With an underlying romantic theme, A Softer Side Of Deceit enters the dark world of Cold War intrigue in which an independent CIA contractor's well-meant alteration of his assignment unleashes a far-reaching chain of unintended events. Bob Hansel has retired to his sailboat to cruise the Caribbean with his new lover, young and seductive Ali Prudeaux. As their steamy romance draws him into thoughts of marriage, in Martinique his mentor, CIA Berlin Chief Nathaniel Kroiter, interrupts him with a tempting one million dollar assignment in East Germany. Bob's former romance with a woman who is now lover to the notorious STASI Director can serve to get him close enough to accomplish necessary but grim tasks. Hansel cautiously accepts the offer, leaves Ali in Martinique, and returns to the covert game that he has grown to despise. His dark journey takes him into an underworld of political violence and betrayal from which he barely escapes. Only upon his return to Martinique and a romantic reunion with Ali will he learn Kroiter's true motives and involvement in the assignment. As he faces another deadly threat from a duplicitous source, the extent of Kroiter's cunning is revealed. Previously published in 2012 as "Deep Cover."