Double Agent (A Tyler Wolf Historical Espionage Thriller—Book 1)

By Jack Mars

“Thriller writing at its best.”
--Midwest Book Review (Any Means Necessary)
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

From the #1 bestselling and USA Today bestselling author Jack Mars (with over 10,000 five-star reviews) comes a groundbreaking new espionage thriller series: in the early days of the Cold War, a rookie CIA agent teams up with a female KGB defector to avert nuclear war.

At the outset of the Cold War, in the ruins of postwar Europe, rookie CIA Agent Tyler Wolf must navigate a precarious partnership with the captivating Anya Fedorov, dazzled by her beauty and intellect, and unsure if he can truly trust her. Their first mission: stop a Nazi extremist from exposing state secrets and reigniting a war. Can they stop him before he ignites an inferno between two superpowers?

DOUBLE AGENT is the first book in a new series by #1 bestselling and critically acclaimed author Jack Mars, whose books have received over 10,000 five-star reviews and ratings.

The Tyler Wolf series is an exciting and unpredictable espionage thriller that will keep you hooked from start to finish. With a rich history and two captivating heroes, this action-packed series will have you turning pages late into the night. Fans of Vince Flynn, Lee Child, and Tom Clancy are sure to fall in love.

Future books in the series are also available!

“Thriller enthusiasts who relish the precise execution of an international thriller, but who seek the psychological depth and believability of a protagonist who simultaneously fields professional and personal life challenges, will find this a gripping story that's hard to put down.”
--Midwest Book Review, Diane Donovan (regarding Any Means Necessary)
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“One of the best thrillers I have read this year. The plot is intelligent and will keep you hooked from the beginning. The author did a superb job creating a set of characters who are fully developed and very much enjoyable. I can hardly wait for the sequel.”
--Books and Movie Reviews, Roberto Mattos (re Any Means Necessary)
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

• Language: English
• Publisher: Jack Mars
• Release date: May 2, 2024
• ISBN: 9781094384382

Book preview

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D O U B L E

A G E N T

(A TYLER WOLF ESPIONAGE THRILLER—BOOK 1)

J A C K   M A R S

Jack Mars

Jack Mars is the USA Today bestselling author of the LUKE STONE thriller series, which includes seven books. He is also the author of the new FORGING OF LUKE STONE prequel series, comprising six books; of the AGENT ZERO spy thriller series, comprising twelve books; of the TROY STARK thriller series, comprising seven books; of the SPY GAME thriller series, comprising ten books; of the JAKE MERCER thriller series, comprising seven books (and counting); and of the new TYLER WOLF thriller series, comprising five books (and counting).

Jack loves to hear from you, so please feel free to visit www.Jackmarsauthor.com to join the email list, receive a free book, receive free giveaways, connect on Facebook and Twitter, and stay in touch!

Copyright © 2024 by Jack Mars. All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior permission of the author. This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return it and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places, events, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictionally. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

BOOKS BY JACK MARS

TYLER WOLF THRILLER SERIES

DOUBLE AGENT (Book #1)

DOUBLE CROSS (Book #2)

DOUBLE ASSET (Book #3)

DOUBLE DOCTRINE (Book #4)

DOUBLE JEOPARDY (Book #5)

JAKE MERCER THRILLER SERIES

ABSOLUTE THREAT (Book #1)

ABSOLUTE DAMAGE (Book #2)

ABSOLUTE FORCE (Book #3)

ABSOLUTE PERIL (Book #4)

ABSOLUTE TREASON (Book #5)

ABSOLUTE VENGEANCE (Book #6)

ABSOLUTE TARGET (Book #7)

THE SPY GAME

TARGET ONE (Book #1)

TARGET TWO (Book #2)

TARGET THREE (Book #3)

TARGET FOUR (Book #4)

TARGET FIVE (Book #5)

TARGET SIX (Book #6)

TARGET SEVEN (Book #7)

TARGET EIGHT (Book #8)

TARGET NINE (Book #9)

TARGET TEN (Book #10)

TROY STARK THRILLER SERIES

ROGUE FORCE (Book #1)

ROGUE COMMAND (Book #2)

ROGUE TARGET (Book #3)

ROGUE MISSION (Book #4)

ROGUE SHOT (Book #5)

ROGUE STRIKE (Book #6)

ROGUE ORDER (Book #7)

LUKE STONE THRILLER SERIES

ANY MEANS NECESSARY (Book #1)

OATH OF OFFICE (Book #2)

SITUATION ROOM (Book #3)

OPPOSE ANY FOE (Book #4)

PRESIDENT ELECT (Book #5)

OUR SACRED HONOR (Book #6)

HOUSE DIVIDED (Book #7)

FORGING OF LUKE STONE PREQUEL SERIES

PRIMARY TARGET (Book #1)

PRIMARY COMMAND (Book #2)

PRIMARY THREAT (Book #3)

PRIMARY GLORY (Book #4)

PRIMARY VALOR (Book #5)

PRIMARY DUTY (Book #6)

AN AGENT ZERO SPY THRILLER SERIES

AGENT ZERO (Book #1)

TARGET ZERO (Book #2)

HUNTING ZERO (Book #3)

TRAPPING ZERO (Book #4)

FILE ZERO (Book #5)

RECALL ZERO (Book #6)

ASSASSIN ZERO (Book #7)

DECOY ZERO (Book #8)

CHASING ZERO (Book #9)

VENGEANCE ZERO (Book #10)

ZERO ZERO (Book #11)

ABSOLUTE ZERO (Book #12)

CONTENTS

PROLOGUE

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTER EIGHT

CHAPTER NINE

CHAPTER TEN

CHAPTER ELEVEN

CHAPTER TWELVE

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

CHAPTER NINETEEN

CHAPTER TWENTY

CHAPTER TWENTY ONE

CHAPTER TWENTY TWO

CHAPTER TWENTY THREE

EPILOGUE

PROLOGUE

West Berlin, Germany

June 16, 1948

Maxine smiled at the young German man standing in front of her desk and was not at all surprised that the man didn’t smile back. Three years of peace wasn’t nearly enough to erase the animosity between the subdued Axis and the victorious Allies.

Still, this particular German was applying for residency in the United States. You’d think he’d at least return a smile.

All right, Mr. Buchholz, she said, handing him a stack of papers. If you could just review these and sign your name where indicated, I’ll be able to file your application for processing.

Mr. Buchholz pulled a ballpoint pen from his pocket and began reading the document. Maxine kept her smile and even managed to keep her voice pleasant as she said, You’re welcome to take that to one of the seats in our waiting room and return here once you’ve finished.

Buchholz didn’t reply. Maxine sighed inwardly. Her full name was Maxine Scherr, and though she had grown up in Boston and only visited Berlin when she got a job with the State Department, her parents had grown up in Rhineland and spoke German exclusively at home. She knew she didn’t have an accent and knew that Buchholz had heard every word she had said clearly.

Mr. Buchholz, she tried again. If you would please have a seat in our waiting area while you complete your forms. I have others waiting to be helped.

Bucholz reached the bottom of the first page. With a flourish of his wrist, he lifted his pen and carefully signed his name at the bottom. Then he shuffled the page to the back of his paperwork and began reading the second page.

Of eleven pages.

Mr. Buchholz, she repeated, louder and less pleasantly. Kindly have a seat in our waiting area. I have other guests to attend to.

Once more, Buchholz decided she wasn’t worth responding to.

Maxine glanced behind Buchholz to the next guest. The next guest happened to be a burly, thickly muscled man of perhaps forty who glared daggers into Buchholz’s eyes.

That would do.

She lifted her hand. I can help you over here, sir.

Without hesitation, the burly man stepped forward and shoved Buchholz out of the way. He stumbled and turned angrily to the big man, who met his gaze with calm contempt. Buchholz reddened and turned a hateful glare toward Maxine.

She smiled brightly at him. Please return to the back of the line when you’ve finished filling out your paperwork.

Buchholz’s lip curled in a sneer.

Yeah, well, you lost the war, Buster. Sorry for that.

He glared back at the big man, who continued to return his gaze coldly. Then he turned and walked to the waiting area, his back straight, his feet not quite goose-stepping.

Oh yeah. Real dignified, soldier.

She sighed and said, Now, how can I—

A loud explosion rocked the embassy. The big man stumbled and nearly lost his footing. Maxine was much smaller than he was and not so lucky. Her chair fell backwards, and she tumbled end over end, her skirt fluttering up over her long, toned legs.

She quickly smoothed it down and glanced around to make sure no one had seen her. Then it occurred to her that it didn’t really matter if someone had caught a glimpse of her drawers. The damned place had just been bombed!

No sooner had the thought crossed her mind than the building erupted in chaos. Someone screamed, and the waiting crowd scattered, rushing for the exits. Maxine thought of running after them, but when she saw a woman about her size go down and become immediately engulfed by the crowd, she chose to remain behind. The bomb couldn’t possibly have come from an aircraft, and all the walls were still standing, so it wasn’t cannon fire. That meant that it was a bomb or mine placed inside the building, and there wouldn’t likely be a second explosion.

Everyone, stay calm! a security officer shouted over the crowd. We have this under control!

Maxine would have laughed if the man hadn’t sounded so pathetic. Don’t say you have it under control, dammit, get it under control.

Not that she could have done any better. There were over five hundred people in this wing alone and a dozen security officers to contain all of them. There was no chance.

But they tried. Security rushed to create an organized retreat, shouting and pulling at the crowd in a desperate and ultimately futile attempt to get it to act with any kind of predictability.

Maxine just waited, crouched low behind her desk, ready to duck, drop, run or sprint as the case required.

It’s just a single bomb, and it’s already gone off. No need to panic.

Smoke began to billow up from the doorway to the War Office. It made sense that would be where the bomb was. The nation wasn’t at war anymore, but the War Office was positioned so that it was the first sign anyone would see when they entered the building. That wasn’t by accident. For all the United States’ rhetoric about turning a new leaf and mutual prosperity, they wanted it very clear that they had beaten Germany and stood ready to beat her again.

Oh God! a voice called from the War Office. It’s General Preston! Someone’s killed General Preston!

A ripple seemed to run through the staff. The security officers paled a shade further, and Maxine’s manager, Dwight Cooley, actually staggered.

Maxine had no idea who General Preston was, but he was evidently important. The others looked shell-shocked.

Damn it, I don’t care who he was. Just get us out of here.

Her mother's voice scolded her for her language, but she was not caring about that now. She looked toward the exits and found one that was a little less crowded. Without waiting, she grabbed her bag and darted for the door. As she walked, she passed Buchholz, who clutched his paperwork to his breast and stared at her in horror.

She wasn’t proud of it, but she felt a perverse satisfaction when she left the building with him still inside.

***

Deputy Director Robert Pierons scowled at the report laid out in front of him. The analyst who delivered it—Gene? John?—whatever his name was—looked just as unhappy as Robert, though not for the same reason.

Preliminary findings indicate that the explosion was caused by an RDX based plastic charge shaped to release most of its energy onto General Preston himself. There wasn’t enough left to… the coroner was unable to determine if there were any contributing factors other than a forceful, point-blank detonation.

He was blown up.

The analyst nodded once. Yes, sir. That about sums it up.

Pierons nodded. I know the answer to this question already, but I’m going to ask it anyway. Do we have an idea who might be responsible?

It’s Russia, sir. Almost certainly.

Pierons sighed. Well, he knew the Bolsheviks were going to try something eventually. Better sooner rather than later when Harry Softhearted Truman decided to do away with the nuclear problem entirely and return the United States to an isolated frontier nation that stayed away from the world’s problems.

Not that Pierons didn’t wish to stay away. He just realized that in the modern world, that wasn’t going to be possible. If the United States could fight Germany and Japan across two separate oceans at the same time, then someone else could figure out a way to get to the United States. The only way to prevent that was to be so damned powerful that no one would dare to fight you in the first place.

Maybe this would help convince the powers that be to remain the powers that be.

Still, Robert wasn’t about to let a Bolshevik attack on an American general to go unanswered.

Get in contact with the office in Berlin, he said. And get in contact with the offices in Paris and London too. I want information. We need to know who authorized the attack, who planted the explosives, who decided to target Preston, and who decided to do this in our Embassy where sixty American citizens go to work every day.

His staff looked at him numbly, and he sighed. Sometime today would be nice, fellas.

Immediately, the office burst into activity. Telegraph operators began sending coded messages to offices in Europe while analysts rushed to their desks to begin deciphering the thin information they already knew. Robert watched them work and felt the old rush of excitement that came with an assignment—a real one.

Come get us, you commie bastards. We’ll teach you a lesson too.

It took a few minutes for data to start coming back. The office in Berlin responded first, naturally. The plastic explosive was RDX based but far more stable than Composition C3. Rather than use liquid nitrates with the RDX, they used a legitimate plastic as the plasticizer and even added a synthetic rubber as the binder. The result was a far more stable explosive than the C3 the Americans used.

Pierons’ brow furrowed when he received that information. He took the report over to a young, slightly built man with thick-rimmed glasses. Bryson, you know explosives, right?

I know them some, sir. Bryson had been a tank gunner in the war.

Good. Read this and tell me what you think.

He dropped the file in front of Bryson and looked expectantly at him. The young man blinked and picked up the paper. He skimmed it, and his eyes widened. This is ingenious. By using synthetic plastics and synthetic rubber, they can control the plasticity of the explosive with fewer fillers, leaving the resulting explosive much stronger than our own Composition C3. It’s even more docile since there are fewer volatile nitrates.

"I know what it is, Bryson, Pierons snapped. I want to know what it means?"

Bryson blinked again. Oh. Well, um… he picked up the paper again. Aside from the increased power of the explosive, it is, as I said, functionally inert without a powerful charge to initiate chemical reaction.

Plain English, Bryson.

"It won’t blow up unless you really want it to. You could drop it, smash it with a hammer, even shoot it, and it won’t explode unless you ‘tell’ it to with a powerful electric shock or another explosive reaction. Like I said, sir, it’s functionally inert."

Pierons nodded. And why would an assassin want an explosive to be functionally inert?

Um… Bryson pushed his glasses up his nose. Pierons thought he was a dead ringer for that reporter in the comics who tore his suit off to reveal himself as some ultra strong alien. Maybe Bryson secretly wasn’t a stuttering dork. Well, sir, I guess to transport it easily without fear of an accidental destination. Especially if he anticipated widely varying temperatures and levels of humidity.

Such as the difference between the frozen tundras of Russia and the temperate forests of Germany.

Um… well… Bryson offered a resigned sigh. Sure.

Mr. Wall, er. Pierons!

Director Wall er Pierons, Pierons corrected as he strode toward the telegraph operator who had just called for him.

The young man paled slightly but otherwise kept his composure. When he pointed at the transcript of a radio communication he had just intercepted, Pierons decided it wasn’t him the young man was afraid of.

TARGET ONE ELIMINATED. GLORY TO THE Motherland.

Pierons nodded. He fished in his pocket for a cigar and lit it absently. The Germans had referred to Germany as the Fatherland and exhorted all good Aryans to join the cause and fight for the Third Reich.