Ultimately, this is the story of Operation Mincemeat, an effort to misdirect the Germans about the D-Day invasion. More-so, it is the story of the evolution and development of the English spy network from the first spy’s involvement through the operation and beyond the end of the war. The book includes information from interrogations after the war and follows up on the lives of the spies when the war ended and they returned to somewhat normal lives.
Information for the book includes data that was declassified not too long prior to the book’s writing, although it was implied that some related information was not declassified. This information was supplemented from written accounts by the spies and from what their relatives could supply. In some cases, information taken from the spies personal diaries was included, the author was good to note when this occurred allowing the reader to judge its value. The sources make some of the stories likely subject to embellishments, the author acknowledges this is a few points. Overall, I didn’t feel the way the stories were told gave much opportunity for embellishment or other deviations from the facts, although many of these facts are weak, themselves. The book did seem to make the German intelligence seem inadequate at best and largely incompetent.
The book maintains a very fast pace. Characters are introduced and events happen too quickly, I have difficulty keeping everything straight. The author could easily have added a lot of extra material, but it may have become several volumes rather than a single book.
If you have any interest in this portion of WWII history, this book is a good read.