Irregulars

When dashing young RAF pilot Roald Dahl (that Roald Dahl) took up his post at the British Embassy in 1942, his assignment was to use his good looks, wit, and charm to gain access to the most powerful figures in American political life. He and his co-conspirators David Ogilvy, Ivar Bryce, and Ian Fleming (that Ian Fleming) called themselves the Baker Street Irregulars after the band of street urchins in some Sherlock Holmes stories. Their goals: to weaken the American isolationist forces, bring the country into the war against Germany, and influence U.S. policy in favor of England. Their mastermind: Churchill's legendary spy chief, William Stephenson, code name "Intrepid," who would later serve as the model for Fleming's James Bond. Based on never-before-seen wartime letters, diaries, and interviews, this lively account of deceit, doubledealing, and moral ambiguity is richly detailed, carefully researched, and better than any spy fiction. Jennet Contant is a journalist who has written profiles for Vanity Fair, Esquire, GQ, Newsweek, and The New York Times. She is the author of the bestselling Tuxedo Park and 109 East Palace. Conant lives in New York City and Sag Harbor, New York.