Contraband

'Before there was James Bond, there was Gregory Sallust.' Tina Rosenberg, Salon.com
Contraband is the first in Dennis Wheatley's bestselling Gregory Sallust series featuring the debonair spy Gregory Sallust, a forerunner to Ian Fleming's James Bond.

Gregory Sallust is a British Intelligence agent; a self-reliant thrill seeker with a love of adventure and a weakness for women.

As Sallust enjoys a holiday in France before starting a new mission, he is intrigued by a beautiful woman in a casino. Captivated by the elusive Sabine, he follows her to a rendezvous with a mystery airman at midnight. The next morning, Sallust finds himself under attack and, although he escapes danger, Sabine disappears.
Returning to England, Sallust discovers a ring of smugglers orchestrating the dispatch of heavy bombers with contraband goods. When he discovers that an inspector from Scotland Yard is also on the case, and that Sabine may be involved, his loyalties are torn.

In a thrilling start to the Gregory Sallust series, Contraband is a story of international intrigue where planes flit by night to secret landing grounds, and near-death experiences are masterfully stretched to nail-biting conclusions.