MACARTHUR'S UNDERCOVER WAR Spies, Saboteurs, Guerillas, and Secret Missions

The author weaves stories of WWII intelligence gathering and other espionage into a reading experience as compelling as the best fiction. One example is the story of Operation Magic, which broke the Japanese codes to turn the tide at the Battle of Midway. Jonathan Marosz's emotionless staccato speech, reminiscent of a newscaster's, takes scarce advantage of the book's satiric tone, as evidenced by such alliterations as a "peripatetic pistol-packing padre" or the Philippine national treasury named the "Cash Cache." Wry descriptions of the pompous General MacArthur provide Marosz's straight delivery some advantage, but the content of the book brings more to our minds than the narrator. J.A.H. (c) AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine [Published: JUN/JUL 02]