The Mysterious Case of Rudolf Diesel Book Review

“It is wonderful to design and to invent in the way that an artist designs and creates. But whether it all has a purpose, whether people have become happier as a result, that I can no longer decide.”

Rudolf Diesel

Synopsis

This instant New York Times bestselling “dynamic detective story” (The New York Times) reveals the hidden history Rudolf Diesel, one of the world’s greatest inventors, and his mysterious disappearance on the eve of World War I.

September 29, 1913: the steamship Dresden is halfway between Belgium and England. On board is one of the most famous men in the world, Rudolf Diesel, whose new internal combustion engine is on the verge of revolutionizing global industry forever. But Diesel never arrives at his destination. He vanishes during the night and headlines around the world wonder if it was an accident, suicide, or murder.

After rising from an impoverished European childhood, Diesel had become a multi-millionaire with his powerful engine that does not require expensive petroleum-based fuel. In doing so, he became not only an international celebrity but also the enemy of two extremely powerful men: Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany and John D. Rockefeller, the founder of Standard Oil and the richest man in the world.

The Kaiser wanted the engine to power a fleet of submarines that would finally allow him to challenge Great Britain’s Royal Navy. But Diesel had intended for his engine to be used for the betterment of the world.

REVIEW

Did you know Rudolf Diesel (yes, that Diesel) also invented the ice cube?

His stint in refrigeration aside, I can’t believe this man isn’t talked about more. Douglas Brunt’s The Mysterious Case of Rudolf Diesel: Genius, Power, and Deception on the Eve of World War I is not only packed with fascinating information about Diesel himself, but it also offers a sharp look at the quarter century leading up to World War I. Brunt weaves together the lives of key figures like John D. Rockefeller, Kaiser Wilhelm II, Winston Churchill, and, of course, Diesel, showing how their ambitions collided with the era’s political and economic turmoil.

What really stood out to me was how much research Brunt clearly put into this. You can feel it in every chapter — the layers of political tension, the industrial race for domination, the personal ambitions. He did his due diligence and then some, but the book never feels heavy or boring.

I never even knew anything about the man behind the Diesel engine (and I’m guessing most people don’t either), but Diesel wasn’t just an inventor. He was just as important as contemporaries like Edison, but with something they sometimes lacked: an actual concern for people. Diesel genuinely cared about culture, society, and creating technology that could lift everyone up, not just serve the elite, corporate monopolies, or governments. He wanted better futures for workers, for communities, for whole nations.

By the end, I couldn’t stop thinking about how different the world might have looked if Diesel’s ideas had been allowed to thrive. This book isn’t just a deep dive into one man’s life — it’s a fascinating what-if about the world we live in today.

Highly recommend, even if you don’t normally reach for nonfiction. This one pulls you in.

Original publication date was 19 September 2023.