{"product_id":"the-infernal-machine-a-true-story-of-dynamite-terror-and-the-rise-of-the-modern-detective-9780593443972","title":"The Infernal Machine: A True Story of Dynamite, Terror, and the Rise of the Modern Detective","description":"\u003cb\u003e\u003cb\u003e\"A fast-burning fuse of a book, every page bursting with revelatory detail.\"--ERIK LARSON\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eA sweeping account of the anarchists who terrorized the streets of New York and the detective duo who transformed policing to meet the threat--a tale of fanaticism, forensic science, and dynamite from the bestselling author of \u003ci\u003eThe Ghost Map\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eA CHICAGO PUBLIC LIBRARY BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR - LONGLISTED FOR THE ANDREW CARNEGIE MEDAL FOR EXCELLENCE IN NONFICTION - NOMINATED FOR THE EDGAR AWARD\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSteven Johnson's engrossing account of the epic struggle between the anarchist movement and the emerging surveillance state stretches around the world and between two centuries--from Alfred Nobel's invention of dynamite and the assassination of Czar Alexander II to New York City in the shadow of World War I. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eApril 1914. The NYPD is still largely the corrupt, low-tech organization of the Tammany Hall era. To the extent the police are stopping crime--as opposed to committing it--their role has been almost entirely defined by physical force: the brawn of the cop on the beat keeping criminals at bay with nightsticks and fists. The \u003ci\u003esolving\u003c\/i\u003e of crimes is largely outside their purview. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThe new commissioner, Arthur Woods, is determined to change that, but he cannot anticipate the maelstrom of violence that will soon test his science-based approach to policing. Within weeks of his tenure, New York City is engulfed in the most concentrated terrorism campaign in the nation's history: a five-year period of relentless bombings, many of them perpetrated by the anarchist movement led by legendary radicals Alexander Berkman and Emma Goldman. Coming to Woods's aide are Inspector Joseph Faurot, a science-first detective who works closely with him in reforming the police force, and Amadeo Polignani, the young Italian undercover detective who infiltrates the notorious Bresci Circle. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eJohnson reveals a mostly forgotten period of political conviction, scientific discovery, assassination plots, bombings, undercover operations, and innovative sleuthing. \u003ci\u003eThe Infernal Machine\u003c\/i\u003e is the complex pre-history of our current moment, when decentralized anarchist networks have once again taken to the streets to protest law enforcement abuses, right-wing militia groups have attacked government buildings, and surveillance is almost ubiquitous.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Steven Johnson\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Crown Publishing Group (NY)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 04\/29\/2025\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 368\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.7lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 7.90h x 5.10w x 0.90d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780593443972","brand":"Crown Publishing Group (NY)","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43945363603593,"sku":"9780593443972","price":20.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0636\/9240\/6921\/files\/img_478b0fbf-095b-4d67-9b3a-049b4c6b2955.jpg?v=1745911008","url":"https:\/\/sonsanddaughtersbooks.com\/products\/the-infernal-machine-a-true-story-of-dynamite-terror-and-the-rise-of-the-modern-detective-9780593443972","provider":"Sons and Daughters Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}