Shadow Divers

The True Adventure of Two Americans Who Risked Everything to Solve One of the Last Mysteries of World War II

By: Robert Kurson

Narrated by: Michael Prichard

Length: 15 hrs and 37 mins

Publisher's summary

In 1991, acting on a tip from a local fisherman, two scuba divers discovered a sunken German U-boat, complete with its crew of 60 men, not too far off the New Jersey coast. The divers, realizing the momentousness of their discovery, began probing the mystery. Over the next six years, they became expert and well-traveled researchers, taught themselves German, hunted for clues in Germany, and constructed theories corrective of the history books, all in an effort to identify this sunken U-boat and its crew. During that time, three of their colleagues died exploring the wreck, including a father and son team. In 1997, when it all seemed in vain, the two divers came up with a final plan, so dangerous that the book ends with this last dive.

Listen to an interview with Robert Kurson on C-SPAN Booknotes from July 11, 2004.

©2004 Robert Kurson (P)2004 Books on Tape

Critic reviews

• Alex Award Winner, 2005

"While Kurson doesn't stint on technical detail, lovers of any sort of adventure tale will certainly absorb the author's excellent characterizations, and particularly his balance in describing the combat arm of the Third Reich. Felicitous cooperation between author and subject rings through every page of this rare insightful action narrative." (Publishers Weekly)
"A fascinating look at the sometimes communal, sometimes bitterly competitive psychology of wreck-divers, weekend warriors in wet suits whose dangerous hobby is often an antidote to the frustrations of the workaday world." (Booklist)
"The story told in Robert Kurson's new book features undersea thrills, a gripping mystery, incredible discoveries, true-blue friendship, life-or-death crises and history unfolding....Written with great you-are-there intensity and dynamic verve." (The New York Times)
"From U-boat history to the mortal dangers of diving (disorientation is so common that you wonder only three men drowned on this quest), Kurson explains it all, even as he's spinning a fantastic yarn that happens to be true. All he leaves out are the boring parts." (Newsweek)

Very well written & narrated

An historical account that goes beyond the men who found the sub and dives (pun intended) into the realities of WWII - the lives of those who were once enemies and a wonderful account of mysteries and the search for answers

Wonderful story, intelligently written and read

My wife and I each loved this book. It is engrossing from beginning to end. The book is satisfying on multiple levels. It documents adventurers and historians; it is gripping, at times reading like a novel. Most fundamentally, it relates interesting perceptions about the hunter and the hunted.

We don't agree that the drunken vessel captain is glorified, as one reviewer declared. He is far from glorified. His story---one of several in the book---is sad. If the reviewer had finished the book, he/she would have seen that the captain was a complex character who, like many alcoholics, waste away.

Read this one. You won't regret it.

We have now listened to two books read by Michael Pritchard, this one and Ghost Soldiers. He is excellent, perfect for this story.

Very engaging

This is a very engaging book. It opened up the world of deep sea diving and skillfully combined it with history.

fantastic

Very entertaining and interesting. Reads like a thriller.
You will learn a lot about diving and high sea boat riding.

I love this book

Would you listen to Shadow Divers again? Why?

I have listened to this book 4 times. I love the narrator and the book is so on point!
Please buy, listen and enjoy!

A Must Read Book

This book was completely enthralling. Great attention to detail and fabulous character development. Parts of this book were actually quite nerve-wracking to listen to due to readers connection to main characters and the precarious situations in which the put themselves.

This book is disappointing to finish as you almost cannot get enough.

great wide ranging story

Fantastic story, good history, laugh-out-loud passages if you don't object to highly colorful language. The narrator did not modulate well between his obvious breaks, and sounded like Andy Rooney, which took some getting used to. I am interested in history but this book would have had me hooked anyway.

Everything They Say It Is

I'll keep this short because it would merely be repeating all the superlatives that have been used already by other reviewers. Just one warning: Just when you think you are going to get into the most exciting part of the book, the author slows things down to present a chapter each on the backgrounds of Chatterton and Kohler. Later on, you come to realize why that was useful and necessary for an understanding of why they do what they do later on and it adds to the overall appreciation of their accomplishment.

As others have said in so many ways: One of the very best books available on Audible!

Loved it.

Great read. One of the best books I have read. Do yourself a favor and dive into this great adventure.

How good? Sit in your car in the driveway good,

walk the dog an extra lap around the neighborhood good, turn a half marathon into a full marathon good. I have the hard copy, kindle and now audible book versions and every year or 2 I re-experience this AMAZING TRUE STORY! The fact that both History and A STRANGE MYSTERY were right off the coast of a sleepy east coast town still blows my mind. Makes you get out your wetsuit and start training just in case, just in case you get a call like the one that lead to a multi-year adventure! GREATEST RESPECTS TO THOSE THAT LOST THEIR LIVES AND THOSE THAT MADE HISTORY DESPITE THE ODDS, DANGERS AND TRAGEDY!