Can you imagine a city doubling its population from 164,000 to 322,000 in just five years?

That was Long Beach, California, in the 1940s—a booming defense hub where housing was nearly non-existent, rent control disputes escalated to murder, and severe labor shortages saw women canvassing neighborhoods door-to-door to recruit fellow residents into the workforce. High school students balanced four-hour shifts six days a week alongside their studies just to keep essential industries running.

Home to massive shipyards, a vital Naval Base, sprawling oil fields, and Douglas Aircraft, Long Beach was a central pillar of the American war effort—and a top target for potential enemy strikes. This book examines the high-stakes wartime environment and delves into long-standing local mysteries: Did Japanese forces plan air strikes on Long Beach targets? Were Japanese mini-submarines actually sunk in the harbor? And what were the political realities surrounding the forced internment of Southern California’s Japanese American community?

What You’ll Discover Inside

• • Crime & High-Profile Mysteries: Trace Elizabeth Short’s final days in Long Beach, the local officer who coined her moniker “The Black Dahlia,” and the unsolved connection to local housewife Laura Trelstad.

  • Civil Unrest & Wartime Culture: Revisit the tension surrounding the Zoot Suit Riots along Long Beach’s famous Pike amusement pier.

  • Overnight Metamorphosis: How a coastal town transformed virtually overnight into an industrial titan.

  • Corruption & Vice: The shadow war between local government and gambling syndicates vying for control of the booming city.

  • Life Under Threat: A population navigating the daily fears of enemy attacks, political scandals, and rapid urban growth.

Here’s a link to what reviewers have to say

More can be found on the C-Span interview with the author.