Dark Invasion: 1915: Germany's Secret War and the Hunt for the First Terrorist Cell in America

In the shadowy world of espionage and counterespionage things are not always what they seem and the truth is often hidden behind a veil of lies. In the US, President Woodrow Wilson was determined to stay out of the "Great War" raging in Europe and remain neutral. But that didn't stop American businesses from selling arms and munitions to the Allied Powers. Germany and the Central Powers were also free to buy war supplies from the US but, due to the UK's Atlantic Blockade, German ships were unable to leave the American ports and return home. Germany's greatest fear was that America would abandon it's neutral stance and join the Allies. Now, if the US was unable to sell supplies to the Allies or even enter the war itself, well, that might solve some of Germany's problems all at once. In Howard Blum's fast moving, suspenseful book "Dark Invasion" we follow New York City police officers and FBI agents as they investigate numerous bombings in local businesses and on ships at sea that have one thing in common; they are either supplying or transporting war supplies to the Allies in Europe. Are all these crimes connected? Are the perpetrators home grown lawbreakers or some kind of foreign agents? In NYC, Police Captain Tom Tunney finds himself up against a new kind of criminal and one that has no regard for the American lives they've taken. As Tunney navigates his team through the twist and turns of sinister spies and counterterrorism he fears that his best efforts are not enough and that he may well be in over his head. The narrative also follows the German agents who seek to undermine the American political and corporate power structure and to neutralize a potential battlefield enemy. I found this book to be well written and extensively researched giving me a close up look at a time in American History that, in many ways, set the stage for all that was to follow, right up to today's terrifying headlines. Once started it was hard to put down, a real "page turner", filled with interesting charactures, plot twist and turns and quite a few surprises as well. Illustrated with lots of archival photos of the people and places mentioned in the text, a map of the NYC subway system in 1915. The book also has a "Cast of Characters" that was very helpful in keeping track of the often unfamiliar people in the narrative. For the layman history buff, like me, this was a very good read and I'm glad I have it on my Kindle. I had no technical or downloading problems with this Kindle edition.Last Ranger

so very interesting and so well-written. mr. blum uses the notes and papers of the people involved in such a way that readers feel they really know how the people involved felt.this book is a great demonstration of the old saying my history teachers always tossed around: "those who do not know history will be doomed to repeat it." in this case, the germans use of terrorist attacks seems so familiar. in the end, they are even considering germ warfare. it is amazing how the more things change the more they remain the same.

The author writes in a very easy to read style. This book is well researched, and reads like a novel. In fact, there are plans to make a movie based on the book. The story involves Germany trying to conduct sabotagein the U.S. during WW I, before the U.S. entered the war. In fact, the Germans were very successful and the race to find the perpetrators added a sense of urgency to the story. The only complaint I would mention is that the author didn't inform the reader what ultimately happened to all of the characters after the time thebook ended.

I read "Dark Invasion" at the same time I was reading "Night of the Assassins," another Howard Blum book. Both books are right down my alley – centered on true espionage dramas involving Germany and the allies. As opposed to "Night of the Assassins" (which covers espionage activities overseas during WWII), Dark Invasion covers espionage events and direct acts of terrorism occurring in the United States during WWI. The acts of terrorism were varied and extensive (even extending to explosions on allied shipping taking place in International waters with bombs and fire-starting devices planted in U.S. waters). The central character in Dark Invasion is Tom Tunney, who evolves as the de facto “nation’s first head of homeland security.” (Blum’s words on p. 417). The direct and sometimes-fatal terroristic attacks occurred against the background of political indecisiveness at the highest (Presidential) level and against fumbling assertions of authority by various governmental agencies charged with protecting American citizens. The terroristic acts repeated and increased in effectiveness until NY City's Tunney learned the ropes of counterespionage. This Book reveals a major portion of our history about which I had been unaware.Both books ("Dark Invasion" and "Night of the Assassins") are nail-biters. These books are the 5th and 6th book by this author that I have read. Why? I can’t get enough of Howard Blum’s writings. He was an unknown author to me as of a year ago. Today, I have come to believe that there is a greatness to his writing. I consider his worthiness as an author to be at the very top of the list, along with other greats such as David McCullough. Blum tackles difficult “non-fiction” angles, more difficult than the straight-forward accounts of McCullough (whom I also admire and respect). It would seem that Blum searches out impossible stories. In the beginning of each of Blum’s projects-to-be-turned-into books, he picks out the murkiest possible situations and then seeks to find the truth. Such truth, as pointed out in his “notes on sources” at the end of each book, is close to impossible in espionage situations. Yet, Blum strives to present the “most viable” truth available from all sources. His writing is clear, poignant and difficult to put down. As with his other books, I found myself longing for more as I reached the concluding pages.