(TOMS RIVER, NJ) -- As war clouds gathered over Europe in 1913, a brilliant inventor inexplicably vanished as the machine he crafted forever changed transportation. Bestselling author Douglas Brunt will reopen the case of Rudolf Diesel and his compelling conclusion in an Ocean County Library Virtual Author Talk on Wednesday, May 1, 2024 at 3:00pm.

Brunt’s newly published bestseller The Mysterious Case of Rudolf Diesel: Genius, Power and Deception on the Eve of World War I, is available in print, audiobook and eBook versions at the Ocean County Library along with his novels Ghosts of Manhattan and Trophy Son.

Diesel garnered fame and fortune through his formidable engine that required no petroleum-based fuel, which he believed would improve the world. He also gathered two colossal enemies – Germany’s Kaiser Wilhelm II, who sought the engine to power submarines and challenge Great Britain’s naval supremacy, and Standard Oil founder John D. Rockefeller, the world’s wealthiest man.

On September 29, 1913, aboard the steamship Dresden as it steamed between Belgium and England, Diesel disappeared without a trace. Headlines around the globe fueled speculation of whether it was an accident, suicide, or murder.

Prior to his life in literature, Philadelphia native Brunt was Chief Executive Officer of the Authentium, Inc. security firm. He now hosts the Sirius XM podcast series Dedicated with Doug Brunt.

Please register online to attend this free program, to view the upcoming schedule, and to view previous talks. Registrants will receive links to the program by email and may submit questions for the author when signing up.

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