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CIA Fall Guy
When Beth Parsons is summoned to CIA headquarters for the bogus purpose of identifying someone from her past, she realizes she must find out what is really going on.
Forced to partner with the man who may have been responsible for her husband's death, she has to unmask the real traitors or end up as the fall guy.After the CIA driver who brought her to D.C. is shot and killed, Beth escapes her CIA "babysitter" and sets off to discover why she is suddenly once again in the world of spies and double agents.
Her quest takes her to Europe and then back to the U.S., and pairs her with a mysterious man who may or may not be on her side.
If you like espionage stories and tales of intrigue -- especially ones with a dash of romantic suspense, CIA FALL GUY is for you!
Bonus: Excerpt of cozy mystery CAST THE FIRST STONE included.
Forced to partner with the man who may have been responsible for her husband's death, she has to unmask the real traitors or end up as the fall guy.After the CIA driver who brought her to D.C. is shot and killed, Beth escapes her CIA "babysitter" and sets off to discover why she is suddenly once again in the world of spies and double agents.
Her quest takes her to Europe and then back to the U.S., and pairs her with a mysterious man who may or may not be on her side.
If you like espionage stories and tales of intrigue -- especially ones with a dash of romantic suspense, CIA FALL GUY is for you!
Bonus: Excerpt of cozy mystery CAST THE FIRST STONE included.
112 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 4, 2012
59 people are currently reading
433 people want to read
About the author
Phyllis Zimbler Miller
27 books15 followers
I write to share espionage, military and women's fiction (see www.amazon.com/author/phylliszimblerm...) featuring strong female characters as well as info and history in my nonfiction (see www.amazon.com/author/phylliszmiller)
I love to help other authors by sharing author and book information at my author site at www.PhyllisZimblerMiller.com and I was the founding president of the Los Angeles Chapter of Sisters in Crime.
My work-in-progress fiction and nonfiction as well as some of my published stories can be read for free on my Wattpad account at www.wattpad.com/user/ZimblerMiller
I invite you to follow my author page here on Goodreads -- and I welcome all friend requests.
Connect with me on Twitter at http://twitter.com/ZimblerMiller
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
October 23, 2012
Note that the only 5-star review was awarded by the author herself. Passable fiction. I hope the author, if she's truly in the mood to update her past works, considers re-researching some of the geographical and historical references she includes in this work. While she is at it, she may consider consulting with somebody who has, at a minimum, had access to a basic German language course. Her Amazon description showed her lack of understanding of the chronology of the Fall of the Berlin Wall. No reason for these inaccuracies.
December 24, 2012
This book started out interesting (if you suspend disbelief that the CIA would be interested in having a civilian recognize a drunk man she saw for a minute 25 years ago). I give it two stars for the author keeping the reader guessing who was a good guy and who was not. But the plot just got more and more improbable, if not impossible as it went on.
November 9, 2013
This spy thriller started out with great promise, but it deteriorated into another example of a novel that couldn't decide between being a mystery or a love story. The mysteries unfolded too quickly at the end with dialog instead of descriptions of action providing all the details.
A disappointment.
A disappointment.
Read
August 7, 2013Sorry, just couldn't finish it - too many editing errors and the story didn't draw me in.
October 18, 2013
Not recommended!
June 5, 2014
It was pretty bad! The plot is disjointed, the characters do all manner of stupid things, and the ending is straight out of a romance novel.
September 6, 2017
Good book
You people should just read this book yourselves and write your own review on this novel yourself and I really enjoyed reading this book very much so. Shelley MA
You people should just read this book yourselves and write your own review on this novel yourself and I really enjoyed reading this book very much so. Shelley MA
February 12, 2018
Never a dull moment
I hated having to put it down, but a person has to work sometime. Give it a read. You won’t be disappointed.
I hated having to put it down, but a person has to work sometime. Give it a read. You won’t be disappointed.
August 2, 2012
Spies, Double Agents, Intrigue, Murder
The story commences eight years after the fall of the Berlin wall when CIA agent David Ward was in Germany to look into events in the past. At the same time German Hans Wermer, who twenty-five years earlier having fed reports to the CIA about Communist workers in East Germany, filed a requisition with the CIA for payment for his services, but no one knew what he looked like to substantiate his claim.
George MacIntosh, CIA head of this department at Langley, needed someone to physically identify Wermer. The only one alive who might be able to was Beth Parsons, widow of Lt. Stephen Parson, who was killed at the Officers Club in Munich when a bomb exploded. Beth had been working temporarily as a secretary for the U.S. military Intelligence Group and she had never recovered from her husband’s death, which left her aloof from any further romances. At that time in Munich, one night Beth had been with her boss, Jack Lockheim, when a drunken German bumped into their table and offered them a drink. Beth only glanced at him and now from the CIA she learned that he was a contact with her boss Jack. She was expected to remember what he looked like and identify him?
Kathleen Walker, an African American, a member of MacIntosh’s team, was to take Beth to see this Wermer at an isolated cabin, but upon entering it there lay a shot dead man on the floor, but not Wermer. Beth identified him as the driver who picked her up at the airport that morning in D.C. Due to these unseen circumstances, Kathleen was requested to house Beth. Kathleen took Beth to her apartment, but had to leave and locked Beth in. Furious Beth quickly packed a backpack of a few essentials. She climbed out through the bathroom window, down a rose trellis to the ground floor and escaped. Renting a car, she drove until she was exhausted and holed up at a cheap motel.
David followed her and when he attempted to communicate with her, she attacked him with her karate skills, but he overcame her and after several attempts convinced her that he was on her side. She told him of Stephen’s death and wondered if the club hadn’t been bombed to kill someone specifically. David said yes and he thought it might have been himself for he was scheduled to be there, but being late, escaped death.
David dragged Beth to an airplane and forced her first parachute jump into Germany. They traveled around parts of the country where she had been with Stephen. David sought clues to determine the truth of his CIA office: Was he the target at the Officer’s Club bombing? Who were double agents? Who was the mole in their CIA office? He felt that Beth was an unknown factor in all of this and he attempted to keep Beth safe. Against Beth’s determination to never let any man in, she found herself weakening. During these exhausting searches, twice “karate Beth” managed to smash the knee of an unknown man, thereby hospitalizing two CIA agents.
The cast of interesting characters included: Charles Trenchant, CIA agent; Shmuel, a black belt Israeli commando; Fredrich, a German defector who worked in U.S. and reported to the Communists; plus a few interesting others to fill in the gaps of this spy novel. The story moves fast, is filled with action, intrigue and mystery. Readers of spy stories will enjoy this novel.
The story commences eight years after the fall of the Berlin wall when CIA agent David Ward was in Germany to look into events in the past. At the same time German Hans Wermer, who twenty-five years earlier having fed reports to the CIA about Communist workers in East Germany, filed a requisition with the CIA for payment for his services, but no one knew what he looked like to substantiate his claim.
George MacIntosh, CIA head of this department at Langley, needed someone to physically identify Wermer. The only one alive who might be able to was Beth Parsons, widow of Lt. Stephen Parson, who was killed at the Officers Club in Munich when a bomb exploded. Beth had been working temporarily as a secretary for the U.S. military Intelligence Group and she had never recovered from her husband’s death, which left her aloof from any further romances. At that time in Munich, one night Beth had been with her boss, Jack Lockheim, when a drunken German bumped into their table and offered them a drink. Beth only glanced at him and now from the CIA she learned that he was a contact with her boss Jack. She was expected to remember what he looked like and identify him?
Kathleen Walker, an African American, a member of MacIntosh’s team, was to take Beth to see this Wermer at an isolated cabin, but upon entering it there lay a shot dead man on the floor, but not Wermer. Beth identified him as the driver who picked her up at the airport that morning in D.C. Due to these unseen circumstances, Kathleen was requested to house Beth. Kathleen took Beth to her apartment, but had to leave and locked Beth in. Furious Beth quickly packed a backpack of a few essentials. She climbed out through the bathroom window, down a rose trellis to the ground floor and escaped. Renting a car, she drove until she was exhausted and holed up at a cheap motel.
David followed her and when he attempted to communicate with her, she attacked him with her karate skills, but he overcame her and after several attempts convinced her that he was on her side. She told him of Stephen’s death and wondered if the club hadn’t been bombed to kill someone specifically. David said yes and he thought it might have been himself for he was scheduled to be there, but being late, escaped death.
David dragged Beth to an airplane and forced her first parachute jump into Germany. They traveled around parts of the country where she had been with Stephen. David sought clues to determine the truth of his CIA office: Was he the target at the Officer’s Club bombing? Who were double agents? Who was the mole in their CIA office? He felt that Beth was an unknown factor in all of this and he attempted to keep Beth safe. Against Beth’s determination to never let any man in, she found herself weakening. During these exhausting searches, twice “karate Beth” managed to smash the knee of an unknown man, thereby hospitalizing two CIA agents.
The cast of interesting characters included: Charles Trenchant, CIA agent; Shmuel, a black belt Israeli commando; Fredrich, a German defector who worked in U.S. and reported to the Communists; plus a few interesting others to fill in the gaps of this spy novel. The story moves fast, is filled with action, intrigue and mystery. Readers of spy stories will enjoy this novel.
August 13, 2012
Read my full review @ http://bit.ly/Sf49cE
I am not a fan of CIA thrillers. A bit to "guyish" for me. However, I enjoyed this book by Ms. Miller though. I would call this a CIA book for female readers.
I might be a bit biased, but the author, a Wharton MBA, has written this book in a clear and concise manner (which is my favorite type of writing) without going overboard in either the romance dance or emotional baggage being attached to the pages, yet doesn't have it so technical that it loses appeal for women. It is really an excellent balance.
I think that this is the type of book that would meet the reading desires of numerous genres of female readers, but it is not so girlish though that there wouldn't be guys who would enjoy it, as well!
I am not a fan of CIA thrillers. A bit to "guyish" for me. However, I enjoyed this book by Ms. Miller though. I would call this a CIA book for female readers.
I might be a bit biased, but the author, a Wharton MBA, has written this book in a clear and concise manner (which is my favorite type of writing) without going overboard in either the romance dance or emotional baggage being attached to the pages, yet doesn't have it so technical that it loses appeal for women. It is really an excellent balance.
I think that this is the type of book that would meet the reading desires of numerous genres of female readers, but it is not so girlish though that there wouldn't be guys who would enjoy it, as well!
December 14, 2012
The plot for CIA Fall Guy is such non-stop action that the characters barely have time to breathe. It reads very much like a script at times, and it would certainly make for a good thriller/action movie. I've read other works by Phyllis Zimbler Miller, and she tells a good tale. The characters in this one would've benefitted from a bit more fleshing out, which truthfully would not have slowed the pace of action down that much. It would also have prepared this reader better for some of the characters' reactions, a few which left me with a feeling that they were a bit out of synch. All in all, it's still a good read.
March 25, 2013
This was a good spy thriller. Sometimes it was a bit challenging to follow all the characters ... maybe more development of each would help solidify them in the reader's mind. It was a complex plot with agents, double agents, double-double agents ... you get the drift. It seemed that some historical details might have been amiss on occasion as well as geographical references. But that aside, it was fast-paced and certainly a quick read with lots of “spy” action (jumping from planes, trains, cars, etc). Nice little wrap up at the end. I got the book for free on kindle and it kept me company several days while riding my stationary bike – so I’m not complaining.
July 13, 2013
I won this book and,as always was excited to try a new author. The plot was interesting-the CIA wanted a civilian woman to try to identify someone she had seen 25 years ago for only a few seconds.
I kept thinking, would the CIA actually do that? Don't think so.
But the twists of who the bad guy was kept my interest. I wish the
characters had been more deeply written about. The book was too
short and needed some more character development. But, it was
an enjoyable just to find out the identities of who were the good
people and who were the bad people. I didn't like the last line
in the book-thought it was too cutesy!
I kept thinking, would the CIA actually do that? Don't think so.
But the twists of who the bad guy was kept my interest. I wish the
characters had been more deeply written about. The book was too
short and needed some more character development. But, it was
an enjoyable just to find out the identities of who were the good
people and who were the bad people. I didn't like the last line
in the book-thought it was too cutesy!
May 18, 2013
I was disappointed! Having read and enjoyed two other books by the same author, I was expecting to get the same satisfaction from this one. Stories about the CIA and the FBI always interest me and I love getting involved with all the usual twists and turns, but this book fell short of my expectations. There was quite a complicated plot-line and I found it difficult to remember who was on whose side. There were also quite a few grammatical errors.
December 13, 2012
Read this over two days and found that if I put it down I had to back track a bit to get the characters straight. It did keep my interest, but I did not know who the main character was until half-way through...that being said, it moved forward at a good pace and kept me guessing how it would end.
October 1, 2013
Although I enjoyed the story, I tended to lose the plot and picked up some inconsistencies in the flow of the story. The characters are underdeveloped and one tends to get confused between all the names. The story is however worth the read.
July 22, 2013
A fast read & easy to follow the characters but interesting, where you understand everything. Enjoyed.
October 2, 2013
Loved the witty repartee.
November 10, 2013
Good book. Could not put it down.
Want to read
February 15, 2016and dashes of romance, with a sprinkling of humor, murder mystery thriller, west berlin, double agents, washington d.c.
April 5, 2017
Wasn't great but wasn't unreadable.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews