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)

When is the BBC going to do a Mini Series?

What made the experience of listening to Double Cross the most enjoyable?

You cannot make the characters in this book up. Well written, well read, and such an outrageous collection of characters, real people, eccentric people, brave men and women who played an important part in collecting and sending miss-information during WWII. I seriously wonder why this hasn't already been made into a mini-series.

The complete spy guide

The complete guide and story of British espionage in WW II. Including the Normandy Invasion.

Another Ben Macintyre Triumph

The Story of Double Cross unfolds in incredible detail, bringing to life the spies that helped defeat Germany by ensuring the success of the invasion of Normandy. It is thrilling from start to finish.

Great book marred by awful narration.

It is difficult to focus on the excellent content when it is read by a narrator who plows right through paragraphs without pause and adopts parody accents for the characters. I wanted a book, not a bad performance. What a shame.

Double Cross review

It was a very engrossing account of D day spies and their activities. Very enjoyable.

Great book

Enjoyed the narration, especially as he puts on every American voice with his imitation of john Wayne!

156,000 men, 4 spies, and one dog.

What made the experience of listening to Double Cross the most enjoyable?

Most folks know the story or the D-day invasion. Probably all but the most studious of us have never heard of the back room intelligence that went into confounding Germany on that
longest of days.

Ben Macintyre's account is fantastic of the events leading up to, during and after the
invasion from small houses in England to MI-5 headquarters. I enjoyed this as much
as I did Operation Mincemeat, another one of Macintyre's books

What other book might you compare Double Cross to and why?

Operation Mincemeat.

What three words best describe John Lee’s performance?

I do enjoyed that it was read by a "reader" with an english accent.
Though it did have some draw backs.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

There was the part at the end of the book where one of the control agents continues
to look for one of the spies long after the war.

Any additional comments?

I really wish that John Lee had just read the book and not tried to improvise
the "voices". Every American sounded like they were from Texas, the Russian accents
sound German sometimes and Polish at other times. Polish accents were a mis-mash.

Stunning recount of some amazing people

Absolutely loved this book and learned a lot about some very talented and daring people. what they did made a HUGE difference to Allied Forces in World War II. I'm humbled by what they accomplished for us all.

Yet another Macintyre hit

I have read or listened to most of his books, so by now there's not many surprises Ben Macintyre has for me. Double Cross is typically entertaining, detailed and in injected with humor. What does consistently surprise me, is his remarkable ability to deliver tension and suspense over an event everyone already knows the outcome. It builds much slower in this book than some of the others, there is a long, long, long period of setup before the pace and tension accelerate through the climactic pre-invasion period.

In addition, the details behind British Intelligence's spectacular success are astonishing and detailed. If you like Macintyre, or have an interest in intelligence operations before they became the industrialized, personality-less institutions of the Cold War and beyond, you will love this book.

Finally, is there any way to get John Lee to narrate every book at audible? The performance is perfect - never getting in the way, never adding too much - a great match for this book

Amazing story!

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

One of my favorite audio books

What did you like best about this story?

The story was fascinating and when one thinks about the implications it is incredible to realize that wining the war balanced on the performance of these unlikely characters

What about John Lee’s performance did you like?

He was able to keep the interchange of different characters fresh and interesting

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The heroism of one of the main characters at the very end of the book - one who no one thought would be able to persevere under dire circumstances

Any additional comments?

Wonderful, complicated story that has been forgotten in secrecy for 60 years