Book description
'Spies should be glamorous - James Bond in a Savile Row suit rather
than Harry Palmer in a grubby mac . . . In those terms, Otto Katz was
perfect. He was a Hollywood playboy who hobnobbed with Fritz Lang, he
inspired the character of Victor Laszlo in Casablanca, he was a
drinking buddy of Bertolt Brecht and among his lovers he claimed
Marlene Dietrich. He was even known to Nöel Coward' The Times
If you were to imagine the perfect spy, you may well be picturing
Otto Katz. He was charming, suave, and utterly ruthless. In the golden
years of the spy game, from Hitler's rise to power, through the Second
World War, and on into the Cold War, Otto Katz was at the centre of
Russia's web of international intrigue. His fingerprints can be found
on one world changing event after another.
Using recently released FBI, MI5 and Czech files, Jonathan Miles has
created an action-packed story of the life (or lives) of one of the
world's most successful spies . At the same time he paints a vivid
portrait of the shadow world that exists behind the headlines where
the actions of a man like Katz can, and do, change the course of history.
After a childhood in America, Canada and the UK,
Jonathan Miles
took a first from University College, London and his doctorate from
Jesus College, Oxford. He has written, lectured and broadcast on
cultural history all over the world. His previous books have earned him
such press accolades as 'magisterial', 'authoritative', 'massively
researched', 'compelling', and 'incisive'. He lives in Florence with his
wife and daughter.
