The Rocketbelt Caper: A True Tale of Invention, Obsession and Murder

by Paul Brown

When three men set out on a quest to build a real-life Buck Rogers-style flying machine, their obsession with the Rocketbelt 2000 shattered their friendship and set in motion an astonishing chain of events involving theft, deception, assault, a bizarre kidnapping, a ten million dollar lawsuit and a horrifically brutal murder. From sci-fi to reality, this is the incredible true story of the amazing rocketbelt. "A delight to read. Genuinely stranger than fiction. Recommended." - Popular Science UK.

Genres: History

174 pages, Paperback

First published June 28, 2005

About the author

Paul Brown is a freelance sports journalist and a founding editor of Tonto Press.

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Reviews

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gripping read - short and packed with stuff to keep you turning pages. The technical details shared about rocketbelts should especially appeal to fellow geeks. Before reading this I somehow never knew that real rocketbelts existed - which made it all new to me. Those who witnessed the 1984 Olympics opening will be surprised by the crazy stuff that happened behind the scenes before and after that demonstration. Highly enjoyable!

[Ken Rossignol · Rating 5 out of 5]

Who knew a book about a backpack rocket could be so interesting! Not I! This true story is one of the best mystery novels I have read. The author doesn't wear you down with inane details of the science, we all get it. Strap a rocket on your back and go for a flight! Sure, the snake oil salesmen have to get involved, toss in a murder, a kidnapping and multi-million lawsuits and the book keeps you jetting for more. Don't miss this one.