Agent Zigzag, by Ben Macintyre - a review

Agent Zigzag is one of those true stories that, if it were presented as fiction, would be unbelievable. It tells the story of Eddie Chapman, unrepentant crook and successful double agent, whose actions saved the lives of thousands during World War Two. One of the psychological attractions of war is that while it brings out the worst in some people, it can also bring out the best in others. Eddie Chapman is a prime example.

Chapman's pre-war life is colourful enough for a book by itself. Cashiered out of the army for going absent without leave, he headed for the bright lights of London and its entertaining and enticing criminal underworld. His exploits gradually grew in daring and ambition, and he became an expert in the use of gelignite to open safes, all the while avoiding the use of violence. “I don't go along with the use of violence,” he would say many years later. “I always made more than a good living out of crime without it.”

And a very good living it was. Spending money as fast as he could steal it, Chapman rubbed shoulders with the likes of Noel Coward, Ivor Novello and film maker Terence Young, who would, appropriately, go on to direct Dr No, the first James Bond movie. It was Young who once predicted of Chapman that he would do his duty, while merrily picking your pocket.

Of course his luck had to run out some time, and in 1939 he found himself imprisoned on the island of Jersey. He was still there when the Germans occupied the island. A born survivor, he offered to work for them and, to his surprise, the offer was eventually taken up.

The book focuses on Chapman and the people he met during his unlikely adventures. Chapman's German handlers are surprisingly sympathetic, an illustration, if one were needed, that nothing is ever clear cut in wartime. Good people can do bad things. In Chapman's case, the opposite was true.

Parachuted into England in 1942 with instructions to blow up a factory manufacturing the Mosquito bomber, Chapman promptly handed himself in. He then found himself in the employ of MI5, sending back false information to his Abwehr (German intelligence) handlers.

Agent Zigzag is an absorbing read, offering fascinating insights into the workings of both British and German secret services, and the often eccentric characters who worked for them. I particularly enjoyed the descriptions of Chapman's meeting with Victor, Lord Rothschild, who was head of MI5's explosives and sabotage section. The crook and the peer got on famously, united by their shared love of blowing things up.

Chapman's return to occupied Europe saw him end up in Norway, under the watchful eye of the Abwehr. Cool under pressure and a born liar, Chapman's cover story held. He was sent back to Britain to report on the effects of Hitler's new terror weapons, the V1 and V2 rockets. His creative reports meant that many of these weapons fell short, saving many lives.

Agent Zigzag moves along at a fast pace like all good thrillers. The writing is fluid and involving and often very witty. What is particularly fascinating, and where it works best, is as a character study, following a man those thirst for adventure and danger in troubled times helped reveal a hero.

The LA Times reported in May 2010 that the director Mike Newell (Donnie Brasco, Four Weddings and a Funeral) has been signed to develop the film version of Agent Zigzag. Great if it happens!