An Englishman Abroad SOE Agent Dick Mallaby’s Italian Missions, 1943–45 by Gianluca Barneschi, published by Bloomsbury USA in 2019.
The debonair Special Operations Executive agent Richard "Dick" Mallaby was the first Briton to be sent to Italy as an SOE operative, parachuted unceremoniously into Lake Como in August 1943. Arrested and initially tortured by the Italian authorities, he managed to sweet-talk his way out of trouble and helped Marshal Pietro Badoglio and King Victor Emmanuel III escape to the Allied lines. He also helped negotiate the armistice with Italy, for which he was awarded the Military Cross.
A great pick for readers who love getting lost in a good story.
