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A review by tyelperinquar
Double Cross: The True Story of the D-Day Spies by Ben Macintyre
adventurous
informative
tense
medium-paced
3.75
I saw someone on Goodreads comment that this is Macintyre’s weakest book because of the vast amount of characters it attempts to cover. I find myself agreeing with that thought—there are so many people to keep track of, and I sometimes forgot who was who over the course of the book. (Although I usually remembered after a while.) Nonetheless, this was an enjoyable read as always from Macintyre, engaging and informative. (And John Lee’s narration is once again superb.) It starts off a bit slow, detailing the background of each member of Double Cross and how they joined the crew, but picks up once the deception operations begin.
Concerning the large cast of characters, I wonder if it would have helped to have limited the book to one spy, or if there would be some other way to help clarify the story a bit better. Who knows? Either way, it wasn’t a huge issue. I wouldn’t let it dissuade you from picking up the book and having a good read.
Concerning the large cast of characters, I wonder if it would have helped to have limited the book to one spy, or if there would be some other way to help clarify the story a bit better. Who knows? Either way, it wasn’t a huge issue. I wouldn’t let it dissuade you from picking up the book and having a good read.
Content Warnings
The book deals with WWII espionage, so naturally you’ll encounter real-life Nazis mentioned. Additionally, one spy is interrogated by the Nazis and taken to a concentration camp , and while there is an unpleasant mention of fingernails being ripped off and a detailing of how his physical appearance declined , neither of these scenarios are particularly graphic.