In Double Cross; New York Times bestselling author Ben Macintyre returns with the untold story of one of the greatest deceptions of World War II; and of the extraordinary spies who achieved it.On June 6; 1944; 150;000 Allied troops landed on the beaches of Normandy and suffered an astonishingly low rate of casualties. D-Day was a stunning military accomplishment; but 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; deceived the Nazis into believing that the Allies would attack at 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 point 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. The D-Day spies were; without question; one of the oddest military units ever assembled; and their success depended on the delicate; dubious relationship between spy and spymaster; both German and British. Their enterprise was saved from catastrophe by a shadowy sixth spy whose heroic sacrifice is revealed here for the first time.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.
#317204 in Books Broadway Books 2012-04-24 2012-04-24Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 7.99 x .70 x 5.19l; .54 #File Name: 0307592219336 pages
Review
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. It's good; but not great.By A CustomerWhen I was reading this on my Kindle; my sense of pacing was thrown completely off; as a large percentage of the book is sources and references. So when the trial was over and we were wrapping up loose ends of prominent players; there was still a good 25% of the book left; and so I was waiting for... something. Only to turn the page and find that it was; in fact; over.I'm a huge fan of Erik Larsen; and so I was looking forward to getting into this book. I love to read historical non-fiction; and if it's about an event or person I've never even heard of; all the better. Mr. Collins did an alright job of interspersing some small historical tidbits of interest; but it's not as interesting as Erik Larsen; where with the latter; almost every page you're like "Oh wow; I didn't know that!" or "That's where that expression comes from!" etc. In "Murder of the Century"; the little bits of color that are added are pretty localized to the area and time; and they're not that interesting or mentioned in such a way; with enough context; to make them interesting.In any case though; it's an interesting read. As I mentioned above; because of the large chunk of references at the end of the book; I thought there was a lot more to the story than there was. In addition; the murder; the trial.. it's just really not that suspenseful. I expected a big twist or shocking moment. There was just nothing. I feel like I learned more about NYC in this time frame by my own wandering around wikipedia while I was reading this book.It's a good book; but only 'good.'1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. The Scattered Dutchman Case RememberedBy Rose KeefeThe murder of William Guldensuppe hasn't received the same level of recognition as other gruesome killings that took place during the closing years of the nineteenth century. But throughout the latter half of 1897; the people of New York talked about little else.On June 26th; 1897; some boys out to escape the summer heat found a strange object floating in the East River and retrieved it. It turned out to be a headless and limbless male torso wrapped in oilcloth. The repulsive discovery was initially passed off as a medical student prank; but the conclusion changed to murder after doctors said that the dismemberment lacked the skill of a medical professional. The announcement sparked public interest; but when the missing limbs were found in Harlem soon afterward; intrigue morphed into hysteria. Who was the victim? Where was his head? And who had killed him?Newspaper barons William Randolph Hearst and the aging Joseph Pulitzer turned the mysterious affair into a media circus; driving up the circulation of their respective papers as they competed to solve the case first. This was the era of the detective journalist; so reporters from both camps schemed; tricked; and stole in order to get names and locate evidence. They were so tenacious that the press arguably deserves the credit for identifying the victim as bathhouse masseur William Guldensuppe and his suspected killers as barber Martin Thorn and midwife Augusta Nack."Murder of the Century" reads more like a detective novel than a work of history; but the author is constantly faithful to the facts and has the endnotes to prove it.As the author of three historical True Crime books; I can tell you that his task wasn't an easy one: the `Case of the Scattered Dutchman' was not widely written about after the trial concluded; so the hunt for non-newspaper sources must have been taxing. His persistence uncovered a surprising amount of forgotten details; which he uses to present his own version of how William Guldensuppe was killed; and by whom.Paul Collins; who moonlights as the literary detective on the NPR show "Weekend Edition"; recreates the investigation; trial; and aftermath in a way that keeps the pages turning. This is not just the story of a love triangle that ended in bloodshed: Collins has evoked Gilded Age America and its merciless tabloid wars; the echoes of which can still be felt today.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. New York City and the yellow journalism of competing newspapersBy Linda LinguvicThis true story; set in New York City at the turn in 1898 captured my interest from the very beginning. I live here and have faint memories of the stories my parents and grandparents told me about how it was in those olden days. Life was challenging then but it sure was vibrant; with thousands of immigrants jockeying for a place in the American dream and mega moguls jockeying for position to get rich by selling newspapers.When pieces of a man's body wrapped in oilcloth were discovered in the river; the populace was intrigued and the flames of interest were fanned by the newspapers competing for the story. The head of the body was never found but the victim was eventually identified. He was supposedly murdered by his female lover and her boyfriend and the trial of the century caoytred the public interest; fanning the flames of curiosity at the circus-like atmosphere that surrounded the case.All the lurid details were there - the grotesque descriptions of the pieces of the body; the supposed love affair that caused the victim to be cut into pieces and the conflicting testimonies of the accused.This book is a fast read and the fact that it is based on a true trial made it all the more interesting. I loved it but do stop short of giving it my highest rating because after a while I found some of the details a bit tedious.
