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 best-selling 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. During his life, he wrote more than 70 books which sold over 50 million copies.

Apr 1789 - Jul 1790
At Fontainebleau all seems peaceful and serene, with Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette secure on their thrones. Yet as Roger Brook arrives on a secret and vital mission for Prime Minister Pitt, the smell of blood, Revolution and Terror is already in the air.
Intrigue, violence, suspicion - this is the maelstrom into which Roger is plunged at once. But with it: love. Isabella D'Arana is beautiful, Spanish - and married. Laws and conventions must be defied if he is to have her. With his love story folding into his professional affairs, Police and agents must be outwitted if he is to achieve his secret mission.