Flirting with danger : the mysterious life of Marguerite Harrison, socialite spy Cover Image

Flirting with danger : the mysterious life of Marguerite Harrison, socialite spy / Janet Wallach.

Mysterious life of Marguerite Harrison, socialite spy (portion title)

Wallach, Janet, 1942- (author.).

Summary:

"The true story of socialite spy Marguerite Harrison, who slipped behind enemy lines in Russia and Germany in the fraught period between the world wars Foreign correspondent. Author. Filmmaker. Spy. Marguerite Harrison was born into Gilded Age American privilege and launched a successful career as a culture writer for the Baltimore Sun as a young widow. But when America entered World War I, Harrison secretly applied for a position in intelligence. She was sent undercover into Germany after the armistice. With her society connections and gift for languages, Harrison delivered reports of mounting tensions and the growing power of the German right, and returned home an unsung heroine. Harrison next fought for an intelligence posting in the newly formed Soviet Union. Posing as a reporter sympathetic to the Communist cause, she entered the USSR and was soon caught and jailed as a spy. Set the terrifying task of becoming a double agent for the Soviets, she strove to remain loyal to America. In both places, Harrison saw the future--a second war with Germany, a cold war with the Soviets--and was little believed back home. Janet Wallach captures Harrison's daring and glamour in this stranger-than-fiction history of a socialite drawn to the impossible" -- Provided by publisher.

Record details

ISBN: 9780385545082
ISBN: 0385545088
Physical Description: xi, 326 pages, 8 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations, maps ; 25 cm
Edition: First edition
Publisher: New York : Doubleday, [2023]
Copyright: ©2023

Content descriptions

Bibliography, etc. Note:: Includes bibliographical references (pages 297-302) and index.
Formatted Contents Note:: Prologue -- Willkommen -- Undercover -- The birth of Weimar -- Entanglements -- Ominous hints -- Spider's web -- Agent B -- Into the unknown -- A clever woman -- Safe dreams -- Nightmare -- Shock -- A brave front -- Orders -- Do svidanya -- Changes -- Dragons and bears -- A stiff upper lip -- Return -- Somewhere, anywhere -- Friendship -- Wild men -- Where the soul flows -- Disillusion -- Transformation.