Synopsis

Larry and Rosemary breach deep cover to bring you a novel of high intrigue drawn from Larry’s former association with secret operatives and their spook agencies.

The year is 1992. The Soviet Union has collapsed, but danger persists. Young Kent Brukner, a freshly trained American spy, arrives in Moscow for a high-risk mission: to infiltrate and compromise a Russian Federation Army facility. Under an alias, in a military uniform, he plies his skills—unprepared for the brutal confrontations and irrational consequences.

Kent meets the innocent and passionate Katcha, daughter of a British expatriate and a Russian dissident. Together the lovers embark on a nearly impossible journey, beginning in the foothills of the Ural Mountains. Stalked by the evil Major Dmitri Federov, they must escape from St. Petersburg to Helsinki, Finland, or face life in a Russian prison.

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Praise for the Authors

“The beautiful setting, engaging characters, and lively plot combine to bring readers a story that is literally difficult to put down. The novel deftly moves between the characters and their stories concluding with a satisfying finish. It is an engaging story of tragedy, hope, and unconditional love.”- Mystery Books Site, Reviewed by Edie Dykeman, BellaOnline’s Mystery Books Editor, for Cry ‘Ohana

“Shame can tear families apart, and murder can obliterate them. Cry Ohana: Adventure and Suspense in Hawaii tells the story of a Hawaiian family who through a string of tragedies finds their family torn apart. But when they need to find justice, the family struggles to reunite. A story of family and reunion for the betterment of it all, and dedicated to Hawaiian culture, Cry Ohana is a choice pick, highly recommended.”- Midwest Book Review

“I enjoyed reading On the Rails by the talented co-authors, Larry and Rosemary Mild. I liked going back in time to the Great Depression era and meeting Bertie. I loved her character and getting to know her. She was intriguing and I was fascinated by her story. I would love to read more like this from the writing team Larry and Rosemary Mild in the future.”-Amy, Locks, Hooks, and Books

“A book that not only brings some laughter, but packs an emotional punch. I was pleasantly surprised by the high caliber of the writing in this novel! The writers did a lot of research, and it was employed well throughout the book. This is a great read and one that I highly recommend!”-Bee, BookPleasures.com

Excerpt

Chapter 1

Step into Peril

Moscow. Wednesday, May 20, 1992

Those who commit their lives to espionage are cut from a different bolt of cloth than the rest of us. Maybe only God knows why they pursue that kind of life. Is it a strong sense of duty to their country? The need to contribute on a grand scale? The potential for thrills and excitement? The urge to be wild and reckless? Or does it boil down to a feeling of personal accomplishment at any cost?

On the downside, the profession is inherently dangerous and lonely to the point of despair. Any chance of public appreciation or acknowledgment is shrouded in the depths of secrecy.

The tradecraft is vast, the training is grueling, complicated, and often difficult to master. The professional spy, or secret agent, is an actor’s actor. He or she must be able to reside in a foreign country as an “inserted” person: like a native, fluent in the language and versed in the culture with neither flaw nor lapse. There can be no offstage moments to let a guard down. A rare blend of intelligence, ingenuity, athleticism, quick wit, resilience, and discipline may be required for unpredictable situations. Assigned to accomplish such improvised magic, perhaps these agents might more accurately be called soldiers of sleight-of-hand.

* * * *

Kent Peter Brukner had just finished his training as an operative—a spy, if you will, with an unnamed intelligence organization based somewhere in Virginia. An American citizen, he was on a special mission, his first, to compromise a Russian Federation Army facility.

The new government called itself the Russian Federation, replacing the ruthless Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. Triggered by the dismantling of the Berlin Wall in 1989, the federation appeared to have ushered in a more peaceful era. The tricolor flag, thick horizontal stripes of white, blue, and red, replaced the Soviet hammer and sickle. Mikhail Gorbachev became the first president of the federation, engineering the thaw of the Cold War and the lifting of the dreaded “Iron Curtain.” But Boris Yeltsin replaced Gorbachev as president, and the United States felt a critical need to continually take the temperature of that New Order. Kent Brukner was one of a select few charged with that mission.

Kent wasn’t using his real name, of course. His current identification and Russian travel visa provided a cover name, George Thermon, and a different vocation: as an American senior salesman for Ingleman’s Department Stores in the United States. His intended purpose was to sell Ingleman’s high-end men’s clothing and specialty items to Russian department stores. Russian citizens were now craving all things American—after years of deprivation under the drab, restrictive Soviet Union. George’s leather briefcase contained elegant product catalogues, a notebook, contract forms for orders, and swag—small giveaway items like ballpoint pens. He had a reasonable mastery of the Russian language, lacking only the seasoned intonations.

On May 20th, a few minutes before midnight, his plane, Aeroflot Flight 22303, landed at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo SVO Airport. “George” picked up his bag and cleared customs in forty-five minutes. A taxi took him into the city, to the Ibis Budget Moscow Panfilovskaya, a midsized hotel where he would blend in among throngs of tourists and businesspeople. Once settled in room 303, he showered, then slept off the jet lag for the rest of the night. Early in the afternoon of the new day, he left the hotel and sought out a somewhat dilapidated public phone booth a five-minute walk away. He made two calls with a precise number of rings and a designated delay between the calls. George neither spoke nor heard anything during either call. Walking back to the hotel, he ate supper in the coffee shop, returned to his room, and waited—for a response from “Sergei,” a deep-cover operative he’d never met. George’s two phone calls had initiated a prearranged meeting with the operative for the next morning.

Law-school dropout Kent Brukner, alias George Thermon, was about to embark on his new life. And deep down, he felt uneasy.

* * * *

Sergei arrived the next morning at ten o’clock, a short fellow with a trim beard and thick-lensed glasses. He knocked at George’s hotel room door as a delivery person for a florist, carrying a long white box, but much wider, as if designed for multiple floral arrangements.

At that meeting in his hotel room, George received key tradecraft materials, a detailed briefing, and most important, yet another identity. For this mission he would no longer be George Thermon, but Major Anatoli Todorev of the Russian Federation Army, and he was given the necessary credentials to prove it.

Sergei wasted no time with pleasantries. He drew up a straight-backed chair and spread the contents of his florist’s box on the bed: a military uniform; a security access pass; a pair of neutral-lensed glasses; a lock-pick set; a bugging device; a roll of

electrical tape; a glue stick; and a 9mm Makarov pistol. The neatly pressed wool uniform looked smart. Brown with an olive-green hue, it bore the rank of major in the Russian Federation Army. The access pass was, without question, the most critical item: an “official” identification card for Major Anatoli Todorev. George tried on the glasses. The likeness on the ID card wasn’t perfect, but the photo was “close enough for government work,” as the cliché goes. In a chilly voice, Sergei said, “Try on the uniform. If it doesn’t fit, you won’t look authentic.” George followed directions and checked his six-foot-one frame in the full-length mirror attached to the closet door. Quite impressive, he decided, especially the stately officer’s hat. Sergei permitted himself a brief smile of approval.

Guest Review by Nora

“He started to rise from his chair, but she put a hand on his shoulder and said in perfect English, “You are okay in here. My mother is English and my father is Ukrainian. And I am Katcha.”

“And I am Kent,” he said, unsure why he’d used his real name.”

This was one hell of a story that left me wanting more even after it was finished!

Kent Bruckner is an American spy that gets sent to Moscow in 1992 to plant a bug in the office of a very high up Russian General. Although he is well trained and manages to make it in and out of the general’s office just fine, he gets caught before he is able to get completely out of the building. Kent keeps his cool and does not confess anything, even as he is sent to a Russian prison with no trial.

Thankfully, using his skills and training, he escapes a short while later and travels on foot through the foothills of the Ural mountains. Eventually, Kent stumbles across a cafe that is run by a local family.

Katcha, the waitress, surprises Kent by informing him that she knows he has escaped from the prison, but she and her mother have no plans to turn him in. After Kent and Katcha get to know each other a bit better over the course of a few weeks, Katcha’s mother then surprises them both by announcing that she wishes for Katcha to return to America with Kent to seek a better life.

Of course, with the Russian police looking for him, the journey back to America is not an easy one and Kent and Katcha must rely on each other if they are to make it to his home country.

This was a dazzling novel that I had a great time reading! I have read one other book by Larry and Rosemary Mild and, since I loved that one so much, I was not surprised to find that I loved this one, too!  I recommend this to any lovers of spy novels!

About the Authors

Rosemary and Larry Mild coauthored the Dan & Rivka Sherman Mysteries; the Paco and the Molly Mysteries; Hawaii adventure/thrillers Cry Ohana and Honolulu Heat; and four volumes of short stories, including their new one, Charlie and the Magic Jug and Other Stories. Many of their stories appear in anthologies. The Milds, a happy husband-and-wife team, make their home in Honolulu, where they cherish time with their daughter, son-in-law, and grandchildren.

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Giveaway

This giveaway is for 3 print or ebook copies.

Print is open to the U.S. only. Ebook is open worldwide.

This giveaway ends on June 27, 2024 midnight, pacific time. Entries are accepted via Rafflecopter only.

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