Epilogue, Into the Ether Summary and Analysis

This section, in three chapters, wraps up the stories of many of the characters in Thunderstruck, with one exception. Ethel Le Neve is the subject of a separate section at the very end of the book.

Shortly after Crippen and Ethel have been arrested in Canada, London detectives discover Crippen's documented purchase of hyoscine. Mitchell joins Dew in Canada to help escort the prisoners back across the Atlantic. On shipboard, Crippen busies himself with reading. He is allowed to see Ethel once, but is not permitted to speak with her.

Crippen's trial begins on October 18 in the Old Bailey. Testimony is concluded in a matter of days, and the jury deliberates for twenty-seven minutes before delivering a guilty verdict. Ethel is brought to trial separately, and is determined to have been ignorant of the murder...