Another brilliant espionage book by Ben Macintyre. As with all his books, it's not just the twists and turns of the plot (which are dizzying), but also the carefully rendered portraits of all those who played a part, large or small. You really get immersed in the time, place, events, and as always with spy stories (real life spy stories!), an amazing cast of characters. ( )

A really absorbing and interesting read. This book tells the story of an ultimately successful attempt by the British to deceive the Nazis about their plans to invade in Southern Europe. Such an attempt is bound to be complex, involving political acumen, spying know-how, involvement of those in high places and yet secrecy at every level. Ben Macintyre handles his material and the wealth of characters skillfully, and turns out a rollicking tale. Yet he does not ignore the pathos surrounding the life of the almost unknown Welshman who is at the centre of this story: you'll have to read the book to find out what I mean, and I thoroughly recommend that you do so. ( )

Worthy and thorough account of the famous World War 2 hoax created by the British secret services to deceive the Germans as to the planned location of their invasion. That ploy, and the quirkiness of its plotters, are now being celebrated on stage in the West End in an energetic and entertaining musical. This calm telling doesn’t quite have the same brio, and indeed one assumes that the memoir, bending the rules of confidentiality, put out by Ewen Montagu, one of the scheme’s actual authors himself, makes for a racier story. That 1950s version with the memorable title “The Man Who Never Was” has never gone out of print, so Macintyre tells us. The book here, it seems, is more evidence-based on the details, of which it has many, and which remain interesting, even if the range and scale of them dilute a little the “gripping” nature of the tale. ( )

I do not like spy fiction, but this was spy fact and very entertaining. Any book you can read about Nazi's being fooled and beaten is bound to be satisfying and this was no exception. ( )

Good factual history. Ben Macintyre always informs and entertains. ( )