Welcome to the 'Corey Pearson – CIA Spymaster Series'- Novels and Short Stories of Espionage and Intrigue!

                       Whether you’re looking for a quick, thrilling short-story read or an immersive spy novel to sink into, Corey Pearson’s world has something for every adventure lover. Buckle up, explore the world of espionage, and join Corey Pearson on his next mission today!   

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COREY PEARSON- CIA SPYMASTER NOVEL SERIES: Enter the deadly world of Corey Pearson – CIA Spymaster, where deception is survival and the enemy hides in plain sight in these full-length novels. In Mission of Vengeance, Pearson hunts Russian agents behind a Caribbean massacre. In Shadow War, he uncovers a sleeper cell plot threatening millions on U.S. soil. From covert ops to nuclear threats, these gripping thrillers fuse real spycraft with breakneck action. The line between ally and traitor blurs—and only Pearson’s team can stop the chaos before it’s too late.

COREY PEARSON- CIA SPYMASTER SHORT STORY SERIES: These quick, 20-30 minute reads are perfect for spy thriller enthusiasts who crave high-stakes missions packed with real-world espionage and gripping spycraft. Read them in any order and get whisked away into Corey Pearson’s daring adventures, all in a single sitting!

 

  

 

Unmasking Russian Sleeper Cells: The Covert Spy War Against America

FBI moves in—Russian sleeper cell couple caught as agents close the trap in broad daylight after months of surveillance

 There’s something uniquely unsettling about the idea that the enemy might already be living next door. Not in a metaphorical way—literally. Blending in. Mowing the lawn. Playing the part. And waiting for the call.

That’s what sleeper agents do. And the Russians have been perfecting the craft for decades.

     The concept isn’t fiction. It’s not some far-fetched plot from a Cold War thriller. Russian sleeper cells are real, have operated in the U.S., and still pose a very serious threat to American national security.

     The CIA knows it well. They’ve deployed sleepers of their own overseas—agents who "go to sleep" for years. No contact. No signals. They build their cover, blend in, and wait. But the Russians? They mastered turning ordinary-looking lives into long-term assets. Sometimes entire families are involved. Sometimes it’s a woman posing as a stay-at-home mom in suburban New Jersey, like Cynthia Murphy—real name Lydia Guryeva—who was tasked with developing a relationship with a high-ranking U.S. official. Sometimes it's a real estate developer’s "friend," Vicky Pelaez—aka Mikhail Kott—a Russian operative posing as a journalist, whose job was to mine information on U.S. economic and political issues. All it takes is a trigger—then the cell activates.

     After World War II, the KGB flooded America with female agents who married U.S. military officers. They weren’t just going to sleep in suburbia—they were going to sleep with their targets. When the time came, Moscow would give the signal, and those quiet wives turned into information funnels.

     Fast forward to 2010, when the FBI busted a Russian sleeper cell operating for years under deep cover. Remember Anna Chapman? Glamorous, charming, fluent in multiple languages—and working to infiltrate American power circles. Her cell operated quietly, contacting financial elites, attempting to recruit insiders, and relaying intelligence back to Russia. They varied their routines constantly—different cafés, altered driving routes, inconsistent schedules—all textbook counter-surveillance tactics.

     At the time, I was watching SALT, that Angelina Jolie spy flick where a Russian defector claims that hidden agents—known as "KAs"—were living inside the U.S., waiting for “Day X” to strike and bring down the government from within. Seemed a little Hollywood—until real-life arrests started happening both in the U.S. and Germany, echoing the plot almost beat for beat. One German couple, living a quiet suburban life, turned out to be KGB-trained operatives who had been undercover for over 20 years. Their backstories? Fabricated. Birthplaces? Fake. Passports? Forged. But their mission? Very real.

     This isn’t ancient history, either. In 2022, a former MI6 officer claimed Britain had also been infiltrated by a sprawling network of Russian sleeper agents. And honestly, it’s hard not to believe him. These operatives don’t just pass along whispers—they target key players. They embed. They manipulate. They influence.

     That creeping sense of infiltration is the backdrop—and the battleground—for the COREY PEARSON- CIA SPYMASTER SERIES. Across three novels, the threat of Russian sleeper cells isn’t just fictionalized—it’s explored, dissected, and put under a narrative microscope.

     In MISSION OF VENGEANCE, the series kicks off with a murder at a luxury resort in the Dominican Republic. What looks like an isolated crime unravels into a Russian conspiracy stretching from the Caribbean to Langley. Two former KGB agents are behind it. One defects. And the truth he reveals sets CIA spymaster Corey Pearson on a collision course with a sleeper network buried deep within America’s borders.

     Then comes SHADOW WAR, where Pearson hunts the “Invisible Killer”—a Russian operative orchestrating a network of sleeper cells across the U.S. The assassin isn’t just killing agents—he’s setting the stage for a mass destabilization event. The tension builds with every page, but the core idea is chillingly realistic: sleeper cells already here, waiting to be told when and how to strike.

     And in PAYBACK, the third novel, that war turns personal. Young CIA operatives are being eliminated, one by one. A conspiracy snakes through NATO, the CIA, and beyond. Pearson and his elite Sleeper Cell team must dig through layers of espionage to stop the bloodletting—and root out the mole buried deep within the intelligence community.

     What makes the Corey Pearson novels hit hard is that they don’t stretch credibility—they sit uncomfortably close to the truth. The backdrop isn’t some fantasyland of spy gadgets and supervillains. It’s a world where Russian sleeper agents kill, manipulate, seduce, and infiltrate. Just like Anna Chapman did. Just like Igor Sporyshev, who tried to recruit Carter Page. Just like Vicky Pelaez, the fake journalist using her media credentials to get close to a New York developer. Just like Juan Lazaro, embedding himself in academia to scout potential sources.

     Each of those people operated undetected for years. They were never discovered by accident. It took relentless surveillance, luck, and sometimes old-school counterespionage to bring them down.

     And that’s the scary part. The ones we’ve caught? They’re likely just the tip of the iceberg.

     Russian espionage has evolved, but the tactic of sleeper cells—embedding, waiting, striking—hasn’t changed much. From the Rosenbergs in the '50s to deep cover operatives in the 2000s, the strategy remains consistent: get inside and wait.

     The danger isn’t some future possibility—it’s present tense. And as the COREY PEARSON- CIA SPYMASTER SERIES reminds us, in fiction and in reality, the cost of ignoring it could be catastrophic.

     We don’t need to imagine a world where Russian sleeper cells are active in America. We’re already living in it.

 

Robert Morton is a member of the Association of Former Intelligence Officers (AFIO) and writes about the U.S. Intelligence Community (IC). He also writes the Corey Pearson- CIA Spymaster Series, which blends his knowledge of real-life intelligence operations with gripping fictional storytelling. His work offers readers an insider’s glimpse into the world of espionage, inspired by the complexities and high-stakes realities of the intelligence community.

From Washington to Langley: How America’s First Spy Ring Still Shapes the CIA’s War in the Shadows

 

From the Culper Ring to CIA black ops — the war in the shadows never ended

When most people think of George Washington, they picture powdered wigs, wooden teeth, and maybe a cherry tree. What they don’t picture is the man behind one of the most sophisticated spy networks in American history. But that’s exactly who he was.

     Yes — the father of our country was also the father of American espionage.

     Back during the Revolutionary War, Washington wasn’t just fighting the Redcoats with muskets and bayonets. He was playing a whole different game: spycraft. He built the Culper Ring, a civilian-run network that pulled off the kind of covert ops you’d expect from the CIA today—coded messages, invisible ink, fake identities, secret drop points. The British never saw it coming.

     Washington knew early on that battles are won with brains just as much as bullets. If he wanted to beat the most powerful military on earth, he needed intel. So he became America’s first spymaster.

     Fast forward 250 years, and the same dirty, dangerous spy game is still being played—just with better tech, higher stakes, and fewer rules. That’s what makes the new thriller PAYBACK hit so hard.

     In PAYBACK, someone is targeting the CIA’s best and brightest—young agents handpicked for a top-secret Mentorship Program. One by one, they’re being hunted down and eliminated with chilling precision. It’s not just murder; it’s psychological warfare. A message. Someone’s bleeding fear straight into the heart of Langley.

     Enter CIA spymaster Corey Pearson—a man cut from the same cloth as Washington. Cool under pressure. Ruthless when he needs to be. And absolutely unwilling to back down. He’s tasked with finding the killer… and stopping a conspiracy that runs deep inside Western intelligence. We’re talking NATO, covert ops, and alliances that start to crack when trust goes out the window.

     Just like Washington’s time, the enemy isn’t always wearing a uniform. They blend in. They hide in plain sight. And they’re always a step ahead.

     That’s what makes the parallels between PAYBACK and the Culper Ring so wild. Washington had to rely on ordinary citizens—tavern owners, merchants, farmers—to spy for him. People no one would suspect. That’s the exact kind of ghost Corey Pearson is chasing: someone who knows the system, knows how to disappear, and knows exactly where to hurt the most.

The thriller pulses with the same kind of paranoia and tension Washington lived with every day. Betrayal? Expected. Misdirection? Required. Trust? Dangerous.

     And like Washington, Corey’s fight isn’t just about duty—it’s personal. It’s payback.

     What makes this more than just a clever connection is the reminder that American intelligence has always walked a razor’s edge between loyalty and deception. Washington may have written the playbook, but today’s CIA is still running the same plays—only now, the stakes are global, and the enemies are harder to spot.

     So whether you're a history buff who thinks spycraft started in 1776, or a thriller junkie who can’t get enough of black ops and conspiracies, PAYBACK delivers both barrels. It’s a modern-day echo of America’s original spy game—deadlier, faster, but still rooted in the same truth:

     In the world of espionage, the shadows are never empty. And the game never ends.

 

Robert Morton is a member of the Association of Former Intelligence Officers (AFIO) and writes about the U.S. Intelligence Community (IC). He also writes the Corey Pearson- CIA Spymaster Series, which blends his knowledge of real-life intelligence operations with gripping fictional storytelling. His work offers readers an insider’s glimpse into the world of espionage, inspired by the complexities and high-stakes realities of the intelligence community.

Why U.S. Allies Are Pulling Back on Intelligence Sharing

 

Allies Are Losing Trust in the U.S. — And It's Not Just Paranoia

📎 Read the full NBC News article

A recent NBC News report reveals growing concern among America’s closest intelligence allies. As the possibility of a second Trump presidency looms, some of these partners are already discussing pulling back on the intelligence they share with the U.S. Why? Because they fear their most sensitive secrets—especially the identities of assets—could end up in the wrong hands.

This isn’t political drama. It’s strategic survival.

Allies pulling back intel isn’t paranoia—it’s survival. If Trump leans toward Moscow, sharing assets’ identities becomes too risky. Once that trust is broken, rebuilding it could take decades.

The story isn’t just that allies are worried. It’s that they’re preparing for what they see as a realistic risk: a shift in U.S. foreign policy that could favor adversaries like Russia, whether through direct cooperation or negligence. That puts human sources—real people working in dangerous environments—at risk. Intelligence sharing isn’t based on blind loyalty. It’s based on trust, and trust depends on stability.

If that foundation cracks, we’re looking at a long-term weakening of global cooperation on terrorism, cyber threats, nuclear proliferation, and more. You can’t snap your fingers and fix it later. Relationships like these are slow to build and easy to break.

This article should be a wake-up call. Intelligence isn’t just about what we know—it’s about what others are still willing to tell us.

Bioweapons in the Shadows: The Real Threat Behind Russia’s Secret Labs

 

Deadly Silence: The Threat Lurking Behind Russia’s Bioweapons Curtain

     It’s easy to dismiss the idea of a secret Russian bioweapons lab as something lifted from the pages of a spy novel. But what if the fiction is closer to reality than we’d like to believe?

     As the global community continues to reel from the lasting effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, the specter of biological warfare has quietly crept back into the conversation among intelligence experts. While there’s no verified evidence that bioweapons played any role in COVID-19, U.S. intelligence officials have confirmed growing concern over clandestine Russian laboratories — some of which were supposedly shut down decades ago — that are still operating in secret.

     Take the Vector Institute in Siberia, for example. Officially, it’s a research center for infectious diseases, working on viruses like smallpox and Ebola. Unofficially, satellite imagery and classified intelligence suggest a buildup of activity — new construction, armed security, and signs of military-grade infrastructure. Then there’s the lesser-known Kirov facility in the Ural Mountains and the Scientific Research Institute of Biological Instrumentation near St. Petersburg, all legacies of the Soviet Union’s vast and highly classified bioweapons program that started as early as the 1920s. Many experts believe the program never really ended — it just went deeper underground.

     The U.S. has been monitoring these locations with increasing urgency. Surveillance reports describe strange shipments, restricted areas expanding in size, and a flow of personnel that doesn’t match official rosters. The real fear? That these labs are developing or stockpiling weaponized versions of viruses like anthrax, smallpox, tularemia, or even new synthetic pathogens designed to spread fast and leave no trace of origin.

     It’s not just the viruses themselves that worry analysts — it’s the delivery systems. During the Cold War, the Soviets experimented with dispersal via aerial bombs, missile warheads, and sprayers. The concept was horrifyingly simple: unleash a highly contagious virus over a densely populated area, and let chaos do the rest.

     That premise forms the chilling backbone of Shadow War, a spy thriller I wrote after digging into declassified intelligence reports and speaking with former field officers. In the novel, Russian sleeper cells plan to release a lab-engineered virus using a discreet aerosol device along Wall Street in New York City. What starts as fiction eerily mirrors real-world possibilities — and that’s the point. The more research I did, the more I realized how disturbingly plausible the scenario is.

     Skeptics often point to the 1972 Biological Weapons Convention, which the Soviet Union signed, promising to dismantle its bioweapons program. But history tells a different story. Just three years later, an anthrax leak from a military facility in Sverdlovsk (now Yekaterinburg) killed dozens — and the truth was buried for decades. Many in U.S. intelligence believe Russia simply hid its most dangerous operations and continued its research in defiance of international law.

     Today, with modern genetics, AI, and synthetic biology, a pathogen doesn't need to be a naturally occurring virus. It can be engineered — made deadlier, more contagious, or harder to detect. And if a hostile state actor or terrorist cell were to get their hands on such a virus, the fallout would make COVID-19 look like a dress rehearsal.

     This isn’t about fear-mongering. It’s about preparedness. The U.S. intelligence community continues to work around the clock to monitor these facilities, intercept chatter, and analyze satellite feeds. But the truth is, when it comes to bioweapons, detection often happens too late.

     That’s why stories like Shadow War exist — not just to entertain, but to warn. The novel’s plot may be fiction, but it’s anchored in hours of research, real-world tactics, and interviews with experts who’ve lived in the shadows. And it’s those shadows we need to shine a light on.

     Because if there’s one lesson history keeps repeating, it’s that threats evolve, enemies adapt, and silence doesn’t mean safety. The labs may be hidden. Their work, cloaked. But the risk they pose is very, very real.

     In the end, perhaps the most chilling part isn’t what’s happening in the lab — it’s how few people are watching.

 

Robert Morton is a member of the Association of Former Intelligence Officers (AFIO) and writes about the U.S. Intelligence Community (IC). He also writes the Corey Pearson- CIA Spymaster Series, which blends his knowledge of real-life intelligence operations with gripping fictional storytelling. His work offers readers an insider’s glimpse into the world of espionage, inspired by the complexities and high-stakes realities of the intelligence community.

Shadows in the Capital: A Spy Walks Among Us

 

Ji-Yoon Lee, once South Korea’s top intelligence operative, walks the twilight streets of D.C., her designer bag hiding secrets as deep as the shadows trailing her."

Sometimes, truth really is stranger than fiction. That’s exactly what came to mind when news broke about Sue Mi Terry—the former CIA analyst turned foreign policy pundit—who’s now facing charges that sound more like the opening chapter of a spy thriller than real life.

     Terry, once hailed as a go-to expert on North Korea, allegedly spent years secretly helping South Korean intelligence operatives gain access to U.S. officials, slipping them information and pushing their narratives. According to federal prosecutors, she did all this while accepting lavish perks: tens of thousands in covert cash, high-end luxury goods from Dolce & Gabbana and Louis Vuitton, even fancy dinners at Michelin-starred restaurants. You’d be forgiven for mistaking her resume for a Bond villain’s sidekick.

     Here’s the kicker: a lot of what she allegedly did isn’t that far off from what registered foreign lobbyists do every day in D.C.—only she didn’t register. Under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), anyone working on behalf of a foreign government must disclose it to the U.S. government. It's a pretty basic rule, but an important one. And Terry, allegedly, just... didn’t bother.

     Her indictment shines a bright light on a deeper, often-overlooked issue: the importance of counterintelligence in keeping our government secure from foreign manipulation. It’s not just about preventing another Cold War-style standoff—it's about stopping subtle, behind-the-scenes influence campaigns that twist policy, shape public opinion, and compromise our national security.

     This isn’t just some bureaucratic misstep. When foreign agents can get this close to U.S. officials without raising alarms, it’s a sign that our counterintelligence radar may need recalibrating. And if you think Terry’s story is unsettling, wait until you read the plotlines in my Corey Pearson - CIA Spymaster thriller series.

     In those pages, the shadow games go even deeper. Former Russian KGB officers, using decades of tradecraft experience, quietly embed moles inside the office of the U.S. National Security Advisor. One particularly tense arc involves a high-ranking U.S. Senator—Chairman of the Senate Select Intelligence Committee—whose staff has been compromised. These fictional tales echo the real-world vulnerabilities exposed by cases like Terry’s. The scary part? Fiction often trails reality.

     What’s especially concerning about Terry’s case is how low the bar was for infiltration. She wasn’t sneaking into top-secret facilities or engaging in cloak-and-dagger dead drops in parking garages. She was already inside the tent—as a respected think tank voice, a former intelligence insider, and a recognizable face on cable news. That gave her a long leash to mingle with current officials, push certain viewpoints, and influence policy in ways that went mostly unquestioned.

     Now, of course, she’s innocent until proven guilty. But even if a fraction of the allegations are true, this case is an embarrassing reminder that influence doesn’t always come from the shadows—it sometimes comes wearing heels and ordering caviar at a business lunch.

     The reality is that foreign governments are playing a long game. Whether it's South Korea trying to influence U.S. policy quietly through unofficial channels, or Russian and Chinese operatives running deeper ops, the threat is real and growing. And in a world where former intelligence officers can so easily pivot into media, academia, and policy advising, the lines between national service and foreign influence can blur dangerously fast.

     The Sue Mi Terry case should be a wake-up call—not just for those inside the intelligence community, but for all of us. It’s a reminder that we need to be just as focused on the subtler forms of espionage as we are on the dramatic ones. After all, the most dangerous spy is the one who doesn’t look like a spy at all.

     Let’s hope the real-life CIA spymasters are watching just as closely as readers of Corey Pearson’s exploits.

 

Robert Morton is a member of the Association of Former Intelligence Officers (AFIO) and writes about the U.S. Intelligence Community (IC). He also writes the Corey Pearson- CIA Spymaster Series, which blends his knowledge of real-life intelligence operations with gripping fictional storytelling. His work offers readers an insider’s glimpse into the world of espionage, inspired by the complexities and high-stakes realities of the intelligence community.

Spy Queen Stella Rimington Gone, But Her Legacy Lives in Fictional CIA Heroines

Female spies inspired by MI5 legend Stella Rimington conduct covert surveillance in the field

     Dame Stella Rimington, the legendary former Director General of MI5 and a trailblazer in the world of espionage, has died at the age of 90. And while her passing closes a powerful chapter in British intelligence history, her legacy is anything but over. In fact, it pulses through the pages of spy thrillers—both hers and others—and lives on in characters like Ana and Ashley, the two fierce female operatives in the Corey Pearson – CIA Spymaster Series.

     Rimington wasn’t just another spy—she was a total game-changer in a world full of stiff suits and even stiffer traditions. When she took over as head of MI5 in 1992, it was a huge deal. This was a job that had always been run by men, and not just any men—quiet, behind-the-scenes types whose names the public never even knew. But Rimington flipped the script. Not only was she the first woman to run MI5, but she was also the first boss of the agency to have her name made public. That one bold move shook up the whole culture of British intelligence. She didn’t just take the top seat—she did it in full view, with the world watching.

     If that sounds like something out of a spy novel, well… that’s because it kind of is. Rimington channeled her 27 years inside MI5—years spent mastering counter-espionage, counter-terrorism, and counter-subversion—into a second career as an author. Her spy thrillers are the real deal, not the overly stylized fantasy stuff. They drip with authenticity, and when she writes about spycraft, you know she’s not guessing.

     Which brings us back to Ana and Ashley.

     In the Corey Pearson series, Ana is the undercover chameleon with a sixth-degree black belt and a charm that masks lethal precision. She blends in, gets close, and when necessary, strikes fast. She’s bold, intuitive, and impossible to read—traits Stella Rimington embodied during her decades at MI5. Ana’s ability to disappear into roles echoes how Rimington first entered the intelligence world, quietly and almost accidentally, while posted in India with her husband. From there, she became indispensable, just like Ana in her fictional CIA unit.

     Ashley, on the other hand, is all strategy—methodical, calculating, and constantly ten moves ahead. If Ana is fire, Ashley is ice. She's the kind of mind who sees a trap before it’s even set. That’s classic Rimington. Long before she was ever DG, Rimington was the behind-the-scenes architect of British counter-espionage operations. She understood patterns, anticipated threats, and built strategy like a chess master. Sound familiar?

     Both characters—Ana with her field savvy and Ashley with her strategic brilliance—are clearly cut from Rimington’s cloth. The author of the Corey Pearson- CIA Spmaster Series has said as much: these two women were inspired by Rimington herself. It shows.

     What makes all of this so captivating isn’t just that Stella Rimington broke the mold—it’s that she made it cool to be a real spy. No tuxedos or shaken martinis needed. Her work was meticulous, sometimes boring, often dangerous, and always essential. She dealt with threats no one saw coming and worked in silence while others got the headlines. But she didn’t complain—she just got it done. That quiet grit? You see it in Ana. That cool, ruthless clarity under pressure? That's Ashley.

     One of the most telling parallels between Rimington and her fictional descendants in the Corey Pearson series is how they handle the evolving threat landscape. Rimington led MI5 through a transformative era—when the Cold War was ending, and new, shadowy terror threats were emerging. It wasn’t spy vs. spy anymore. It was spy vs. ideology, vs. invisible cells, vs. threats without borders. Similarly, in the Pearson series, Ana and Ashley are up against a deadly Russian sleeper cell aiming to unleash catastrophe on American soil. But the danger isn’t just out there—it’s infiltrated America’s own institutions. It’s the same kind of internal-external balancing act Rimington had to manage during her tenure.

     What’s wild is that Rimington also foresaw the growing need for openness in intelligence work. She pushed MI5 to be more transparent, helping it gain public trust in a time when secret services were viewed with suspicion. That blend of secrecy and accountability is a theme threaded through the Corey Pearson novels as well—where espionage isn’t just about hiding things, but protecting people and principles.

     Dame Stella Rimington didn’t just make history—she lived the spy life, then translated it into fiction. Her work continues to influence new generations of writers and characters, like Ana and Ashley, who now carry the torch in a new age of espionage fiction. In a world still spinning with misinformation, political sabotage, and unseen enemies, Rimington’s legacy remains urgent and relevant.

     So here’s to Stella Rimington: the real-life M, the literary spymaster, the game-changer. And to Ana and Ashley—her fictional daughters in arms—who remind us that behind every calm smile might lie a mind ready to outwit the world’s worst.

 

Robert Morton is a member of the Association of Former Intelligence Officers (AFIO) and writes about the U.S. Intelligence Community (IC). He also writes the Corey Pearson- CIA Spymaster Series, which blends his knowledge of real-life intelligence operations with gripping fictional storytelling. His work offers readers an insider’s glimpse into the world of espionage, inspired by the complexities and high-stakes realities of the intelligence community.