The Man Who Fell From The Sky by William Norris

 

Alfred Loewenstein was a financial tycoon in the 1920's, the world's third richest man.  He had homes in various countries and traveled with an entourage, living a lavish lifestyle.  But in July of 1928, on a short airline trip from London to the French coast, he somehow fell out of the airplane.  His body was recovered days later.  Since it happened over international waters, no police agency was responsible and the French police did a one day investigation, merely taking statements from all those aboard.

How does a man fall from an airplane?  Was it an accident as those aboard said?  Was it suicide?  Was it murder?  Investigative reporter William Norris became fascinated by the story and decided to find out what he could.  Why was alcohol found in the body of Loewenstein who never drank?  Why did the plane make a forced landing on a French beach when the nearest airport was less than a mile away?  Why did his wife not attend his funeral but found time to attend the reading of the will? 

William Norris is currently an editor at Washington Monthly.  Before this book, he wrote one about a man who piloted for a cocaine cartel.  He takes the reader through all Loewenstein's life, that of his family, friends and staff as he tries to discover what happened.  There are lots of financial dealings to understand and Norris does a good job of explaining them to those not familiar with the financial world.  At the end of the book, he posits an explanation of what he thought happened and who was responsible.  I listened to this book and the narrator was great.  He had a quality in his voice that made each discovery seem new and exciting and that encouraged the reader to find out more.  This book is recommended for nonfiction readers.