A Terrible Thunder: The Story of the New Orleans Sniper

New Orleans, New Year's Eve, 1972. As revelers celebrated in the French Quarter, Mark James Essex unleashed one of the most devastating sniper attacks on law enforcement in American history.

In this meticulously researched account, Peter Hernon reconstructs the terrifying seven days that paralyzed a city and shocked a nation. What began as seemingly random violence escalated into an unprecedented urban siege, culminating in a desperate standoff at a burning downtown hotel where police officers found themselves hunting elusive shadows.
Hernon masterfully traces the dark psychological journey that transformed a young man into a killer, while examining the broader social tensions that set the stage for tragedy. Through interviews with survivors, witnesses, and investigators, he creates a moment-by-moment chronicle of the crisis—including the extraordinary military response that saw a Marine helicopter circling above the New Orleans skyline.

"A Terrible Thunder" is both a gripping true crime narrative and a sobering examination of racial conflict, police tactics, and the profound consequences of hatred. Hernon's unflinching portrait reveals how a single week of violence forever changed countless lives and exposed deep wounds in American society that continue to resonate today.