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A review by areader09
Double Cross: The True Story of the D-Day Spies by Ben Macintyre
4.0
I continue to enjoy Macintyre's writing. I read Double Cross shortly after Operation Mincemeat. Reading them close together was worth it, as several people appear as important figures in both. In Double Cross, Macintyre skillfully weaves together a the tale of this very complex and multilayered deception. I particularly enjoyed how the book explains how the plan was slowly built up, extended, and expanded over time. It's a fascinating read about a tremendously important operation with a host of interesting characters.
One thing that stuck out to me was that the male double agents seemed to be much more generously compensated than the women's. The men's lifestyles of gambling, drinking, and debauchery were bankrolled to a wild extent, though not without eye rolling and annoyed comments. It seemed that the women agents existed on a much tighter leash- some funding to allow them to live among the "smart set" but nothing like the men received. And even then it seems rather reasonable requests for support by women were turned down, while the men had much easier access to money. This discrepancy isn't something Macintyre explores in the book, and I wouldn't expect him to as it is not the focus of book. It's simply something I noticed.
All in all, another very enjoyable book by Macintyre!
One thing that stuck out to me was that the male double agents seemed to be much more generously compensated than the women's. The men's lifestyles of gambling, drinking, and debauchery were bankrolled to a wild extent, though not without eye rolling and annoyed comments. It seemed that the women agents existed on a much tighter leash- some funding to allow them to live among the "smart set" but nothing like the men received. And even then it seems rather reasonable requests for support by women were turned down, while the men had much easier access to money. This discrepancy isn't something Macintyre explores in the book, and I wouldn't expect him to as it is not the focus of book. It's simply something I noticed.
All in all, another very enjoyable book by Macintyre!