The Cold War Begins

From Amazon bestsellers list author Roger L. Liles comes the second volume of his Cold War trilogy—THE COLD WAR BEGINS. The setting is war-ravaged Berlin in late 1946. Spies from both sides begin to move with relative ease throughout a Germany occupied by British, French, American and Russian military forces. Kurt Altschuler, our hero, soon becomes one of them.

While working behind enemy lines as an OSS agent in France during World War II, Kurt learns that intelligence collection involves both exhilarating and dangerous encounters with the enemy. He relished every moment he spent as part of the vanguard confronting the Nazis.

That war has been over for 18 months when he is offered a job as a CIA deep-cover agent in the devastated and divided city of Berlin. He jumps at the opportunity, but is concerned that his guise as an Associated Press News Agency reporter will offer little action. He need not worry. Soon, he is working undercover, deep inside of Russian-controlled southeastern Germany. Eventually, KGB agents waylay him and tear his car and luggage apart. His chauffeur is beaten. He is threatened with prison, torture and death.

Enter Erica Hoffmann, a very attractive, aspiring East German archeology student. Any relationship between an undercover CIA agent and an East German woman is strictly forbidden; she might be a KGB or Stasi agent or operative. But he cannot help himself—he has fallen hard for her. Kurt strives assiduously to maintain their tempestuous, star-crossed relationship.

Eventually, Kurt works to counter the efforts of Russian and East German spies, especially a mole who is devastating Western Intelligence assets throughout Europe. He also must work to identify and expose enemy spies who have penetrated the very fabric of the West German government and society. He frequently observes to others that: “the spy business is like knife fighting in a dark closet; you know you’re going to be cut up, you just don’t know how bad.”

"A thoroughly enjoyable page-turner filled with history, intrigue, and suspense. Roger Liles' second book in the planned cold war trilogy transports the reader back to post World War II Berlin where Espionage is the order of the day. It relates how close we really came to World War III"

-USN Captain Terry Badger, Author of The Saga of HS-6 and Snake Tails 

EXCEPTIONAL! The settings and descriptions of post-World War II Berlin are vital and real. In this prequel, Kurt Altschuler takes center stage; his numerous dangerous, life-threatening adventures into Russian controlled areas are told in exciting detail. Kurt's star-crossed love of an East German woman is forbidden and could get them both killed, imprisoned, or, at best, separated permanently.

-Karen Black,Author of Code of Conduct and Tinman --This text refers to the paperback edition.