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The Dangerous Shore: How a Motley Crew of Scientists, Mobsters, Double Agents, Retirees, Volunteer Pilots (and a Boy Scout) Stopped the Invasion of America
Not yet published
Expected 10 Mar 26Sara Vladic, New York Times bestselling author of Indianapolis, reveals the gripping, untold history of the United States under attack during World War II and the improbable patriots who stepped up to defend their country in her hour of need.
History books have told us, in the decades following World War II, that Pearl Harbor was the only major attack on the United States’ home front. But this is not the whole truth. In The Dangerous Shore, leading researcher and bestselling author Sara Vladic unveils a much different story, one hidden away in dusty archives and behind press embargoes: Throughout the Second World War, German U-boats presented a very real threat to America’s eastern coastline, destroying ships, landing spies, and planning assaults on cities. With the country’s attention focused on the European and Pacific fronts, the U.S. would have been left undefended, if not for a ragtag bunch of characters who rose to the occasion.
Comprised of misfits, rejects, and outlaws, this motley crew came from unexpected places. Among their ranks was the stalwart Gill Robb Wilson, leader of a barnstorming corp of volunteer civilian pilots; the brilliant Dayton engineer, Joe Desch; and the nearsighted yet "clairvoyant" Kenneth Knowles, commander of the Phantom Fleet, entrusted with ULTRA intelligence.
Meanwhile, the cooperation of Grace Buchanan-Dineen, a self-styled countess and German spy turned double agent, helped the FBI net even more spies. Notorious but all-American mobsters Lucky Luciano, Meyer Lansky, and Socks Lanza struck deals with Naval Intelligence and kept watch over critical ports. Together their efforts turned the tide of war at home and saved thousands of American lives.
A thrilling and eye-opening read, The Dangerous Shore leads you through American history like never before. The story is an ode to the bravery, loyalty, and patriotism of our most unsung—and unlikely—heroes.
History books have told us, in the decades following World War II, that Pearl Harbor was the only major attack on the United States’ home front. But this is not the whole truth. In The Dangerous Shore, leading researcher and bestselling author Sara Vladic unveils a much different story, one hidden away in dusty archives and behind press embargoes: Throughout the Second World War, German U-boats presented a very real threat to America’s eastern coastline, destroying ships, landing spies, and planning assaults on cities. With the country’s attention focused on the European and Pacific fronts, the U.S. would have been left undefended, if not for a ragtag bunch of characters who rose to the occasion.
Comprised of misfits, rejects, and outlaws, this motley crew came from unexpected places. Among their ranks was the stalwart Gill Robb Wilson, leader of a barnstorming corp of volunteer civilian pilots; the brilliant Dayton engineer, Joe Desch; and the nearsighted yet "clairvoyant" Kenneth Knowles, commander of the Phantom Fleet, entrusted with ULTRA intelligence.
Meanwhile, the cooperation of Grace Buchanan-Dineen, a self-styled countess and German spy turned double agent, helped the FBI net even more spies. Notorious but all-American mobsters Lucky Luciano, Meyer Lansky, and Socks Lanza struck deals with Naval Intelligence and kept watch over critical ports. Together their efforts turned the tide of war at home and saved thousands of American lives.
A thrilling and eye-opening read, The Dangerous Shore leads you through American history like never before. The story is an ode to the bravery, loyalty, and patriotism of our most unsung—and unlikely—heroes.
- GenresHistoryNonfictionWar
624 pages, Hardcover
Expected publication March 10, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
December 6, 2025
I just finished reading an incredible, historical non-fiction novel that really opened my eyes to the suppressed realities of America’s crushing losses in the Atlantic, the desperate pursuits to gain ground, and the imminent threats of being attacked on land during World War 2.
Thank you to William Morrow Books & HarperCollins Publishers for the special galley edition publication of this book to read and review.
The Dangerous Shore by Sara Vladic brings to light shocking facts about the secret battle going on in America during World War 2. Sara Vladic, an acclaimed documentary filmmaker, National Geographic historian, and coauthor of the bestseller Indianapolis, showcases her exhaustive research with 57 pages of reference notes at the back of the book. She doesn’t pull any punches, as she describes many heroic, selfless acts of sacrifice alongside those with narcissistic behaviours and unscrupulous natures, fighting together for America against the relentless German and Japanese war machines.
The Battle of the Atlantic was utterly dominated by the German U-boats in 1942. Thousands of merchant ships, oil tankers & Navy ships were destroyed, many right off the East coast of America. This book illustrates how woefully unprepared America was at first, then goes on to prove Plato’s adage, necessity is the mother of invention, with amazing American ingenuity and patriotism. The Civil Air Patrol was born and proved invaluable. Genius cryptologists created machines that broke the unbreakable German and Japanese war communication codes. The majority of these people were unheralded and kept in secret until decades later.
An ultra-secret, Navy-sponsored scheme called Operation Underworld succeeded in protecting much of the East Coast, utilizing the special talents of famous mob bosses and their vast network of contacts and longshoremen. There were many attempts by Nazi trained spies who came ashore in secrecy via U-boats, with orders to filter through America to sabotage critical infrastructure and destroy military targets. Some turned themselves over to the FBI, others were tracked down by Operation Underworld, or the FBI, or everyday citizens.
Meanwhile, the West Coast wasn’t safe either, as the Imperial Japanese Navy had submarines firing shells at the Los Angeles coast and cruising along critical shipping lanes in search of targets. In addition, Japan launched thousands of balloons packed with incendiary materials and bombs to inflict death and destruction deep into America.
This and much more is laid out in dramatic detail as the reader marvels at the high stakes involved, with lives on the line and the imminent danger of an American invasion. This would make for a spectacular TV series. I highly recommend this book when it is published for the public in March of 2026.
Thank you to William Morrow Books & HarperCollins Publishers for the special galley edition publication of this book to read and review.
The Dangerous Shore by Sara Vladic brings to light shocking facts about the secret battle going on in America during World War 2. Sara Vladic, an acclaimed documentary filmmaker, National Geographic historian, and coauthor of the bestseller Indianapolis, showcases her exhaustive research with 57 pages of reference notes at the back of the book. She doesn’t pull any punches, as she describes many heroic, selfless acts of sacrifice alongside those with narcissistic behaviours and unscrupulous natures, fighting together for America against the relentless German and Japanese war machines.
The Battle of the Atlantic was utterly dominated by the German U-boats in 1942. Thousands of merchant ships, oil tankers & Navy ships were destroyed, many right off the East coast of America. This book illustrates how woefully unprepared America was at first, then goes on to prove Plato’s adage, necessity is the mother of invention, with amazing American ingenuity and patriotism. The Civil Air Patrol was born and proved invaluable. Genius cryptologists created machines that broke the unbreakable German and Japanese war communication codes. The majority of these people were unheralded and kept in secret until decades later.
An ultra-secret, Navy-sponsored scheme called Operation Underworld succeeded in protecting much of the East Coast, utilizing the special talents of famous mob bosses and their vast network of contacts and longshoremen. There were many attempts by Nazi trained spies who came ashore in secrecy via U-boats, with orders to filter through America to sabotage critical infrastructure and destroy military targets. Some turned themselves over to the FBI, others were tracked down by Operation Underworld, or the FBI, or everyday citizens.
Meanwhile, the West Coast wasn’t safe either, as the Imperial Japanese Navy had submarines firing shells at the Los Angeles coast and cruising along critical shipping lanes in search of targets. In addition, Japan launched thousands of balloons packed with incendiary materials and bombs to inflict death and destruction deep into America.
This and much more is laid out in dramatic detail as the reader marvels at the high stakes involved, with lives on the line and the imminent danger of an American invasion. This would make for a spectacular TV series. I highly recommend this book when it is published for the public in March of 2026.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Welcome to another one of my patented (Note: you can't patent this) if/then reviews! Today we are looking at Sara Vladic's The Dangerous Shore. Is it a bad book? Absolutely not. Is it great? That is where the if/then comes in.
Vladic is looking at the lesser known aspects of World War II and specifically some names you won't find in most other books. Her focus is on the home front and how the shores of America were not necessarily safe from the war.
Now, let's go over the things which are quite good. Vladic is a very good writer and her writing is like a novel or a movie script. She has also done extensive research. For example, the first chapter alone has somewhere around 200 citations. It is a long chapter, but that is still sign of a deep search for facts.
However, the thing that completely took me out of the narrative was the breakneck speed of the entire book. Just in the description of the book alone, the following people are called out by name as vital to the story: Gill Robb Wilson, Joe Desch, Kenneth Knowles, Grace Buchanan-Dineen, Lucky Luciano, Meyer Lansky, and Socks Lanza. This isn't even everyone Vladic talks about. In addition to their individual stories, Vladic also has to set them in their time and place in order for any of this to make sense.
This is where the if/then comes from. For me, I'd rather read a book which took its time with each character. Kenneth Knowles is much more fleshed out in Alexander Rose's exceptional Phantom Fleet. The mobsters can be found in Matthew Black's Operation Underworld. Vladic talks about Charles Lindbergh and his ties to Nazism/antisemitism in the excellent America First by H. W. Brands. So, if you know a lot about World War II already, I think this book will be a miss for you and feel a bit too much like disjointed stories slammed together.
That said, did you look at my list above and say, "I don't have time for all that!" Well, this book alone clocks in over 500 pages (Note: I read an ARC so it is not the finished length necessarily). Good news, though, I think you'll love this! Vladic is a good writer, and these stories are interesting. The quick pace is absolutely a personal preference. In fact, I have Vladic's previous book Indianapolis on my shelf, and I fully intend to read it. I just think this book is a case of a good author trying to do a bit too much. If someone said they really wanted to read this, I'd say go ahead. I just didn't like it as much as I think I could have if Vladic tightened her scope.
(This book was provided as an advance reader copy by NetGalley and William Morrow Books.)
Vladic is looking at the lesser known aspects of World War II and specifically some names you won't find in most other books. Her focus is on the home front and how the shores of America were not necessarily safe from the war.
Now, let's go over the things which are quite good. Vladic is a very good writer and her writing is like a novel or a movie script. She has also done extensive research. For example, the first chapter alone has somewhere around 200 citations. It is a long chapter, but that is still sign of a deep search for facts.
However, the thing that completely took me out of the narrative was the breakneck speed of the entire book. Just in the description of the book alone, the following people are called out by name as vital to the story: Gill Robb Wilson, Joe Desch, Kenneth Knowles, Grace Buchanan-Dineen, Lucky Luciano, Meyer Lansky, and Socks Lanza. This isn't even everyone Vladic talks about. In addition to their individual stories, Vladic also has to set them in their time and place in order for any of this to make sense.
This is where the if/then comes from. For me, I'd rather read a book which took its time with each character. Kenneth Knowles is much more fleshed out in Alexander Rose's exceptional Phantom Fleet. The mobsters can be found in Matthew Black's Operation Underworld. Vladic talks about Charles Lindbergh and his ties to Nazism/antisemitism in the excellent America First by H. W. Brands. So, if you know a lot about World War II already, I think this book will be a miss for you and feel a bit too much like disjointed stories slammed together.
That said, did you look at my list above and say, "I don't have time for all that!" Well, this book alone clocks in over 500 pages (Note: I read an ARC so it is not the finished length necessarily). Good news, though, I think you'll love this! Vladic is a good writer, and these stories are interesting. The quick pace is absolutely a personal preference. In fact, I have Vladic's previous book Indianapolis on my shelf, and I fully intend to read it. I just think this book is a case of a good author trying to do a bit too much. If someone said they really wanted to read this, I'd say go ahead. I just didn't like it as much as I think I could have if Vladic tightened her scope.
(This book was provided as an advance reader copy by NetGalley and William Morrow Books.)
December 10, 2025
This is one of those books where you know the author spent a tremendous amount of time in research. It's in the small details that seem to have come out of someone's journal or information passed down in a family's history. It's historical non-fiction told in an approachable story form making it easier to keep track of the dozens and dozens of characters involved in this remembrance of a fraught time for the United States in the second World War.
I have always lived in the American west and had some knowledge of the attacks that had happened on the Oregon coast. I was completely ignorant of what happened up and down the east coast. The sheer volume of U-boat attacks on both civilian and military vessels was astonishing and unsettling. The fact that our government was in no way ready for a second world war was sobering, but how thousands of everyday Americans stepped up and got involved is truly inspiring.
Civilians became spies, civilians became codebreakers, civilians became pilots and sailors, and coastal look-outs until a time as the US government got up to speed. It took months and years. Most of it was volunteer, some of it was creating entirely new branches of service, and most civilians never got recognition or credit for their sacrifice. Let's just say I'm not a fan of J. Edgar Hoover.
Heartfelt thanks to William Morrow Books & HarperCollins Publishers for the special galley edition publication of this book. I loved this book, easy to read, understand, and it was so educational. Will wholeheartedly recommend to any WW2 fans when it comes into print in 2026.
I have always lived in the American west and had some knowledge of the attacks that had happened on the Oregon coast. I was completely ignorant of what happened up and down the east coast. The sheer volume of U-boat attacks on both civilian and military vessels was astonishing and unsettling. The fact that our government was in no way ready for a second world war was sobering, but how thousands of everyday Americans stepped up and got involved is truly inspiring.
Civilians became spies, civilians became codebreakers, civilians became pilots and sailors, and coastal look-outs until a time as the US government got up to speed. It took months and years. Most of it was volunteer, some of it was creating entirely new branches of service, and most civilians never got recognition or credit for their sacrifice. Let's just say I'm not a fan of J. Edgar Hoover.
Heartfelt thanks to William Morrow Books & HarperCollins Publishers for the special galley edition publication of this book. I loved this book, easy to read, understand, and it was so educational. Will wholeheartedly recommend to any WW2 fans when it comes into print in 2026.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews