Into the Lion's Mouth - by Larry Loftis (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

International bestseller!

James Bond has nothing on Dusko Popov. A double agent for the Abwehr, MI5 and MI6, and the FBI during World War II, Popov seduced numerous women, spoke five languages, and was a crack shot, all while maintaining his cover as a Yugoslavian diplomat...

On a cool August evening in 1941, a Serbian playboy created a stir at Casino Estoril in Portugal by throwing down an outrageously large baccarat bet to humiliate his opponent. The Serbian was a British double agent, and the money―which he had just stolen from the Germans―belonged to the British. From the sideline, watching with intent interest, was none other than Ian Fleming...

The Serbian was Dusko Popov. As a youngster, he was expelled from his London prep school. Years later, he would be arrested and banished from Germany for making derogatory statements about the Third Reich. When World War II ensued, the playboy became a spy, eventually serving three dangerous masters: the Abwehr, MI5 and MI6, and the FBI.

On August 10, 1941, the Germans sent Popov to the United States to construct a spy network and gather information on Pearl Harbor. He successfully made contact with the FBI in an attempt to warn the country, but J. Edgar Hoover blew his cover. Later, MI5 desperately needed Popov to deceive the Abwehr about the D-Day invasion, but 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 a globe-trotting account of a man's entanglement with espionage, murder, assassins, and lovers―including enemy spies and a Hollywood starlet. It is a story of subterfuge, seduction, patriotism, and cold-blooded courage. It is the story of Dusko Popov―the inspiration for James Bond.

Review Quotes

Praise for Into the Lion's Mouth

"A sensational book, telling a remarkable true story that few know, even those in the intelligence business. Written in the style of the best spy thrillers, the book is impossible to put down. A must read."--Michael Morell, acting CIA Director (ret.)

"A work of non-fiction that's more thriller than biography...Well-researched."--USAToday.com

"Gripping...will keep you planted in your reading chair from start to finish."--Michael Connelly, #1 New York Times bestselling author

"Who needs fiction. Truth is a thousand times better, and this true-life adventure has it all. Action, history, secrets, conspiracies--a sizzling piece of entertainment that's real."--Steve Berry, New York Times bestselling author

"An intriguing and fascinating book describing the life of a real spy and Britain's most successful double agent...Shocking."--James A. Lyons, Jr., Admiral, United States Navy (retired)

"One of the most fascinating things I've ever read, period. Gripping, thrilling, and too crazy to be true--except that it is. Reads less like a biography and more like a thriller."--The Real Book Spy

Praise for Code Name: Lise

"A nonfiction thriller."--Wall Street Journal

"A great book! A remarkable story. I hope someone's bought the movie rights."--The TODAY Show

"Reading like a thrilling spy novel and the most exciting sort of nonfiction--well researched, well written, and fast paced enough to keep the pages turning--this will interest fans of the history of espionage, World War II history, military history, women's history, and biography."--Library Journal (starred review)

"With evident sympathy, Loftis tells a well-researched, novelistic story of a heroine and patriot...Swift and entertaining."--Publishers Weekly

"Every chapter ends on a cliffhanger...A vivid history of wartime heroism."--Kirkus Reviews

"Larry Loftis, who seems to specialize in World War II espionage, relates [Odette Sansom's story] in thriller style."--New York Times Book Review

"Extraordinary bravery ... made this woman one of World War II's most remarkable spies. That she survived the war was almost miraculous."--TIME

About the Author

Larry Loftis is the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and international bestselling author of the nonfiction spy thrillers THE PRINCESS SPY: The True Story of World War II Spy Aline Griffith, Countess of Romanones; CODE NAME: LISE: The True Story of the Woman Who Became WWII's Most Highly Decorated Spy; and INTO THE LION'S MOUTH: The True Story of Dusko Popov--World War II Spy, Patriot, and the Real-Life Inspiration for James Bond. His books have been translated into numerous languages and can be found in Portugal, Holland, Serbia, the Czech Republic, Taiwan, India, Australia, New Zealand, and throughout the UK.