Hitler's Spy

by James Hayward

Originally published as Double Agent Snow, Hitler's Spyis the paperback edition, which tells of how on the eve of the outbreak of the Second World War the double-agent Arthur Owens, codenamed SNOW, is summoned to Berlin and appointed Hitler's chief spy in Britain. Days later he finds himself in Wandsworth prison, betrayed by the wife he traded for a younger model, and forced to transmit false wireless messages for MI5 to earn his freedom - and avoid the hangman's noose. A vain and devious anti-hero with no moral compass, Owen's motives were status, money and women.He mixed fact with fiction constantly, and at times insisted that he was a true patriot, undertaking hazardous secret missions for his mother country; at other times, Owens saw himself as a daring rogue agent, outwitting British Intelligence and loyal only to the Fatherland. Yet in 1944, as Allied troops stormed the beaches of Normandy on D-Day, Hitler was caught unawares, tricked into expecting the invasion across the Pas de Calais in a strategic deception played out by Owens and the double-cross agents of MI5. For all his flaws, Agent Snow became the traitor who saved his country.Based on recently de-classified MI5 files and previously unpublished sources, Hitler's Spyis the story of a secret Battle of Britain, fought by Snow and his opposing spymasters, Thomas 'Tar' Robertson of MI5 and Nikolaus Ritter of the Abwehr, as well as the tragic love triangle between Owens, his wife Irene, and his mistress Lily Funnell. The evocative, fast-paced narrative moves from seedy south London pubs to North Sea trawlers, from chic Baltic spa resorts to Dartmoor gaol, populated by a colourful rogue's gallery of double-cross agents.

Genres: History, World War II, Espionage, Biography

320 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 2012

Reviews

[Richard Whittle · Rating 2 out of 5]

A lot of time and effort must have been spent researching and writing this book. Unfortunately I found some aspects of the writer's style irritating, especially the unnecessary peppering of the text with 'Humdinger', Absolute Jake', 'Squeezable mustard', 'Right hot' etc. How many times did these expressions occur? Dozens. If the protagonist actually used them, he must have annoyed those around him as much as their repeated use in the book annoyed me - perhaps not the best way to enthral the reader. They detracted from the story so much that I couldn't continue reading.

[David Charnick · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can understand why some people didn't rate this book highly: there are a number of one- and two-star ratings. Hayward is aiming at two goals - to produce an engaging adventure story and to evoke a crucial moment in the development of our wartime intelligence. At first I thought I'd find the continual insertions of catchprhases irritating, phrases such as humdinger and 'kein glas bier'. But soon I found the style very engaging, and from my rating you'll see I enjoyed reading this as a story and as history.

First of all, I think this is a very good read. It's well paced, brings across the tension and adventure of espionage, and draws the characters vivdly. The use of dialogue and description bring scenes very much to life. Also it cross-references details nicely, so that you don't get lost, but in a way that maintains the pace of the narrative. As such, it becomes compelling, and I've had to force myself to leave it to get to bed, it's that absorbing.

Having said that, it's more than just an adventure story. It's well backed up with detail from primary and secondary sources. I did wonder about the lack of footnotes, but in the bibliography you find a URL which takes you to extensive footnotes. In this way there is back-up, but not in a way that would compromise the narrative flow. So there's a solid apparatus supporting this evocation of the risks and uncertainties facing British Intelligence as we approached and then embraced the Second World War.

Talking of which, the actual story that unfolds is strange and enlightening. I suppose it's natural that we think in terms of things working to some kind of routine, managed by overseeing bodies. But in the build-up to the War, everyone was feeling their way and trying to get the edge over the perceived enemy. And thus the first forays into wartime intelligence were tentative, exploratory and thus uncertain. This was most especially true about the Double Cross system of turning, or suborning, enemy agents. Hayward brings out all the costly lessons learned by MI5 in particular that were expensive, but useful if viewed as experiments.

This book is thus an easy and compelling read in itself, but also it has great significance for anyone interested in getting a taste of the nature of intelligence. It evokes the guesswork involved, however educated and inspired those guesses might be, in terms of the often unreliable human factor. It's well worth your time as an adventure story and an educational experience.

[Gerry · Rating 2 out of 5]

It must be extremely difficult being a double agent, I feel sure I could not possibly do it because just reading this book I kept wondering what the heck was going on and who was Owens reporting to and on what. He must have been a good con man because much of the information he passed on, particularly to the gestapo, was mundane to say the least, weather reports and items that were in the newspapers ... and he got paid for it. And by both sides. How he did it I know not. Yes, he was often in financial difficulties but somehow he managed to wheedle money out of one side or the other. And this while all the time the authorities of both sides had their doubts about him.

I was really looking forward to reading this book, thinking that I would learn much about the spying game and see how double agents actually worked. Sadly this was not the case for, in the main, the writing was dull - made even duller by all the catch phrases the author continually wound into the text - and Arthur Owens, agent Snow, was even duller. How any organisation employed him to do anything worthwhile I know not.

How his wife and family fitted into all this is also something of a mystery and altogether it was so difficult to work it all out, I skimmed the last third of the book and did not feel that I had missed anything. Just because there was a (very) little bit of something useful on the spying game interspersed with all the claptrap, it escaped being confined to the one-star category for me.

[Kelley · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was quite disappointing, which explains in part, why it took 2 months to read. It recounts the true story of a double agent (Arthur Snow) during World War 2 who spied for the Germans and the British, or was it the British and the Germans, and who was touted as Hitler’s spy chief in Britain. What should have been an interesting story, actually turned out to be quite the opposite. James Hayward’s writing style is really surprisingly dull. His attempts to be “cute” through the book with repeated “witticisms” was really distracting. I felt throughout his account he lacked objectivity, which for a credible historian is a must. He did try to let the readers determine where Snow’s loyalty fell, which I concluded was with Arthur Snow. Why the British and German governments allowed themselves to be knowingly duped by this charlatan was beyond me, and really wasn’t a topic Hayward explored as he should have. Overall, this book’s topic had greater potential than it delivered, though for someone interested in WW2 espionage, this book could have certain value.

[Jonathan Gurney · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was interesting, but there was a struggle between the sometimes fascinating subject and the irritating and confusing presentation.

The book refers to occasions when Owens met MI5 officer Maxwell Knight. Henry Hemming wrote a biography of Knight, and Hayward would have been well advised to have studied that before writing this biography of Owens. Hemming does a much better job of producing a biography of an intelligence operative, without repetitions, intrusive comment or silly repetitive terms like "humdinger".

[Stacey Socholotuk · Rating 1 out of 5]

Twice I've tried to read this book and haven't gotten far either time. I love historical books and the time period is right up my alley. Unfortunately, this book was just too sterile for me to get into or want to keep reading.

[Michael · Rating 1 out of 5]

I tried but just couldn't get into this one.

[Godowd · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not a lot to say on this one - other than it is disappointing

[Pirate · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a rascal indeed a whole bunch of cads brought to life brilliantly by Hayward in a highly entertaining tale of alcoholic and largely incompetent agents. It begs the question how on earth did the Germans come perilously close to winning the war with their crass spying efforts in Britain. Owens himself is an engrossing character even by the end of the book you are not sure which cause he was loyal to and fortunate to escape the noose. He is still rather engaging character, though, if he had not been reined in he could have done untold damage to the Allied cause. Riveting stuff, though, there is an overuse of the word versimilitude, though, it is a word I rather like. Well worth a read and it failry zips along.

[Wilde Sky · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book details the WWII exploits of a British double agent.

I found this book to be full of interesting details / facts, but the writing is absolutely awful (at least in the edition I read), in parts it was very close to being gibberish – it read like a collection of notes for a book rather than a finished work.

[Amanda Anthony · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was sucked in by a catchy back cover, but the truth is that Hitler's "spy" was nothing more than a guy who provided very little useful information for either side and also was just unlikeable. After one-third of the book and the author's butchering of the English language, I gave up. I couldn't imagine that there was anything more interesting to come.

[Rob · Rating 2 out of 5]

An unusual, and sometimes implausible book. The story of Arthur Owens, and others, who spied for both Germany and Britain before and during the Second World War. Yes I enjoyed it, but was not the easiest of reads due to the style of writing. Perhaps just me...