On the first page of this real-life espionage thriller, author Larry Loftis writes: “In most cases, a spy cannot survive without being a consummate liar.” For that reason, when a friend spoke admiringly of the works of Aline Griffith —a glamorous American who had been an agent in Spain during World War II and, decades later, wrote a series of memoirs about her exploits—Mr. Loftis decided to find out just how truthful her spy stories might be.
Mr. Loftis, whose last book was “Code Name: Lise” (2019), a biography of Britain’s most decorated female wartime spy, started with what Griffith had written herself. She was the author of several books, most notably the bestselling trilogy “The Spy Wore Red,” “The Spy Went Dancing” and “The Spy Wore Silk” (1987-91), all published under her married name—Aline, Countess of Romanones. A beautiful young ex-model, Griffith was sent to Madrid in 1944 as a coder, but her real assignment was to look for Nazi sympathizers. Dressed in Balenciaga, she infiltrated the highest echelons of Spanish society, entering a world of gala soirées, exclusive nightclubs and grand country estates. Throw in bullfights, flamenco, double agents and a handful of murders, and you have the makings of a page-turning literary franchise.
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