Books Sandwiched In: book review of 'The Infernal Machine'

Books Sandwiched In (BSI) are in-person book reviews at the Central Library. They are designed to fit into your lunch hour. Books Sandwiched In has been running continuously since 1956 each spring and fall and is presented by the Friends and Foundation of the Rochester Public Library (FFRPL). 

Gary Craig will review The Infernal Machine: A True Story of Dynamite, Terror, and the Rise of the Modern Detective by Steven Johnson.

The Infernal Machine is a historical account of two ideas: the political philosophy of anarchy – along with the “dynamite-driven political terrorism” that furthered that vision in the U.S. – and the idea of crime fighting as information science, based on data (vs. ‘brute force’).

Award-winning investigative journalist Gary Craig is a member of the D&C’s Watchdog team. He focuses on public safety and criminal justice. He has worked at Rochester newspapers since 1990.