Book Preview: Into The Lion's Mouth
24th April 2017
The True Story of Dusko Popov: World War II Spy, Patriot, and the Real-Life Inspiration for James Bond
By MI6 Staff
Share The Story
Attorney and author Larry Loftis examines international spy and double agent Dusko Popov’s life and work in "Into The Lion's Mouth: The True Story of Dusko Popov: World War II Spy, Patriot, and the Real-Life Inspiration for James Bond" (Berkley Caliber Hardcover; June 14, 2016; $27.00).
Dusko Popov had a storied past, starting with his expulsion from prep school as a young man. Years later he was arrested and banished from Germany for making derogatory statements about the Third Reich. And when World War II ensued, Popov became a spy, eventually serving three networks as a double agent: the German Abwehr, the British MI5 and MI6, and the US FBI. He also had a reputation for living an extravagant lifestyle and cavorting with lots of beautiful women.
On August 10, 1941, the Abwehr sent Popov to the United States to construct a spy network and, specifically, to gather information on the defense installations at Pearl Harbor. What they didn’t know was that Popov was actually working as a double agent for the British. Upon arrival in New York, Popov contacted the FBI and warned them that the Germans wanted this information on behalf of Japan, and that an attack was imminent. The FBI ignored this, and then-FBI director J. Edgar Hoover, who did not trust him, succeeded in blowing his cover. While MI5 desperately needed Popov to deceive the Abwehr about the D-Day invasion, they assured him that a return to the German Secret Service Headquarters in Lisbon would result in torture and execution. He went anyway.
"Into The Lion's Mouth" is the account of one extraordinary man’s globe-trotting entanglement with espionage, murder, assassins, and lovers―including enemy spies and a Hollywood starlet. It is a story of subterfuge, seduction, patriotism, and courage—themes that Ian Fleming would incorporate into the tales involving his iconic hero, James Bond.
About the Author
Larry Loftis is an attorney, author, and adjunct professor of law. He has published legal articles in the University of Florida Law Review, Suffolk Transnational Law Journal, Georgia Journal of International and Comparative Law, Florida Bar Journal, National Law Journal, and Florida Banking. He received a BA from the University of Florida, an MA from Reformed Theological Seminary, and a JD from the University of Florida Law School, where he served on the Law Review as the senior executive editor and senior articles editor. He also served at the law school as a teaching fellow for Legal Research and Writing/Appellate Advocacy.
Datastream:
Release Date: 14th June 2016 (US)
Publisher: Berkley (Penguin Imprint)
Format: Haardback
Pages: 304
Price: £17.26
Dimensions: 16.2 x 3 x 23.6 cm
ISBN-13: 978-0425281819
Get Bond in Your Inbox
Sign up for occasional email updates from MI6. Get notified of breaking Bond news, and digests of recently releases features:
There was a problem processing your request. Please try again or click here.
