Agent Zigzag
Eddie Chapman — safecracker, womaniser, and double agent — fakes sabotage for the Germans while working for MI5.
The Verdict
The Double Cross system through its most entertaining rogue. Ben Macintyre tells the true story of Eddie Chapman — safecracker, womaniser, and thief — who, recruited as a German spy, promptly offered himself to MI5 and spent the war double-crossing the Abwehr so convincingly that they awarded him the Iron Cross. Chapman is an irresistible subject: charming, amoral, brave, and unreliable, and Macintyre plays him for all his contradictions. A romp that doubles as a sharp lesson in how Britain ran its captured spies.
Who Should Read It
Read it if you want
- A true double-agent story with a roguish hero
- Readers who want espionage as entertainment
- How the Double Cross system worked in practice
- Macintyre's archival storytelling
Look elsewhere if you want
- Combat or campaign history
- A sober institutional study of intelligence
- Readers who want a conventional hero
Why We Rated It 4.5
Historical Context
Agent Zigzag recounts the true wartime career of Eddie Chapman, a British criminal recruited by German intelligence who became a double agent for MI5, feeding the Abwehr false information — to the point that the Germans decorated him. Published in 2007, it draws on declassified MI5 files.
Events Covered
Editions & Reading Notes
Read It Alongside
Collector's Corner
Where to Buy
ISBN: 978-0307353412
Read This Against
The same events seen from a different vantage point. The fullest understanding often lives in the space between accounts that don't agree.
Other Books About the Same Events
More by Ben Macintyre
Frequently Asked Questions
- Did a British double agent really win a German medal?
- Yes — Eddie Chapman so convinced the Abwehr of his loyalty that they awarded him the Iron Cross while he was working for MI5.
- How does it relate to Double Cross?
- Both cover Britain's system of turning German agents; Agent Zigzag focuses on one especially colourful double agent.