Huzzah! It's publication day
Meet the Russian James Bond
[Again, huge apologies for posting again but, y’know: publication day.]
Publication day, for most authors, is a weird day. It’s a bit anticlimactic. On one hand, it’s the culmination of months, maybe even years, of hard work. But it’s not the end, it’s the beginning. The gates open and your book/story leaps out to start a never-ending race.
CIA is delighted when Yuri Kozlov, Russia’s ‘James Bond’, professing to be fed up with Putin’s headlong rush to destroy Russia, volunteers to defect to the West. For the Agency, it’s almost too good to be true. He knows all of Russia’s intelligence coups, its most valuable foreign assets, and the foibles and blackmailable weaknesses of its senior leaders… if Langley can be sure that he’s not being sent over to infiltrate the Agency, steal secrets and wreak havoc. With the potential payoff so great, it’s a risk CIA has to take.
How realistic is this story? It was prompted by news articles, about six months into Russia’s attack on Ukraine, that disaffected Russian intelligence and diplomatic officers were offering to aid the West. I’m having a hard time finding the original stories (it was way back in 2022), but here are some links that you might find interesting:
High-ranking Russian officials are defecting. This man is aiding them.
CIA instructs Russians how to share secrets with the spy agency
Want to talk? FBI trolls Russian embassy for disgruntled would-be spies
I am so happy this story is finally in the world. I think it will resonate with readers on many levels—and you don’t have to be a fan of spy stories, either. At its core, it’s about a man who questions whether, by making his job the center of his world, that he’s wasted his life. It’s just that his employer is Russian intelligence. Yuri’s done many tough, unpleasant things and now, at the end of his career, he wonders if he was being used the entire time. The sacrifices he’s made, the near-misses… even now, with his freedom on the line, he questions why he’s been so loyal.
And whether it’s too late to find redemption.
The Spy Who Vanished is a three-part serialized story with Amazon Original Stories. If you’re a Kindle Unlimited or Prime subscriber you can read the ebook or listen to the audiobook for free. Otherwise, each story is normally $1.99 but, in a special deal, the stories are half price until August 31. That’s right, you can get the complete set for less than $3, the price of a fancy cupcake. The stories will last longer and, unlike that cupcake, won’t add to your waistline.
Speaking of waistlines, my publisher sent treats to celebrate:
Here’s an article I wrote for Crime Reads on why intelligence professionals don’t like James Bond.
Tell your friends:
Congratulations Alma! I have thoroughly enjoyed reading your books. You hooked me with your books "Red Widow" and "Red London", both of which I happily consumed. Your short story "Wehrwolf" was frankly out of left field for my normal literary taste, and I did cast a jaundiced eye upon opening to the first page, however the ending was unexpected and very satisfying. Now I have downloaded all three of your latest Russian spy books and it's with a heightened sense of anticipation that I approach the saga of Yuri Kozlov and his journey with Western Intelligence.
You are a Great Writer and I want to Thank You for the hours of reading pleasure you have given me.