This year marks the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the ocean liner Lusitania by a German torpedo. As for his other books, Larson did detailed research before penning this account of the ship's history, many of the passengers on board, the captain of the ship, the submarine commander, the mysterious "Room 40" of the British Navy, the sinking, the survivors, and the aftermath. The book is more than just a dry history of the events. Larson includes many personal stories about those traveling aboard, both survivors and victims as well as President Wilson's efforts to keep the U.S. out of WWI and his romantic problems while courting his second wife-to-be. There are also many questions that are raised such as why no naval escort was given to the liner when it entered dangerous waters, why the British Admiralty tried to lay the blame on Captain Turner, how one lone torpedo manage to sink such a large ship in a matter of 20 minutes, and what really caused the second explosion. I personally believe this is the best Larson book to date.
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