The Irregulars: Roald Dahl and the British Spy Ring in Wartime Washington

Written by:
Jennet Conant
Narrated by:
Simon Prebble

Unabridged Audiobook

Ratings
Book
44
Narrator
9
Release Date
September 2008
Duration
11 hours 39 minutes
Summary
Prior to the U.S. entering WWII, a small coterie of British spies in Washington, D.C., was formed. They called themselves the Baker Street Irregulars after the band of street urchins who were the eyes and ears of Sherlock Holmes in some Arthur Conan Doyle stories. This group constituted the very beginning of what would become MI6, the British version of the CIA, and they helped support the fledgling American intelligence service, known at the time as the OSS. Among them were writers Roald Dahl, Ian Fleming, and the flamboyant Canadian industrialist turned professional saboteur William Stephenson, known by the code name 'Intrepid,' upon whom Fleming would later base his fictional MI6 agent James Bond. Richly detailed and carefully researched, Conant's narrative uses never-before-seen wartime letters, diaries, and interviews to create a fascinating, lively account of deceit, double dealing, and moral ambiguity-all in the name of victory.
Reviews

This is absolutely a great book. I learned so much about WWII that I knew little of. I thought I had read most every aspect of WWII but this book showed me that I really knew very little about what went on the the U.S. regarding spies and propaganda. This is a true story which makes it more interesting. I am sure you will enjoy this book

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Donald M.

Great WW2 spy non fiction that reads like a novel.

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Mark H.

A brilliant book well above my expectations. At first it read like a follow on from boy and going solo but then expanded out into the wartime Washington, US isolationism and the life of British expats from a British vantage point. Fascinating. Didn’t know Dahl’s womanising history nor closeness to Walt Disney and FDR’s wife either! Great book and highly recommend...

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Norman Baer

The book was well written and the narration was great. The reason for the lower rating is that the book was more about Washington DC society and politics during WWII than it was about spys. It was not what I expected so I was disappointed, but I did listen to the end.

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Margaret P.

I found it interesting but a bit boring.

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Nigel R.

A well written and narrated story about a fascinating character.

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