Dead Wake - The Most Recent Book from Erik Larson

Reading glasses on top of books

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Thomas "Tom" Stefkovich is a Colorado Aero Tech alumnus who has served as an aircraft mechanic with Roth Aerial Spraying, Inc., since 2016. When he isn't overseeing the maintenance of aircraft on behalf of the company, Thomas Stefkovich enjoys reading. He counts Erik Larson as his favorite author.

Larson is a New York Times bestselling author whose penchant for blending historical facts with fiction stories is manifested in books like In the Garden of Beasts, Thunderstruck, and The Devil in the White City. His most recent novel, Dead Wake, focuses on the sinking of the Lusitania, which occurred during World War I. 

The Lusitania set sail for Liverpool from New York on May 1, 1915, and was soon sunk by German forces in the North Atlantic. Larson's account of the disaster follows Lusitania captain William Thomas Turner and German Underseeboot-20 captain Walter Schwieger. Woven throughout the story is a broader picture of America during the time, with emphasis on powerful characters like President Woodrow Wilson and Theodate Pope, a pioneering female architect. The book has received praise from the New York Times and Entertainment Weekly, in addition to Game of Thrones author George R. R. Martin.