Double Cross
The True Story of the D-Day Spies
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Double Cross
Narrated by:
John Lee
Buy Now for $23.31
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Narrated by:
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John Lee
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Written by:
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Ben Macintyre
About this listen
“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.
What the critics say
“Macintyre is a master storyteller. Employing a wry wit and a keen eye for detail, he delivers an ultimately winning tale fraught with European intrigue and subtle wartime heroics.”—San Francisco Chronicle
“It is the riveting tales of these agents on which Ben Macintyre focuses, to full advantage, in Double Cross. . . . Macintyre makes good use of the material. He knows how to let the high drama unfold on its own.”—The Wall Street Journal
“Gripping stories from the perspective of a remarkable ragtag group of spies who tricked the Nazis in an astounding D-Day deception. Puts other spy tales to shame.”—People
“Macintyre at once exalts and subverts the myths of spycraft and has a keen eye for absurdity.”—The New Yorker
“Ben Macintyre is the leading practitioner of oddball-powered history. A connoisseur and celebrant of eccentricity, he specializes in often hilarious, sometimes tragic, but always fizzily exhilarating tales of madcap exploits and bizarre adventures . . . A gem.”—The New York Times
“It should be said loud and clear that Macintyre is a supremely gifted storyteller. He spins quite a yarn. His books are absurdly entertaining. I would kill for his keen wit. He takes us into a world of bounders, spivs, roués, and men (and women) on the make. . . . Double Cross is a blast.”—The Boston Globe
“Ben Macintyre’s factual account is more gripping than what you will find anywhere else. It is a story unsurpassed in the long history of intelligence.”—The Washington Times
“A wonderfully entertaining story of deception and trickery that is told with verve and wit.”—Christian Science Monitor
“Macintyre revels in the surreal aspects of his story, writing with a breezy, almost tongue-in-cheek style. But the author is also adept at communicating the seriousness and the stakes of the underlying game. . . . Nail-biting and chuckle-inducing reading.”—Columbus Dispatch
“Another captivating, improbably fresh story of World War II. . . . Double Cross is ennobling, invigorating and, above all, entertaining. Macintyre’s research is impressive, as is his ability to shape disparate facts into a breathless page-turner. . . . Throw in nail-biting suspense and the occasional decadent Nazi (fickle mistress optional) and, with Macintyre in charge, you’re virtually guaranteed a history book that reads like a spy novel.”—Richmond Times-Dispatch
“A tale of smarts, personal courage and—even knowing what happened on June 6, 1944—suspense. Where would we be if these troubled, eccentric, and hang-it-all characters hadn’t known how to lie, and lie well?”—The Seattle Times
“It is the riveting tales of these agents on which Ben Macintyre focuses, to full advantage, in Double Cross. . . . Macintyre makes good use of the material. He knows how to let the high drama unfold on its own.”—The Wall Street Journal
“Gripping stories from the perspective of a remarkable ragtag group of spies who tricked the Nazis in an astounding D-Day deception. Puts other spy tales to shame.”—People
“Macintyre at once exalts and subverts the myths of spycraft and has a keen eye for absurdity.”—The New Yorker
“Ben Macintyre is the leading practitioner of oddball-powered history. A connoisseur and celebrant of eccentricity, he specializes in often hilarious, sometimes tragic, but always fizzily exhilarating tales of madcap exploits and bizarre adventures . . . A gem.”—The New York Times
“It should be said loud and clear that Macintyre is a supremely gifted storyteller. He spins quite a yarn. His books are absurdly entertaining. I would kill for his keen wit. He takes us into a world of bounders, spivs, roués, and men (and women) on the make. . . . Double Cross is a blast.”—The Boston Globe
“Ben Macintyre’s factual account is more gripping than what you will find anywhere else. It is a story unsurpassed in the long history of intelligence.”—The Washington Times
“A wonderfully entertaining story of deception and trickery that is told with verve and wit.”—Christian Science Monitor
“Macintyre revels in the surreal aspects of his story, writing with a breezy, almost tongue-in-cheek style. But the author is also adept at communicating the seriousness and the stakes of the underlying game. . . . Nail-biting and chuckle-inducing reading.”—Columbus Dispatch
“Another captivating, improbably fresh story of World War II. . . . Double Cross is ennobling, invigorating and, above all, entertaining. Macintyre’s research is impressive, as is his ability to shape disparate facts into a breathless page-turner. . . . Throw in nail-biting suspense and the occasional decadent Nazi (fickle mistress optional) and, with Macintyre in charge, you’re virtually guaranteed a history book that reads like a spy novel.”—Richmond Times-Dispatch
“A tale of smarts, personal courage and—even knowing what happened on June 6, 1944—suspense. Where would we be if these troubled, eccentric, and hang-it-all characters hadn’t known how to lie, and lie well?”—The Seattle Times
John Lee is an engaging reader. He makes what could have been a dry topic, a difficult listen to put on pause.
An amazing story
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GREAT book
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Ben at his very best
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Great historical account of most important spies.
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Very good
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