'The Detonators: The Secret Plot to Destroy America and an Epic Hunt for Justice' by Chad Millman is an historical account of an act of sabotage, and the years it took a group of lawyers to get Germany to take responsibility.

During World War I, before the USA was in the war, we were helping to send supplies to England. The German government put a plan in place to sabotage Black Tom Island in New York in order to disrupt these shipments. The first part of the book recounts this. The immigrant German population, and how they were recruited. This section finishes with the completion of their plan.

The bulk of the rest of the book follows the case the US Government made trying to prove that Germany was involved. As evidence is found and a case is built, Germany finds ways to evade. John McCloy was the determined young lawyer who never gave up, even though others around him did.

This was a fascinating look at an incident that I wasn't even aware of. I loved the way the book was put together. The end of the book includes photos of the principal people and pictures depicting the evidence and the damage to the island. There are extensive notes for every chapter.

It's a good combination of spy thriller and court intrigue. I really enjoyed reading this book.

I received a review copy of this ebook from Little, Brown and Company, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this ebook.