Agent Zigzag
Ratings25
Average rating4.1
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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When I read information about this book, I was highly skeptical. How interesting could the story of a World War II double-agent really be? Sure, there would likely be some intrigue, but hardly anything compelling. I was SO wrong. This is one of the most exquisite books I have come across, both for storytelling and storyline. Intricately woven throughout are fascinating details about the criminal mind, political history, sabotage, culture, counter-intelligence and, of course, spycraft. Although it might seem dated, the relevance of this book is surprising, and it should be read by anyone with an even vague interest in the topics listed above. Suffice it to say, you will NOT be disappointed.
Interesting history.
This is a quintessential case of the truth being stranger than fiction. As the author notes in his epilogue, no work of fiction seems to have rivaled the level of intricacy, the depth of the intrigue, or the patently absurd realities of Chapman's story. Overall, this was an enjoyable read. Nothing about this book will give you much juicy insight into the world of international espionage. It does, however, shed a bit of light into the fiction of Flemming, le Carré, et. all.
Presumably well researched and professionally delivered.
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