Red Sparrow

A Novel

By: Jason Matthews

Narrated by: Jeremy Bobb

Length: 17 hrs and 55 mins

Publisher's summary

The start of a major career! A gripping, highly commercial espionage thriller written with the delicious insider detail and up-to-the-minute insight only known to a veteran CIA spook.

In today's Russia, dominated by Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, state intelligence officer Dominika Egorova struggles to survive in the cast-iron bureaucracy of post-Soviet intelligence. Drafted against her will to become a "Sparrow" - a trained seductress in the service, Dominika is assigned to operate against Nathaniel Nash, a first-tour CIA officer who handles the CIA's most sensitive penetration of Russian intelligence. The two young intelligence officers, trained in their respective spy schools, collide in a charged atmosphere of tradecraft, deception, and inevitably, a forbidden spiral of carnal attraction that threatens their careers and the security of America's valuable mole in Moscow.

Seeking revenge against her soulless masters, Dominika begins a fatal double life, recruited by the CIA to ferret out a high-level traitor in Washington - hunt down a Russian illegal buried deep in the U.S. military and, against all odds, to return to Moscow as the new-generation penetration of Putin's intelligence service. Dominika and Nathaniel's impossible love affair and twisted spy game come to a deadly conclusion in the shocking climax of this electrifying, up-to-the minute spy thriller.

w

©2013 Jason Matthews (P)2013 Simon & Schuster Audio

What a great spy tale.

A great spy story with intrigue and lots of twists and turns. The narrator was wonderful.

Very good

I like the recipes at the end of each chapter. Not like .other spy novels. I get the impression that this is what it would be like in the cia. Boring and tedious with too many rules. I kind of doubt it would that terrible in the svr. All in all a well written story that glides to the end. Easily read. I enjoyed this book

enter into the real world of spys

Loved it best spy novel in a long time thank you. No bull $#@# just the way it is. Thought provoking I had to hear the end. Most of the time I get just another spy book but this one was great!!!

Gypsy

Very good book
I felt that the audible version greatly enhanced my enjoyment of this book

Dense and "Unfinished"?

Matthews RED SPARROW starts off with and interesting idea: a beautiful, Russian female becomes highly trained in espionage honey-trapping. The story, though, bogs down in the middle as it devolves into the somewhat clunky injection of spy culture and language. This made it harder and hard to see the connected complications that drove the many personal relationship stories...which in turn muted the rising action...and make the climax rather dull, clichéd and like a first draft. A superb unfinished ending of unrequited love/friendship in the vein of GREAT EXPECTATIONS this book is not. Fortunately, this is a trilogy, so please make sure to read the rest of the series to get the appropriate closure. Bobb as narrator is not impressive. Yes, I known Jason Matthews is an American author, but, I'm not sure some of his voice choices fit with the tone of the novel--using American accents for the Russians A LA the movie DANGEROUS LIAISONS to show the contrite/stereotype viewpoint of one culture not noticing the "core" how another culture ticks. A creates a kind of satire in the form of irony (and some exaggeration) when you hear how he blurs the lines between American/Russians using his voice. Yet, I don't see the authenticity of Russian beauty and strength as well as darkness and shrewdness (which is shared by the Americans too) because they all sounds like...Americans. Choices like this gut the respect given to the book (especially when he intentionally uses a Russian accent...as a lampoon somewhat...of how Dominika pronounces her CIA colleague's name). Good potential...but misses the mark a bit.

Brilliant!

a gripping spy novel. great characters and a superbly woven tale. I can hardly wait to see the movie.

Great listen

Lots of twists and turns. Not too lurid but close. I expect more books to follow.

Classic Russian vs US spy novel

Well done Couldn’t put it down Los of twists and turns Very worthwhile Kept you on the edge

The Black Widow Origin Story We Never Got

This story is heartbreaking and thrilling. Passion, intrigue, foreign politics, it has it all. This is probably the reason a BW origin film never got off the ground, because it was already done in this story. (yeah, yeah, I know it's because of merchandising Marvel didn't bother)

unexpected intrigue and mystery!

especially intriguing. twists and turns in the story kept me spellbound at times. initially I did not like the narration, but grew too enjoy it quite a lot. on to the next one in the series