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  • Agent Zigzag

  • The True Wartime Story of Eddie Chapman: Lover, Traitor, Hero, Spy
  • By: Ben Macintyre
  • Narrated by: Peter Wickham
  • Length: 11 hrs and 1 min
  • 4.7 out of 5 stars (79 ratings)

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Agent Zigzag cover art

Agent Zigzag

By: Ben Macintyre
Narrated by: Peter Wickham
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Publisher's Summary

Bloomsbury presents Agent Zigzag by Ben Macintyre, read by Peter Wickham.

One December night in 1942, a Nazi parachutist landed in a Cambridgeshire field. His mission: to sabotage the British war effort.

His name was Eddie Chapman, but he would shortly become MI5's Agent Zigzag. Dashing and suave, courageous and unpredictable, Chapman was by turns a traitor, a hero, a villain and a man of conscience. But, as his spymasters and many lovers often wondered, who was the real Eddie Chapman?

Ben Macintyre weaves together diaries, letters, photographs, memories and top-secret MI5 files to create an exhilarating account of Britain's most sensational double agent.

©2007 Ben Macintyre (P)2007 Soundings Audiobooks

Critic Reviews

"This is the most amazing book, full of fascinating and hair-raising true life adventures.... It would be impossible to recommend it too highly." (Mail on Sunday)

"Macintyre never misses a delightful, haunting or terrifying detail.... Buy it for dads everywhere but read it, too." (Observer)

"Never short on thrills." (Independent on Sunday)

What listeners say about Agent Zigzag

Average Customer Ratings
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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Fascinating

A terrific yarn that wouldn’t be believed if it were not true. The narrator was good and I enjoyed it though the story moved along too slowly at times.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Absolutely fantastic!

I have been reading and listening to Ben Macintyre’s books for a while now. Possibly this is one of his best. What an amazing character was and, it all ended happily! Brilliant narration. Highly recommended.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Loved it!

I thoroughly enjoyed being on Eddie’s journey, sharing his adventures, this is a superb read, can’t wait to read another book by this author

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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  • Sas
  • 13-02-2024

Great story

Thoroughly enjoyed this, nearly unbelievable, story. The narrator was a delight to listen to. Easy to follow.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Amazing story of wartime deception

We often hear of the achievements of wartime spies. This book recounts the story of one of those spies, exploring the details of his history, motivations and his efforts along with those of his handlers to achieve deception and double-cross. Fascinating to explore the level of detail needed to pull off a deception, and how several of those involved later figured in writing and other public life.

Also worth listening to Operation Mincemeat by the same author, which I found a little stronger story but only covered one significant operation in wartime history.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Intriguing and complicated

Zigzagging is not a simple exercise. Not easy to keep track of all the key players on both sides of the war. Insights into Chapman’s personality were helpful and might explain his criminal behaviour.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Amazing story well presented

I really enjoyed this one. An amazing story really well read. I would highly recommend this book to anyone

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Truth is better than fiction

Incredible true story of WW2 spy Eddie Chapman.
If only the jeopardy he found himself in could be somehow translated into this book. Captivating.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Another brilliant true spy classic...

If you enjoyed Operation Mincemeat (book or movie), The Spy and the Traitor or other Macintyre classic, you will not be disappointed - and you will not be able to put this book down either!! Well written, well read - and what a story - and its true!!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Fantastically brilliant

Very entertaining and amazing tale of a person who clearly used his guile to survive and make the most of extraordinary circumstances.

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