Agent Zigzag: A True Story of Nazi Espionage, Love, and Betrayal | Ben Macintyre

Agent Zigzag: A True Story of Nazi Espionage, Love, and Betrayal | Ben Macintyre | Read the book before the movie comes out. . . .

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Agent Zigzag: A Tr...

	Agent Zigzag: A True Story of Nazi Espionage, Love, and Betrayal Ben Macintyre Harmony, 2007 - 384 pages average customer review:based on 25 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Total satisfaction

What a pleasure to sit down with 'Agent Zigzag'. It makes you never want to pick up another spy novel in your life, so extraordinary and particular are the experiences of Zigzag, aka, Eddie Chapman. It's the little things that convince. Without giving anything away, who knew that the British Intelligence services wasted time looking for 'Bobby the Pig' when Bobby the pig was simply Chapman's pet pig mentioned when he was learning to send coded messages? Mcintyre's account occasionally slips towards mocking German Intelligence who certainly had their fair share of successes, but that takes little away from the sheer thrill of following Chapman back and forth between England, France and Germany. Certainly to this reader, it was an intriguing mixture of psychological study and page turning adventure.

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Read the book before the movie comes out. . . .

World War II spy story of double agent Eddie Chapman reads better than the best of John Le Carre's novels (see my reviews here)

The Spy Who Came In from the Cold
Honourable Schoolboy
Smiley's People
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy

all the more amazing because it is true. In fact, many of the characters and methods of the British spy agency MI5 described by Le Carre are instantly recognizable in their real-life counterparts here.

The book was made possible because of the opening of MI5 files, and has the advantage of verification by German communications unencrypted by the Enigma code-breaking team during the war that corroborate Chapman's turncoat confession and MI5's handling of him. Macinyre's brief and fascinating epilogue describes additional eyewitness accounts after early publication of the story in Britain and other venues before the American publication.

Perhaps most interesting is that Chapman through his life was and remained an unrepentant criminal. He lied and stole as a way of life, as a habit, and seemingly as a hobby, ideal preparation for his role as a double agent when he could steal and take pay from two employers. His incontinence carried over to his personal life, as he seemed equally devoted to the woman who was the mother of his child in England while at the same time living with and confiding his double-crossing secret to a Norwegian resistance fighter (kept in the pay of the German secret service until the end of the war!), and carrying a torch for the woman he left behind (literally) while running from the police before the war.

The reader waits in vain through the whole book for that turning point in his life when Eddie realizes the moral failure of his career and conscience and becomes a whole and better man. Surely such a hero in service to his country at its most pressing hour would become the pure knight we want him to be. He never did, living a long and financially rewarding life of crime after the war (relying more than once on his shadowy secret service references to keep him out of prison), always and unrepentantly Agent Zigzag.

Such a story begs to be told on film in Grand Hollywood style, a role that a younger George Clooney could have carried to perfection. And a quick google turns up a listing for the Agent Zigzag movie in production (by Tom Hanks) for a 2010 release--no word yet on the casting. In the meantime, we can hope that the six hours of documentary footage of an elderly and dieing (and still unrepentant) Eddie Chapman shown to Macintyre will be edited and released.

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Don't Buy A Used Car From This Man

Eric Chapman is a young career criminal. He's sitting in a jail in Jersey when the Nazis take over in World War II. Eric gets the Germans interested in his proposal to become a spy for them, and is whisked off to an Abwehr training camp in occupied France. The Germans question his loyalty to their cause, but after a long period of testing and interrogation they decide to trust him. What they don't know is that Mr. Chapman is a sociopath who is using them to keep out of jail. He is parachuted back into England where he immediately tells British intelligence that he has been sent over as a German spy. So now he becomes a double agent.

Eric is a charming fellow, and develops friendships in both countries' intelligence services. It never bothers him that he is betraying people. It also doesn't bother him that he is involved in serious romances with women in England and Norway. He manages to convince his German minders that he has blown up a British airplane factory, and then makes his way back to France where he joins his German friends and has a great time before being sent to Norway.

While in retrospect Mr. Chapman doesn't achieve an awful lot as a spy, he does enjoy his new life. The Germans are fond of him as are most of his British minders. He has a fiancé in England, but thinks nothing of carrying on another romance in Norway. He even engages in a few criminal activities while spying. When he finally is dismissed from the intelligence service he happily goes back to his life of crime. He found himself in court from time to time, but never was convicted of anything. As an honorary crime correspondent for the Sunday Telegraph he warned readers to steer clear of people like him.

You can read this book as history, but I think you will find it even more interesting as entertainment. In real life people warmed to this engaging crook, and you develop some affection for him while reading this book. Just don't buy a used car from him.

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Will have you riveted from beginning to end, very entertaining!

This is a fast paced, exciting story of spy craft and adventures by the most successful double agent of WWII, Eddie Chapman. Ben Macintyre working from recently declassified documents has structured a narrative that cries out mini-series or major motion picture. The amazing story begins with Chapman in jail leaving behind a trail of petty crimes and safe crackings and many jilted women only to be captured by the Germans to whom he volunteers. Instead the Germans have him and a friend shipped to a prison in France. And here in a twist of fate ends up being trained as a German spy who is eventually is awarded the Iron Cross for completing his missions successfully. The Germans never guess that while in England Chapman (Agent ZIGZAG to the British) turns double agent and is involved in many of the most top secret misinformation campaigns of the war. He is interrogated over and over by both the Germans and British and also has time to find women to befriend, and handlers to be loyal too. Chapman is ultimately pardoned by the British for his roll spying for the British. The narrative is a believe it or not true story that will have you riveted from beginning to end. This is simply the most entertaining book I have read in some time. If it were a novel you would never believe it. Why this has not found its way on to the best seller list is beyond me you should not miss Agent ZIGZAG.

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Impressive on all accounts

If you are an early baby-boomer, then you will perhaps have heard bits and pieces of Chapman's story over the past 30-40 years as rumors and occasional releases of previously classified MI5 materials came to light. Finally, it appears, the whole tale can be told and quite a story it is. With the opening of all the files, the tale of this extraordinary young man--successes and failings--comes to light. The author does good work, indeed. Worth the hardcover price.

reviews: 1, page 2, 3, 4, 5

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