Double Cross

The True Story of the D-Day Spies

By: Ben Macintyre

Narrated by: John Lee

Length: 12 hrs and 39 mins

Publisher's summary

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The “superb [and] intensely readable” (The Washington Post) untold story of one of the greatest deceptions of World War II and the extraordinary spies who achieved it—from the bestselling author of Prisoners of the Castle

“Not since Ian Fleming and John le Carré has a spy writer so captivated readers.”—The Hollywood Reporter

On June 6, 1944, 150,000 Allied troops landed on the beaches of Normandy and suffered an astonishingly low rate of casualties. A stunning military achievement, it was also a masterpiece of trickery. Operation Fortitude, which protected and enabled the invasion, and the Double Cross system, which specialized in turning German spies into double agents, tricked the Nazis into believing that the Allied attacks would come in Calais and Norway rather than Normandy. It was the most sophisticated and successful deception operation ever carried out, ensuring Allied victory at the most pivotal moment in the war.

This epic event has never before been told from the perspective of the key individuals in the Double Cross system, until now. These include its director (a brilliant, urbane intelligence officer), a colorful assortment of MI5 handlers (as well as their counterparts in Nazi intelligence), and the five spies who formed Double Cross’s nucleus: a dashing Serbian playboy, a Polish fighter-pilot, a bisexual Peruvian party girl, a deeply eccentric Spaniard, and a volatile Frenchwoman. Together they made up one of the oddest and most brilliant military units ever assembled.

With the same depth of research, eye for the absurd, and masterful storytelling that have made Ben Macintyre an international bestseller, Double Cross is a captivating narrative of the spies who wove a web so intricate it ensnared Hitler’s army and carried thousands of D-Day troops across the Channel in safety.

©2012 Random House Audio (P)2012 Agentstvo Publishing

Critic reviews

2013, Edgar Award, Short-listed

"Ben Macintyre and I work in the same period, and I should be reading him because he is such a scrupulous and insightful writer - a master historian. But, with Double Cross and his other excellent works, I always wind up reading him for pleasure. Double Cross may be his best yet, falling somewhere between top-class entertainment and pure addiction." (Alan Furst, author of A Mission to Paris)

"Ben Macintyre's spellbinding account features an improbable cast of characters who pulled off a counter-intelligence feat that was breathtaking in its audacity. Their deceptions within deceptions - known as the Double Cross - were critical to the success of the D-Day invasion, and continued to mislead the Germans long after Allied troops landed on the beaches of Normandy. A truly bravura performance, as is Macintyre's fast-paced tale." (Andrew Nagorski, author of Hitlerland: American Eyewitnesses to the Nazi Rise to Power)

Another great book from Ben Macinyre!

Another great book by Ben Macintyre and excellent performance by John Lee. These two are a great combo. I’m a huge history buff and you just keep feeding my habit. Loved it, sorry it’s over!

A succinct telling of the great game.

Unlike the authors excellent books dealing with a single person there are so many characters in this story that you really need to keep flipping back to check who is what. Hence the 3 star for story I think this is a book for reading more than listening. That is if you want to get the full details.

Fascinating

Really astonishing story and narrated superbly, as always, by Jon Lee. Agreat read/listen - highly recommended.

Amazing book the narrator’s many annoying accents

This book was incredible; however, the narration was frustrating. The reader has a good voice, good annunciation, and good rhythm, but the accents he tries to do are terrible and inaccurate. Even worse, he tries to do these accents all the time, even when not directly quoting a person. It sounds so silly that it’s very distracting. It’s a shame because if he just wouldn’t try to do these ridiculous accents, he would be great. Ultimately, the book is good enough to overlook this.

And excellent story with an excellent narrator

Transfer

I’ve long believed one does not truly know history unless they are aware of the behind the scene machinations of governments and their intelligence services. In this book Ben Macintyre tells the story of the five spies who formed Double Cross's nucleus. They were, to say the least, a colorful group. This is the third book I have read by Ben Macintyre and like the other two I have read is excellent. One thing I especially appreciate is that Macintyre gives short biographies of these spies following WWII. If you like history and especially the history of WWII and espionage I believe that you will agree with me that this is an excellent book. I am glad that I did not listen to the one and two star reviews of this book which confirm my experience that so often these reviews are more a reflection of the reviewer than the item reviewed.

A tale of liars, thieves, corruption and heroes.

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

If you want to get an in-depth glimpse into the world of spies, this book is an excellent read. This book shows just how flawed and unique the people of espionage operations can be. Some are adventurers, gamblers, idealists and fantasists and each one had a fascinating role to play in deceiving the Nazi war machine.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Popov and Garbo both have such incredible tales that it boggles the mind.

What does John Lee bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

The excellent use of multiple accents and the impeccable pronunciation of the various names, places and phrases used by five nationalities.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Very much so! It grabs you and does not let go!

Disappointing following Macintyre's Previous Works

Agent Zigzag was centered around a single character, and was excellent. Operation Mincemeat was written around a relatively small operation, and I enjoyed it as well. Double Cross attempts to use the similar character-based (fiction-like) writing style, but becomes lost in (what feels like) hundreds of characters throught Europe who are somehow associated with the massive D-Day invasion. "Page after page" seemed to revolve around minute details about individuals- what secretaries looked like, their interests, their demeanor, etc. Just as I began to form a picture of a person, it felt as if we moved on to someone else. In many cases, I feel like I learned details about random people who never were mentioned again.

Narration was pretty good, although I agree with others who suggest that Russian & German "accents" were overdone.

Sometimes reality is stranger than fiction...

Where does Double Cross rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This book has both fascinating history and a gripping story, leading to a rare combination of education and entertainment. Highly recommended. Good narration.

Double Cross

This is one of the finest spy books of WW2. It is quite comprehensive, covering key spies aiding the allies up to D-Day and the aftermath of the Normandy invasion. Especially it covers the deceptions of double agents w.orking for the allies in misdirection the German resources away from Normandy allowing allied forces to gaiin the beach head there, thereby ultimately winning the war. Wonderful book.

Great book

Riveting story that should be more widely known. Narrator is perfect. Highly recommend this to anyone interested in espionage, WWII, or pigeons.