Some of the stories of the Resistance prisoners are told, and it is also made clear that there were no executions scheduled, and the Resistance knew nothing of the raid until it took place.
Contrary to the popular 'version', there were no Resistance members, or vehicles, standing by to help get the released prisoners away to safety, this, seemingly, being part of the post-raid 'story', aided by accounts from a particular Resistance organiser, since shown to be very questionable.
The copies of archive documents show that the raid was 'urgent', and these documents include mention, or referral to, organisations such as MI5 and MI6, SOE, LCS etc.
The aircrews were briefed, as we know, that the raid was to release condemned Resistance patriots, and they carried out their mission with great skill and courage, although the 'official' version of Pickard's loss is not wholly accurate, having been 'managed' by Basil Embry, presumably for patriotic and morale reasons.
I tend to agree that mounting the raid as part of 'Fortitude South' could be seen as a somewhat doubtful reason, and the book mentions, almost in passing, that there 'might' have been a British agent incarcerated in the prison, who had knowledge of the invasion plans, or at least the approximate date, and that perhaps releasing (or silencing) this agent could have been the reason for the raid.
Referral is made to the Gestapo opening coffins to check identities of the dead, although again, no firm conclusions are offered.
If this was the case, then it would perhaps be a more logical, if rather extreme, explanation for what was otherwise seen, at the time, and since (particularly in the Amiens region), as an inexplicable attack on a civilian prison, where innocent lives were bound to be at risk.
As I mentioned, the book does not draw any firm conclusions and, with the apparently 'missing' or 'destroyed' documents from the various archive files, the truth may never be known,
The latest issue (issue 2) of the new 'Wingleader Magazine' (Wingleader are the publishers of the book, as well as the excellent Luftwaffe Crash Archive and BoB Combat Archive series etc.) has a feature on the raid, and is, in part, a much condensed summary of the book, and includes some of the maps, photos and diagrams.
It can be found, free to download, on their website, and is worth a look.