Operation Mincemeat: The True Spy Story that Changed the Course of World War II

We all know the story of 'The Man Who Never Was' - an imaginative ploy to trick the Germans late in WWII.

'Operation Mincemeat' is to 'The Man Who Never Was' in the same wau that the musical 'Wicked' is to 'The Wizard Of Oz'. I thought I knew the story of the deception, but as it turned out, I didn't know jack.

'The Man Who Never Was' was written in post-War Britain with too many secrets needing to remain secret. It edits much of the truth and recasts far too many characters. The subsequent film does what films do and rewrites the story for a Hollywood mindset.

'Operation Mincemeat' is a comprehensive telling of the story. That means it may be a little longer than it otherwise needs to be, but at the end, every imaginable question you have will have been addressed, crossreferenced and reiterated.

This book reads like a far-fetched, 'Boys Own' war-novel and keeps you interested from start to finish. It is well researched, well written and adopts a great pace. Each extraordinary character is introduced with their background, reputation and contribution clearly described and incorporated into the fascinating story of Operation Mincemeat. The historical importance of this operation is undeniable and this book brings the story to the reader/listener with an honest documenting of the combination of skill, legerdemain, nerve and blind luck that led to its success. If you like mystery novels, historical documentaries or action & adventure books, then this is a combination of all three and you should really enjoy it. Well done to the author for a widely researched, well written and exciting book. It is a high-quality production with excellent narration.

After being recommended to me this has been one of the most enjoyable audiobooks i have purchased. The story is great and the narrator really brings the characters to life.

I bought this book as it looked interesting, and while it would be wrong to say that it wasn't, I have to own that I found it irritating.

I found it unsatisfactory, possibly because of the way that it was read - in the style of a swashbuckling spy novel of the 1940s - though that is I suppose what it is, as well as being a true story. There is no humour in the book at all and it's quite involved - not necessarily because it helps the plot along, but almost to prove how thorough was the author's research. I never escaped from real life into it and didn't engage with the characters at all. I listened to the end in the hope that it would get better. It didn't!

I don't totally regret getting it as I learned a lot - but would hesitate before choosing another book by this author.

I have always been interested in history, especially the second world war and with new and interesting facts coming to light every year it is great to hear of things we might never have imagined...This is one such story it is a compelling, interesting and fact based review of an amazing plot to foil Hitler and it worked.

From start to finish I enjoyed every minute. the story, the people in it, and the best of it is, it's all true a great listen.

Famous as one of the great deception exercises of the Second World War, this is a gripping and intriguing tale, well worth a listen. It's hard work at time, though, because of the production - narrator John Lee ploughs relentlessly on with no sense of narrative sequence and no breaks even for breath, and it's all just a little hurried. (I'd give it four stars but for this minor irritation.) Keep your finger on the 'pause' button and you'll be ok, though.

A very interesting book for those who are into this kind of thing!
Massively detailed, you have to concentrate to avoid missing vital information.
The narrator has an easy to listen to voice.
All in all very good & highly recomended for WW2 buffs.

This is a truely fascinating updated account of 'The man who never was'. It is a much richer and stranger story with all the Hollywood glitz removed. The narritive gives detailed information on the backgrounds of the characters involved on both sides. Althought this gives the initial appearence of wandering from the story, ultimately it enriches the characters and explains why indivduals reacted as they did. This is important as there were some pretty strange decisions made on both sides. That the deception worked is well recorded historical
fact.How and why this worked is somewhat more open to interpretation. The previous reviewer did not like the boys own style but then I think this is very much a boys story. There is humour in the story but it is very dry and probably once again boy humour. The narrator is very good with a classic Herr Flick accent when reading the German accounts.Recommended but you'll have to pay attention.

Just fantastic, listened to the book in one sitting and was fascinated. If you like it, buy Agent Zigzag as well