Into the Lion's Mouth

The True Story of Dusko Popov: Word War II Spy, Patriot, and the Real-Life Inspiration for James Bond

By: Larry Loftis

Narrated by: Eric G. Dove

Length: 9 hrs and 18 mins

Publisher's summary

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 had been 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. The FBI ignored his German questionnaire, 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 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.

©2016 Larry Loftis (P)2016 Audible, Inc.

Interesting

A little challenging to keep up with the players in an audio book format. Interesting story.

Good story

It's a bit hard to follow as an audiobook. I think it would be easier to read instead of listening to it. It did whet my appetite to learn more about the inspiration for James Bond and espionage in general during WW2.

Where was the editor during this performance??!!

I wanted to love this book, because I have encountered the subject, Mr. Popov in other books and was looking forward to him being the sole focus. Larry Loftis wrote well about a fascinating personality, but then the narrator, Eric Dove ruined it with repeated , terrible mispronunciations of dozens of names of people and places. Not just the French, German or Yugoslav names and places, but the British & American, too! I actually yelled at my IPad . I am fairly certain that robotic Alexa would have done a better job. Doesn't anyone edit the audio version of a book? If a editor makes a writer spell word properly, someone needs to make sure the narrator pronounces them properly. Where was George Guidal or James Gillies or Simon Vance?

Held my interest

Good story, well read. The story Held my interest from beginning to end. It is a true spy story

Reads Like A Novel

Loftus is to be commended for the way in which he takes a subject that might easily become dull with detail and causes it to read like a spy thriller.

Tantalizing History

Extraordinarily detailed with non stop intrigue. I couldn't stop listening. Never had I thought about the sacrifices and difficulties that a spy would have to endure. Also, found the sections concerning J. Edgar Hoover both facinating and infuriating. I wish all history was a thrilling as this book.

great story behind James Bond

I found it very fascinating and very edge of your seat drama. very good details on this agent and very exciting story.

in-depth understanding world war II double agent

I was totally fascinated with this book. it opened up a whole new thought pattern for how spies worked during world war II. it also opened up the idea double-crossing one's country, in ways that I have never even contemplated. gives me a lot of understanding of why the the u.s. Democrats act the way they do. this book opens a political avenue that I never even thought existed and needs to be read by every single Republican in the United States. the Democrats are the Nazis in to USA. and if you look at the parallel of tricycle and the totalitarian regime in Germany and compare it to the Democrats of Nancy pelosi you have an in-depth learning experience.

very dry ....

Would you try another book from Larry Loftis and/or Eric G. Dove?

no.

Would you be willing to try another book from Larry Loftis? Why or why not?

this was too dry of a read, not interesting.

What do you think the narrator could have done better?

I dunno but I couldn't keep my attention on it. I read War and Peace, no problem, but this was a real bore

interesting piece of history

Great story of a side of ww2 i wasnt aware of. The only criticism i have is it is quite hard to follow sometimes as the author constantlt switches between codenames, first, and last names. still great story well read.