Now in paperback
INTO THE LION’S MOUTH
“Gripping ... Will keep you planted in your reading chair from start to finish.”
—Michael Connelly, #1 New York Times bestselling author
“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, CIA Director
Into the Lion’s Mouth soon to be a major motion picture!
Video
Larry interviewed at Casino Estoril—where Ian Fleming shadowed Popov in 1941—for the Portugal release of INTO THE LION’S MOUTH.
What People Are Saying
“For those wanting to know the real-life inspiration for Ian Fleming's James Bond, here it is. ... A work of non-fiction that's more thriller than biography.”
—USA Today
“Spectacular—incredible research and writing. Nonfiction that reads like a page-turning novel. Riveting and moving.”
—Jonathan Braun, Parade
“Sifting through declassified documents from World War II—as well as hotel bills, letters and long-forgotten memoirs—Loftis painstakingly pinpoints the exact moment Bond's creator, Ian Fleming, first encountered this real-life 007.”
—New York Post
“A well-researched history book and a dramatic breath-taking spy story, all of it true. A scholarly thriller that is hard to put down.”
—Dr. Robert Kuckuck, Director, Los Alamos National Laboratory
“Recounts the exploits of the model for Ian Fleming's James Bond character with great skill. ... Will have readers on the edge of their seats and immersed in this sometimes unbelievable tale.”
—Library Journal
“007 inspiration: Bolder than James Bond.”
—Orlando Sentinel
The Story
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, a brilliant (doctorate in law) spy who was a crack shot with a pistol and lethal with his hands. As World War II ensued, Popov
eventually served five dangerous masters: the Abwehr, SD, Gestapo, MI5, 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 (which they would give to their Axis ally, the Japanese). The FBI ignored his German questionnaire and warning about Pearl Harbor, but J. Edgar Hoover 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 his arrest, 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 and seduction, patriotism, and cold-blooded courage. It is the story of Dusko Popov―the inspiration for James Bond.
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Audio Excerpt
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