Lanny Budd Books in Order

Raised among artists and wealthy Europeans, young American Lanny Budd learns the languages and privileges of international society. As the First World War approaches, his friendships, family ties to arms manufacturing, and growing awareness of inequality unsettle his sheltered world.

After the First World War, Lanny Budd begins an international art-dealing career while Europe confronts fascism and instability. Love affairs and marriage connect him to American wealth, but the approaching financial collapse threatens the comfortable future he and his circle expect.

Lanny Budd's wealth cushions him from the Depression but deepens disagreements with his capitalist wife. Visiting Germany as Nazism gains power, he fears for his sister's Jewish relatives and faces the possibility of risking his privileged life to protect them.

Lanny Budd becomes involved in helping a German revolutionary escape, straining his marriage as fascism tightens its grip. His concern with Europe's struggles draws him toward Spain, where civil war creates new dangers for the people close to him.

Art dealer Lanny Budd accepts a secret assignment for President Roosevelt, returning to Nazi Germany as international diplomacy approaches crisis. His opposition to fascism becomes intensely personal when the woman he loves falls into Gestapo hands, making rescue part of his mission.

Working secretly for President Roosevelt, art dealer Lanny Budd moves through Europe's privileged circles as war approaches. His clandestine commitments become increasingly dangerous when Nazi expansion threatens the people and causes he is trying to protect.

As war spreads across Europe, Lanny Budd maintains his cover as a Nazi sympathizer while gathering intelligence for Roosevelt. Occupied France, wartime London and shifting alliances test his ability to serve the Allies without exposing himself.

Trusted inside Nazi circles, Lanny Budd continues his secret work for President Roosevelt under the cover of art dealing. Assignments in North Africa and the Soviet Union bring him into dangerous negotiations involving competing wartime interests.

Lanny Budd's undercover work becomes more perilous as the Allies prepare an invasion of Europe. Protecting military secrets while posing as a fascist sympathizer, he faces Gestapo scrutiny that threatens both his mission and his escape.

As World War II draws toward its close, Lanny Budd joins efforts to recover art and question Germans about the Nazi regime. The fighting and its aftermath confront him with Europe's devastation and emerging political divisions.

Lanny Budd's retirement ends when a neo-Nazi counterfeiting operation threatens Germany's recovery. Drawn back into espionage by a personal connection to the plot, he enters a divided Europe where Soviet power creates new dangers and loyalties.