A very interesting book about historical events, on the history of the laying and development of submarine telegraph cables, but it also has a very interesting plot with surprise twists. (Goodreads)
Robert Michael Ballantyne (24 April 1825 – 8 February 1894) was a Scottish author of juvenile fiction who wrote more than 100 books. He was also an accomplished artist, and exhibited some of his water-colours at the Royal Scottish Academy. (Wikipedia)