Well, the sub-title tells you all you need to know about the subject of the book. The title plays off that of the memoirs of one of the German saboteurs, Dark Invader. Howard Blum's tale is compelling, and reads like an action-adventure novel, only it all happened. Murder, disguise, espionage, sabotage, suicide, attempted assassination of a powerful NY banker, rebellion, war in Mexico, WMD, detective stake-outs and chases, high-level briefings of the US President - it's all here. And it's history, not fiction.
As a story, Dark Invasion is gripping. As history, this well-researched account is even more compelling. In setting out the extensive, notorious and scandalous efforts of German diplomats, agents, and disgracefully not a few dual-nationals to violently block shipments from the "neutral" US to Britain and France in their war with Germany, Blum underscores an often overlooked motivation for America's entry into the Great War - German provocations, which even President Wilson ultimately found too much to withstand.
Blum's focus on Tom Tierney, the NYPD detective trying to halt Germany's attacks on allied shipping in his home town and harbor, is an effective device. Tierney reminded me of Jack Ryan, but I'd rather have Tierney on my side than Ryan any day.
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