had bad experiences where certain writers will try to inject suspense and excitement into historical episodes which are well known. Luckily, I can confirm that Douglas Brunt does not fall into this trap.

Brunt's The Mysterious Case of Rudolf Diesel follows the life of the eponymous engine creator. Brunt is an excellent writer, but what really comes through is his love for his subject. I don't just mean Diesel himself but also his engineering. Brunt explains the creation of the engine, its proliferation, and how many different people reacted to its unveiling. I will say that some passages are clearly trying to lead in a certain direction (more on that in a minute), but overall the story flows quite well.

Now, about that ending. Brunt attempts to solve the mystery of Diesel's disappearance. I will say that Brunt does not hedge his bet in any way. I would also say I do not think he proved his conclusion and quite frankly I disagree with it. That said, this book is way more than its ending and I definitely enjoyed the journey.

(This book was provided as an advance copy by Netgalley and Atria Books.)

This is not only a book about the disappearance of Rudolph diesel but a book about everything that was up to it including his childhood his marriage The good in bad his engine created those that wanted it in those that wanted to put a stop to it and the rush to judgment after. unless you’re a big history fan the first 90 percent of the book is about his childhood and him inventing the diesel engine but then they go into the plant the world had for the Diesel engine and the political atmosphere that’s around it it. I found this book to be very interesting and although it is not a definite conclusion there is a hypothesis of what happened to Rudolf diesel and why he didn’t make it to London. He was friends with some pretty famous people and some that to me was surprising I also found it funny that he was afraid to fly… I DK why I just was. I love this book and highly recommend it even if you think you know the story of Rudolph diesel just know I thought I knew but after reading this I realize that I really knew nothing. I want to thank atria books and that galley for my free art copy please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

I had not known anything about Rudolf Diesel. This is an interesting biography of the man who invented the Diesel engine. To me, diesel (small d) refers to a fuel. Rudolf gained enemies of John D. Rockefeller, whose Standard Oil company was threatened, and Kaiser Wilhelm, who wanted Diesel-powered submarines for the German navy.
When Diesel disappeared in 1913, he was assumed to have accidentally fallen off the ferry taking him to England, committed suicide by going overboard, or was killed at the behest of Rockefeller or the kaiser.
Brunt offers another possibility. Diesel defected to England. People familiar with British Intelligence say the circumstances are characteristic of an intelligence op. There was no real investigation in 1913, and several points are flimsy. A Canadian-built submarine suddenly became the best sub available; because Diesel was by then in Canada?
Over one hundred years later, some evidence should now be disclosed. And what happened to Mrs. Diesel less than a year after her husband’s disappearance? Intriguing possibilities.

The Mysterious Case of Rudolf Diesel begins as a very promising history of the invention of the Diesel engine. The author has a good command of the forces at play in Diesel’s life that caused him to invent his revolutionary engine. Diesel’s life was a fascinating rags-to-riches tale, and Brunt does a good job contextualizing it in the larger turmoil taking place in Europe at the time. Brunt also is a good, clear, engaging writer, and the book is interesting for a scientist, but not inscrutable for a lay reader.

Unfortunately, at around the 80% mark, this book takes a sudden swerve into conspiracy theory land. As the prologue reveals, Diesel disappears from a ferry and his body is found by some fisherman later. The breathless press wonders whether it was murder, or an accident, or suicide. Brunt’s proposal is the kind of extraordinary claim that requires extraordinary evidence, and Brunt does not deliver. Instead, he offers the kind of circumstantial evidence that would get him shot down on a reddit thread, and does not appear to even have attempted the kind of archival research that would be necessary to prove his claims reliably.

It’s a shame, because there clearly is a market for a readable, engaging, biography of Diesel aimed at a non-academic audience, and Brunt makes the case that Diesel has been shamefully overlooked by history. However, Brunt is too enamored of his shoddy detective work to execute even that task. I additionally wonder about the editors and publishers that were convinced by this level of evidence--they should have better quality control.


The publisher provided me with an ARC in exchange for this honest review.