Eddie Chapman, career criminal, ladies man and no friend to the British establishment, finds himself in prison on the island of Jersey. When World War II breaks out and Jersey is invaded - nothing much changes for Eddie until he decides that he really has to get out of jail. So, he offers to spy for the Germans. At first his offer seems to be spurned, but months later, things start to change and he finds himself in France at a training camp for the Abwher. In Agent ZigZag, by Ben Macintyre (which I read in print), we then follow Eddie as he learns Morse code, sabotage techniques, parachuting, and, of course, German! He becomes close to his spymaster (Von Groening) - a relationship that lasts into their old age. However, on his first mission behind "enemy" lines, where he is tasked with blowing up De Havilands factory, he immediately hands himself into the British authorities and begins his career as a double agent. Chapman seems to be able to charm most people he meets, and he eventually persuades his new British spymaster that he is on the level and that he will make a useful contribution to the war by going back and spying on his old employees. We follow Chapman on his adventures during the remainder of the war and after as he slowly drifts back into his old ways. This is an interesting, but not totally gripping tale of a most unusual hero. It's just a shame that it takes a war to bring out the best in people!
My star rating: 3 STARS.
The stats bit:
Length: 384 print pages
Price: free (given to me by a friend)
Other formats available: Audio CD (abridged); Audio download (abridged); Ebook (Kindle).
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