Agent Zigzag

A True Story of Nazi Espionage, Love, and Betrayal

By: Ben MacIntyre

Narrated by: John Lee

Length: 10 hrs and 53 mins

Publisher's summary

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. Inside the traitor was a man of loyalty; inside the villain was a hero. The problem for Chapman, his spymasters, and his lovers was to know where one persona ended and the other began.

In 1941, after training as a German spy in occupied France, Chapman was orders orders from the Abwehr to blow up an airplane factory in Britain. Instead, he contacted MI5, the British Secret Service. For the next four years, Chapman worked as a double agent, a lone British spy at the heart of the German Secret Service.

Crisscrossing Europe under different names, all the while 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.

The Nazis feted Chapman as a hero and awarded him the Iron Cross. In Britain, he was pardoned for his crimes, becoming the only wartime agent to be thus rewarded.

Sixty years after the end of the war, and 10 years after Chapman’s death, MI5 has now declassified all of Chapman’s files, releasing more than 1,800 pages of top secret material and allowing the full story of Agent Zigzag to be told for the first time.

©2007 Ben MacIntyre (P)2007 Books on Tape

Critic reviews

"[An] intriguing and balanced biography." (Publishers Weekly)

“Macintyre is the more graceful writer; Agent Zigzag has a clarity and shape that make it the more fluid account...I would give a personal nod to Macintyre’s as the better book...A review cannot possibly convey the sheer fun of this story...or the fascinating moral complexities.” (New York Times Book Review)

“[Agent Zigzag’s] incredible wartime adventures, recounted in Ben Macintyre’s rollicking, spellbinding Agent Zigzag blend the spy-versus-spy machinations of John le Carré with the high farce of Evelyn Waugh.” (The New York Times)

Excellent

A riveting true tale. One the most fascinating bios I have ever heard.

This would not

Be believable if it were not a true story. Way better than a lot of fiction - definitely in this years top 10!

conflicting

Great narrator and performance. throughout the book I was struggling to hate Eddie, he is very difficult to dislike even at the start when you actually don't know he will go on to do.
Wonderful suspension.

WWII spy story that is stranger than fiction

An amazing story that is full of memorable and admirable characters. It's not an action-packed thriller but is compelling in its own way. Anyone who knows the history of WWII and enjoys the stories of real-life conmen should enjoy the book. John Lee is a wonderful narrator.

stranger (and more wonderful) Than Fiction

Ahem, the world will never produce another spy like Eddie Chapman. I loved this book!

Great real life espionage

A fascinating true account of a British double agent during World War II. About as close to a real life James Bond as you can get, and possibly inspirational as Ian Fleming was friends with Zigzag before he began writing the 007 series. The availability of the MI5 files results in a great mix of criminal escapades, spy adventures, and personality insights.

Un-freakin'-believable!

This guy's real life experiences during world war II make the James Bond movies seem like a Sunday picnic. My wife and I loved every minute of this. The reader brings the text to life with carefully crafting characters that never get confusing or tritely overperformed.

Very Informative …

it’s a good listen with plenty of excitement.

However, it’s a good sequel to Double Cross Therefore the book should be read AFTER Reading that book. because it gives some of the details away from that story.

Incredible Storyteller Relating a Fascinating Story

I read a review of Agent Zigzag before I read it that described it as possibly the best book ever written. While that claim seems outrageous, I cannot disagree.

A Great Read

The saying "Truth is stranger than fiction" fits this story perfectly. Well written and narrated. A must read for the espionage fan.