Rating: 
Summary: Well Researched but Poorly Constructed
Review: "Close To Shore" is rich with historical background, and it is obvious throughout that the author has done his homework. This book truly captures the aura of its environment, and its attention to the details of American culture on the East Coast in 1916 nearly make it a worthwhile read sans man eating shark.However, I found the book went from good to mediocre as the "plot" progressed. The amount of detail and clever building of tension present in the first half of the book simply exhausted themselves and were nowhere to be seen in the book's concluding chapters. The most extraordinary, gruesome moments of this real-life event were rushed through, and the grand finale literally left me expecting a final plot twist which would reveal the "real" ending. In all, not a bad book, but there have been better works about sharks. Not for the action-seeking or the gore-loving.
Rating: 
Summary: Great Book!
Review: I first read this in the August 2001 Edition of Readers Digest - I loved it! I was totally hooked! I immediately rented a copy of the book from the library - and it was totally phenomenal! A guaranteed delight and suspense!
Rating:
Summary: Reads like a screenplay.
Review: Michael Capuzzo is a skilled writer and he takes the reader
through the subject of the 1916 New Jersey shark attacks via a
very smooth narrative. If you have a passing interest in the
subject, this would be the book to read (i.e. as opposed to
TWELVE DAYS OF TERROR, the other title currently in release).
Mr. Capuzzo has done his homework and he mixes fact in with his
narrative to create what might be called "shark lite." I do not
use this term disparagingly. His book is not heavy reading but
it is quite good. I also read TWELVE DAYS OF TERROR and, for
me, TWELVE DAYS was my favorite of the two. (Note: CLOSE TO
SHORE, for some odd reason, contains no photographs, period or
otherwise, which makes it seem even more like a novel, rather
than a work of non-fiction. Photographs similar to the one that
graces the cover of the book would have greatly enhanced the
text.)
Rating:
Summary: An Engrossing Story that Evokes America in 1916
Review: What distinguishes Close to Shore is the author's ability to beautifully evoke time and place. One gets a real sense of America at the turn of the last century. In addition, Capuzzo has creatively woven in an exciting story of a series of shark attacks off the New Jersey coast in 1916. Close to Shore reminded me of Issac's Storm (one of my favorite books). Both give the reader an opportunity to "travel in time" (early 20th century) while telling a fascinating story involving man's naive and arrogant belief that modern science would allow us to overcome the forces of nature. In both cases, we were wrong! I highly recommend this book and will be buying copies for friends.
Rating:
Summary: Finally, the story is told. Fabulous literature.
Review: Close To Shore transported me back to a time when marine biology and recreational swimming in the ocean were in their infancies in the United States. I am a fishery biologist that has studied the migratory patterns and population dynamics of large pelagic fish for seven years. I commend Michael on the masterful portrayal of this shark's behavior and peculiar feeding habits. The book provides a historical fact filled account of Mid-Atlantic America attempting to enjoy the summer of 1916 and the citizen reaction to the unknown creature lurking along the coastline. For over twenty-five years I have imagined the shark moving in the murky water below as I cross the bridge over Matawan Creek. Mr. Capuzzo allows the reader to experience the power of the tale told to the children of Matawan and those who remember the 1916 attacks in New Jersey. As a child of Matawan and a fan of fishery and maritime books, I thank him for giving the event the attention and discussion it has so rightly deserved.
Rating: 
Summary: Page Turner
Review: I was so excited to read this, as I love any story about a shark, especially with the word, "Terror" in the title! I thought the author did an excellent job of describing the route of the shark, as well as the victims themselves. The book is exceptionally easy to read while being equally interesting.
Rating:
Summary: a very good fast read
Review: as an avid ocean swimmer and former jersey shore resident (now spending almost every weekend there visiting family and therefore still in the water- ALOT). and self confessed shark freak, i really enjoyed this book. it gives a nice history of the time and of the development of the beach resort scene in the early 1900's. also it was interesting to get some perspective on how ocean swimming and visits to the beach grew in popularity, against a tide of moral codes etc. but the best parts really were the way capuzzo captured and described the essense of the shark. how this shark most likely became disoriented, lost it's way out of the gulf stream and wandered into a new ocean environment with human inhabitants. it moves fast, the characters are well drawn but not much time is wasted on any particular event. things were happening too fast anyway. i recommend this book if you like non-fiction with some truly hair-raising suspense thrown in. and just my luck, i read this book the week before i will particpate in the annual ocean mile swim race, held off my hometown, spring lake (where swimmer number 2 was completely taken by surprise by this rocket of a man eater. major scary that scene). hopefully my swim this weekend will be peaceful (and fast) and i'll somehow be able not to think of this book as i'm out there past the breakwater, swimming from one end of town to the other.
Rating:
Summary: INTENSE
Review: CAPUZZO'S DEPICTION OF THE 1916 NEW JERSEY SHARK ATTACKS ARE BREATHTAKING. THIS BOOK OFFERS NOT ONLY DETAILED ACCOUNTS OF THE NUMEROUS SHARK ATTACKS OF THAT PERIOD BUT ALSO PAINTS THE ATMOPHERE OF A VERY SKEPTICAL EARLY 1900S. WHEN SHARKS WERE THOUGHT TO BE HARMLESS AND SEA MONSTERS WERE THE ONLY AQUATIC PREDATORS. IT WAS A TIME WHEN OCEAN SWIMMING WAS COMING TO LIFE AND WAS FAST BECOMING A NORM BUT LIKE WITH ANYTHING THAT IS GOOD THERE IS ALSO SOMETHING BAD. CAPUZZO'S KNOWLEGDE OF SHARKS AND OF THAT TIME PERIOD ARE OUTSTANDING. HIS DETAILED ACCOUNTS OF THE SHARK'S MANY ATTACKS ARE BETTER THAN ANY MOVIE.
Rating:
Summary: Warning; This book is very hard to put down
Review: It's a study of Great White Sharks! It's a glimpse of the US in 1916! It's a horror story! No! It's all three! And the pages just fly by. The time period is fascinating because it was at once so modern and so far removed today's world. No better examples than the advancing studies of science and glaring misconceptions of the shark -- the Great White in particular. The notion held by many that it wouldn't attack a human was pervasive. The results of this fallacious thinking were deadly. One of the most compelling aspects of the book (and who'd have thought it possible!) is the author's ability to take us into the mind of the shark. Unlike fiction that puts us in the head of a human serial killer, we feel a certain emptahy for the animal. After all it is not a force of evil, just another living being trying to survive. The author's best trick is weaving all the components of the story into a thoroughly entertaining story. I hope Micahel Capuzzo takes on similar writing projects!
Rating:
Summary: A Real Page-turner!
Review: I found this book riveting and fascinating. I especially enjoyed how the author pulled all the elements together: the descriptions of life in that era, the characteristics and habits of the shark, the prevailing scientific opinion of that age. I think the fact that it was a description of actual events rather than a fictionalized story is what really made it a good read for me. There were times I was on the edge of my seat. I had no idea there were so many sharks off the Eastern seaboard! Warning - you might want to wait until Fall to read it if you're planning any ocean swimming this summer!
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