The Death Instinct
Jed Rubenfeld
Headline
A term coined by Sigmund Frued, The Death Instinct refers to the two competeing desires that drive men: one that drives him towards death and destruction and the other towards love and life. Now how do these desires relate to the work of madame Curie?
Jed Rubenfeld
Headline
A term coined by Sigmund Frued, The Death Instinct refers to the two competeing desires that drive men: one that drives him towards death and destruction and the other towards love and life. Now how do these desires relate to the work of madame Curie?
To answer that, we need to enter the prolifically creative mind of Jed Rubenfeld.
The book opens with the real life historical bombing of the Wall street in 1920 during which a billion dollars of US gold goes missing and causes a near invasion of Mexico by US forces. To make matters worse, President Wilson suffers a stroke that leads to a Presidential power vaccum. Add to this the rise of the industrialisation and the use of radium in consumer goods and you will have the thickening plot that sets the backdrop to The Death Instinct.
The book opens with the real life historical bombing of the Wall street in 1920 during which a billion dollars of US gold goes missing and causes a near invasion of Mexico by US forces. To make matters worse, President Wilson suffers a stroke that leads to a Presidential power vaccum. Add to this the rise of the industrialisation and the use of radium in consumer goods and you will have the thickening plot that sets the backdrop to The Death Instinct.
The American doctor Stratham (also in Rubenfeld's first book Interpretation of Murder) is this time teamed up with the gorgeous French scientist Collette. Together they are on the quest to solve the mystery of the missing gold and the curious illness that befalls the local factory workers. Freud's cameo appearance half way through the book also adds an interesting twist to the narrative.
Fusing facts, fiction and a little romance, Rubenfeld navigates the reader towards a heart-thumping, action-packed conclusion that leaves one guessing to the very last page. 4 Stars
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