In July 1916, New Jersey experienced "one of the most remarkable series of shark attacks in world history," this according to the Austrlian surgeon and shark attack expert Dr. Sir Victor Coppleson. (In fact, the 1916 attacks would serve as the inspiration for Jaws more than half-a-century later.)
It is these events, stretching from Beach Haven north to Spring Lake and Matawan, that Michael Capuzzo reconstructs in Close to Shore. Capuzzo painstakingly reconstructs the last summer before the U.S. entered World War I, focusing on the individuals, as well as the broader context of the era. He also, and most impressively, reconstructs the movements and even the psychology of the "rogue shark" that killed four and injured two others, one seriously.
Close to Shore was a quick and interesting read. I knew nothing about these 100-year-old shark attacks (and why should I?), but Capuzzo does an equally good job of educating readers about shark species, life cycles, and motives. The ichthyology research is even more impressive than the history research.
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