Download or read book American Lightning written by Howard Blum and published by . This book was released on 2009-01-01 with total page 509 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: It was an explosion that reverberated across the country - and into the very heart of early-twentieth-century America. On the morning of October 1, 1910, the walls of the Los Angeles Times building buckled as a thunderous detonation sent men, machines and mortar rocketing into the air. With smoke still rising from the charred ruins, the city's mayor learns of the arrival of America's greatest detective, William J. Burns, to run the perpetrators to the ground.