Controversy rages at the Ministry of Defence. And Sir Gifford Hillary,
outspoken in his views on top-secret measures to counter the threat of
Soviet aggression, is partly responsible for tempers fraying.
But danger and betrayal stalk closer to home. On a warm autumn night at
Longshot Hall, Sir Gifford gets the shock of his life. Horrifically and
inexplicably, he witnesses his own murder...
Dennis Yates Wheatley (1897--1977) was an English author whose prolific
output of stylish thrillers and occult novels made him one of the
world's bestselling writers from the 1930s through the 1960s. His
Gregory Sallust series was one of the main inspirations for Ian
Fleming's James Bond stories. Born in South London, he was the eldest of
three children of an upper-middle-class family, the owners of Wheatley &
Son of Mayfair, a wine business. He admitted to little aptitude for
schooling, and was expelled from Dulwich College. Soon after his
expulsion Wheatley became a British Merchant Navy officer cadet on the
training ship HMS Worcester. During the Second World War, Wheatley was a
member of the London Controlling Section, which secretly coordinated
strategic military deception and cover plans. His literary talents
gained him employment with planning staffs for the War Office. He wrote
numerous papers for the War Office, including suggestions for dealing
with a German invasion of Britain. Dennis Wheatley died on 11th November
1977. During his life he wrote over 70 books and sold over 50 million
copies.
