New York Times bestselling author Jennet Conant discusses her newest nonfiction account of events surrounding American involvement in World War II, titled The Irregulars: Roald Dahl and the British Spy Ring in Wartime Washington, on Thursday, September 25, at 7 p.m. at the Central Library, 14 W. 10th St.

Before he was the internationally beloved author of classic children’s books like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and James and the Giant Peach, British war hero Roald Dahl served as a clandestine agent based in Washington, D.C., working for the British Security Coordination “ nicknamed “Churchill’s dirty tricks squad.” Conant traces his rapid rise through the covert ranks, moving from circulating propaganda to engineering the downfall of Vice President Henry Wallace and even serving as a backchannel between President Franklin Roosevelt and Winston Churchill.

Conant is the acclaimed author of two other books, Tuxedo Park: A Wall Street Tycoon and the Secret Palace of Science That Changed the Course of World War II and 109 East Palace: Robert Oppenheimer and the Secret City of Los Alamos.

The event is co-sponsored by Rainy Day Books. Conant’s books will be available for sale, and the author will sign copies purchased during the event.