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Duke de Richleau #8
Codeword - Golden Fleece
28 Jul 1939 - Oct 1939When the Second World War opened, the Duke de Richleau and his friends Simon Aron, Rex van Ryn and Richard Eaton–the indomitable four–were in Poland. Here is the story of how they came to be there and found themselves even before the outbreak of hostilities involved in a most damnable conspiracy. In Codeword–Golden Fleece the scenes of intrigue, violence and escape in Warsaw are exceeded only by those which follow in Bucharest–whence the friends are carried in a desperate attempt to sabotage Hitler's war economy and force Germany to ask for peace before she can muster her full might for an assault on Western Europe.(1963 Arrow): It can now be revealed that the plot of Codeword–Golden Fleece is based on fact. Actually, it was given to Dennis Wheatley when he was a member of the Joint Planning Staff of the War Cabinet by a Foreign Office colleague there. On behalf of the Allied governments a French nobleman did actually succeed in acquiring a controlling interest in the Danube oil barges and their tugs. The Germans failed with the Vichy government in an action for its return and half the Fleet had been got out to Turkish waters. Supplies of fuel for the Luftwaffe were seriously crippled by this ingenious secret stroke.
383 pages, Paperback
First published May 1, 1946
5 people are currently reading
85 people want to read
About the author
Dennis Wheatley
380 books246 followersDennis Yates Wheatley (8 January 1897 – 10 November 1977) [Born: Dennis Yeats Wheatley] was an English author. His prolific output of stylish thrillers and occult novels made him one of the world's best-selling authors in the 1950s and 1960s.
His first book, Three Inquisitive People, was not immediately published; but his first published novel, The Forbidden Territory, was an immediate success when published in 1933, being reprinted seven times in seven weeks.
He wrote adventure stories, with many books in a series of linked works. His plots covered the French Revolution (Roger Brook Series), Satanism (Duc de Richleau), World War II (Gregory Sallust) and espionage (Julian Day).
In the thirties, he conceived a series of whodunit mysteries, presented as case files, with testimonies, letters, pieces of evidence such as hairs or pills. The reader had to go through the evidence to solve the mystery before unsealing the last pages of the file, which gave the answer. Four of these 'Crime Dossiers' were published: Murder Off Miami, Who Killed Robert Prentice, The Malinsay Massacre, and Herewith The Clues.
In the 1960s his publishers were selling a million copies of his books per year. A small number of his books were made into films by Hammer, of which the best known is The Devil Rides Out (book 1934, film 1968). His writing is very descriptive and in many works he manages to introduce his characters into real events while meeting real people. For example, in the Roger Brook series the main character involves himself with Napoleon, and Joséphine whilst being a spy for the Prime Minister William Pitt. Similarly, in the Gregory Sallust series, Sallust shares an evening meal with Hermann Göring.
He also wrote non-fiction works, including accounts of the Russian Revolution and King Charles II, and his autobiography. He was considered an authority on the supernatural, satanism, the practice of exorcism, and black magic, to all of which he was hostile. During his study of the paranormal, though, he joined the Ghost Club.
From 1974 through 1977 he edited a series of 45 paperback reprints for the British publisher Sphere under the heading "The Dennis Wheatley Library of the Occult", selecting the titles and writing short introductions for each book. This series included both occult-themed novels by the likes of Bram Stoker and Aleister Crowley and non-fiction works on magic, occultism, and divination by authors such as the Theosophist H. P. Blavatsky, the historian Maurice Magre, the magician Isaac Bonewits, and the palm-reader Cheiro.
Two weeks before his death in November 1977, Wheatley received conditional absolution from his old friend Cyril ‘Bobby’ Eastaugh, the Bishop of Peterborough.
His estate library was sold in a catalogue sale by Basil Blackwell's in the 1970s, indicating a thoroughly well-read individual with wide-ranging interests particularly in historical fiction and Europe. His influence has declined, partly due to difficulties in reprinting his works owing to copyright problems.
Fifty-two of Wheatley's novels were published posthumously in a set by Heron Books UK. More recently, in April 2008 Dennis Wheatley's literary estate was acquired by media company Chorion.
He invented a number of board games including Invasion.
-Wikipedia
His first book, Three Inquisitive People, was not immediately published; but his first published novel, The Forbidden Territory, was an immediate success when published in 1933, being reprinted seven times in seven weeks.
He wrote adventure stories, with many books in a series of linked works. His plots covered the French Revolution (Roger Brook Series), Satanism (Duc de Richleau), World War II (Gregory Sallust) and espionage (Julian Day).
In the thirties, he conceived a series of whodunit mysteries, presented as case files, with testimonies, letters, pieces of evidence such as hairs or pills. The reader had to go through the evidence to solve the mystery before unsealing the last pages of the file, which gave the answer. Four of these 'Crime Dossiers' were published: Murder Off Miami, Who Killed Robert Prentice, The Malinsay Massacre, and Herewith The Clues.
In the 1960s his publishers were selling a million copies of his books per year. A small number of his books were made into films by Hammer, of which the best known is The Devil Rides Out (book 1934, film 1968). His writing is very descriptive and in many works he manages to introduce his characters into real events while meeting real people. For example, in the Roger Brook series the main character involves himself with Napoleon, and Joséphine whilst being a spy for the Prime Minister William Pitt. Similarly, in the Gregory Sallust series, Sallust shares an evening meal with Hermann Göring.
He also wrote non-fiction works, including accounts of the Russian Revolution and King Charles II, and his autobiography. He was considered an authority on the supernatural, satanism, the practice of exorcism, and black magic, to all of which he was hostile. During his study of the paranormal, though, he joined the Ghost Club.
From 1974 through 1977 he edited a series of 45 paperback reprints for the British publisher Sphere under the heading "The Dennis Wheatley Library of the Occult", selecting the titles and writing short introductions for each book. This series included both occult-themed novels by the likes of Bram Stoker and Aleister Crowley and non-fiction works on magic, occultism, and divination by authors such as the Theosophist H. P. Blavatsky, the historian Maurice Magre, the magician Isaac Bonewits, and the palm-reader Cheiro.
Two weeks before his death in November 1977, Wheatley received conditional absolution from his old friend Cyril ‘Bobby’ Eastaugh, the Bishop of Peterborough.
His estate library was sold in a catalogue sale by Basil Blackwell's in the 1970s, indicating a thoroughly well-read individual with wide-ranging interests particularly in historical fiction and Europe. His influence has declined, partly due to difficulties in reprinting his works owing to copyright problems.
Fifty-two of Wheatley's novels were published posthumously in a set by Heron Books UK. More recently, in April 2008 Dennis Wheatley's literary estate was acquired by media company Chorion.
He invented a number of board games including Invasion.
-Wikipedia
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
March 9, 2020
Exceptional! The best! Espionage at the start of the 2nd World War written a year after the war ended! The Duke de Richleau and his fearless friends are clever, resourceful and very brave; the story takes them on a thrilling journey through Poland, Rumania and other countries as the war rages on. They have a mission and they will do absolutely anything in their power to accomplish it! It is terribly exciting, really interesting and keeps you on your toes. My dad used to own Dennis Wheatley (Duke de Richleau series) books when I was very young and I wasn't allowed to read them! Little did I know I would get hooked myself many years down the line! I can't wait to read them all!
November 15, 2023
More shenanigans
Another tale of the Fab Four, set in eastern Europe at the outbreak of WW2.
The plot concerns smuggling an agreement out of Rumania to hamper the Nazi oil supply. As usual our heroes are beset with one mishap after another.
Meals and drinks are described incessantly. If these people were real they’d all have cirrhosis of the liver. Possibly lung cancer too, owing to their smoking habits.
The book is a lot of fun and I learned a bit about pre war Poland and Rumania.
Another tale of the Fab Four, set in eastern Europe at the outbreak of WW2.
The plot concerns smuggling an agreement out of Rumania to hamper the Nazi oil supply. As usual our heroes are beset with one mishap after another.
Meals and drinks are described incessantly. If these people were real they’d all have cirrhosis of the liver. Possibly lung cancer too, owing to their smoking habits.
The book is a lot of fun and I learned a bit about pre war Poland and Rumania.
June 30, 2021
Alright until nonsense re Rex and Polish airman/German agent; and corny ending.
September 28, 2015
Another awesome Wheatley work - brilliantly recreates the atmosphere in the few days before the Second World War began and its first few desperate days in doomed Poland and a restive Romania... A slice of life of a world that has long vanished..
September 15, 2015
Brilliant! 65 years after its publication, if a book could captivate my total attention and lure me to finish reading it in just three sittings, how else could I describe it?
February 21, 2016
Book 8 in the series.
Our adventure starts in Poland and includes Romania during the beginning of WWII.
Another entertaining Wheatley read.
Our adventure starts in Poland and includes Romania during the beginning of WWII.
Another entertaining Wheatley read.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews