Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #12114 in Books
• Published on: 2006-12-31
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 364 pages

Customer Reviews

The Real Thing
A few years back I wrote a novel called Early One Morning, based on the true story of a group of Grand Prix drivers who joined Special Operations Executive during WW2. At the time people asked me why I didn't just write a non-fiction book. Joe Saward's book is the answer. This is the work I couldn't have written and I am glad I didn't try (I'll stick to novels). Saward (whom I have never met or spoken to) has combined his formidable knowledge of GP racing together with a vast quantity of meticulous research and managed, with enviable deftness, to produce a thrilling and heartbreaking story. Anyone interested in the fascinating legend of the racing driver spies Benoist and Williams and Wimille, and in SOE in general, should buy this book. I take my peaked cap off to him.

A Must for 20th Century History and Motor Racing Fans
I first heard of the "characters" of this book in the mid 70's when I first started getting interested and going to GP races including Monaca won by Williams, and the Le Mans 24 Heures, where grandstands were named after Benoist and Wimille. A few weeks ago I found Robert Ryan's novel on the subject and was gripped and intrigued. Then I read about Joe Saward's book in the Telegraph and thought I'd better order it. Absolutely fascinating - I learned a lot about the French Resistance that I'd not previously known - or cared about - before. I'm glad I read these books this way round as fiction is always an easier read and whets the appetite for the sometimes unpalatable truth. The only trouble is, one of my favourite TV programmes, Hallo Hallo, is no longer funny ...

A 'classic'
The Grand Prix Saboteurs is a detailed, intricate story about the secret world of motor racing.

Despite its length, I was surprised at how easily the story flowed and how Joe Saward managed to combine so many different elements into a coherent whole.

A 'classic' in every sense of the word.