Ben Macintyre (1) (1963–)

This is a rattling good read. I'd say 'yarn', but it isn't one. It's all true. This is the story of Eddie Chapman, small-time crook, POW, German spy, British double agent, womaniser and small-time crook (again). Well written and researched, this complex and fast moving tale gives an astonishing picture of the world of espionage in WWII. The deceit and double-dealing involved, the secrecy, cross-checking and plain old-fashioned bravery are all quite astonishing. It's a quite unbelievable thriller. And a true story.… (més)

A really absorbing and interesting read. This book tells the story of an ultimately successful attempt by the British to deceive the Nazis about their plans to invade in Southern Europe. Such an attempt is bound to be complex, involving political acumen, spying know-how, involvement of those in high places and yet secrecy at every level. Ben Macintyre handles his material and the wealth of characters skillfully, and turns out a rollicking tale. Yet he does not ignore the pathos surrounding the life of the almost unknown Welshman who is at the centre of this story: you'll have to read the book to find out what I mean, and I thoroughly recommend that you do so.… (més)

Worthy and thorough account of the famous World War 2 hoax created by the British secret services to deceive the Germans as to the planned location of their invasion. That ploy, and the quirkiness of its plotters, are now being celebrated on stage in the West End in an energetic and entertaining musical. This calm telling doesn’t quite have the same brio, and indeed one assumes that the memoir, bending the rules of confidentiality, put out by Ewen Montagu, one of the scheme’s actual authors himself, makes for a racier story. That 1950s version with the memorable title “The Man Who Never Was” has never gone out of print, so Macintyre tells us. The book here, it seems, is more evidence-based on the details, of which it has many, and which remain interesting, even if the range and scale of them dilute a little the “gripping” nature of the tale.… (més)