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Agent Zigzag by Ben Macintyre
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Agent Zigzag (original 2007; edition 2008)

by Ben Macintyre (Author)

MembersReviewsPopularityAverage ratingMentions
1,6938110,277 (3.94)235
Eddie Chapman was a charming criminal, a con man, and a philanderer. He was also one of the most remarkable double agents Britain has ever produced. In 1941, after training as a German spy in occupied France, Chapman was parachuted into Britain with orders to blow up an airplane factory. Instead, he contacted MI5, the British Secret Service. For the next four years, he worked as a double agent, a British spy at the heart of the German Secret Service. Crisscrossing Europe under different names, weaving plans, spreading disinformation, and miraculously keeping his stories straight under intense interrogation, he even managed to gain some profit and seduce beautiful women along the way. MI5 has now declassified all of Chapman's files, allowing the full story to be told, a unique glimpse into the psychology of espionage, with its thin and shifting line between fidelity and betrayal.--From publisher description.… (more)
Member:snipemonkey
Title:Agent Zigzag
Authors:Ben Macintyre (Author)
Info:Broadway Books (2008), Edition: Reprint, 364 pages
Collections:Wishlist
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Work Information

Agent Zigzag: A True Story of Nazi Espionage, Love, and Betrayal by Ben Macintyre (2007)

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» See also 235 mentions

English (78)  Swedish (1)  Norwegian (1)  Spanish (1)  All languages (81)
Showing 1-5 of 78 (next | show all)
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. ( )
  Margaret09 | Apr 15, 2024 |
A pretty enjoyable tale. I could read Ben McIntyre’s books forever, sitting in a hot tub, with my feet in the air, knocking back a cold gin-and-tonic. ( )
  MylesKesten | Jan 23, 2024 |
Really interesting story but it is partially ruined by is quaintness. The author starts to add a lot of details he could never know about and it ends up being pretty corny and hollywoodlike.
( )
  soraxtm | Apr 9, 2023 |
A wonderful piece of entertainment, all the more enjoyable because it's true. Funny, thrilling, insightful and sometimes moving, it's a brilliant read from beginning to end. ( )
  whatmeworry | Apr 9, 2022 |
Showing 1-5 of 78 (next | show all)
Mr. Macintyre, a writer at large for The Times of London, paints a detailed picture, supported by newly opened MI5 files on espionage training in the Third Reich and Britain’s desperate scramble to throw the enemy off course through a campaign of disinformation.
 

» Add other authors (4 possible)

Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
Ben Macintyreprimary authorall editionscalculated
John LeeNarratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
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Zigzag. n, adj, and vb. '... a pattern made up of many small corners at an acute angle, tracing a path between two parallel lines; it can be described as both jagged and fairly regular'.
'It is essential to seek out enemy agents who have come to conduct espionage against you and to bribe them to serve you. Give them instructions and care for them. Thus double agents are recruited and used.'

Sun Tzu, The Art of War
'War makes thieves and peace hangs them.'

George Herbert
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For Kate
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A German spy drops from a black Focke-Wulf reconnaissance plane over Cambridgeshire.
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Eddie Chapman was a charming criminal, a con man, and a philanderer. He was also one of the most remarkable double agents Britain has ever produced. In 1941, after training as a German spy in occupied France, Chapman was parachuted into Britain with orders to blow up an airplane factory. Instead, he contacted MI5, the British Secret Service. For the next four years, he worked as a double agent, a British spy at the heart of the German Secret Service. Crisscrossing Europe under different names, weaving plans, spreading disinformation, and miraculously keeping his stories straight under intense interrogation, he even managed to gain some profit and seduce beautiful women along the way. MI5 has now declassified all of Chapman's files, allowing the full story to be told, a unique glimpse into the psychology of espionage, with its thin and shifting line between fidelity and betrayal.--From publisher description.

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