The Peacock and the Sparrow

A Novel

By: I.S. Berry

Narrated by: Pete Simonelli

Length: 11 hrs and 37 mins

Publisher's summary

During the Arab Spring, an American spy’s final mission goes dangerously awry in this eerily realistic and sophisticated espionage debut from a former CIA officer that is perfect for fans of John le Carré, Viet Thanh Nguyen, and Alan Furst.

Shane Collins, a world-weary CIA spy, is ready to come in from the cold. Stationed in Bahrain off the coast of Saudi Arabia for his final tour, he has little use for his mission—uncovering Iranian support for the insurgency against the monarchy. He certainly has no use for his naïve and ambitious twenty-eight-year-old station chief. Then Collins meets Almaisa, a beautiful and enigmatic artist, and his eyes are opened to a side of Bahrain most expats never experience, to questions he never thought to ask.

When his trusted informant becomes embroiled in a murder, Collins finds himself drawn deep into the conflict, his growing romance with Almaisa—and his loyalties—upended. In an instant, he’s caught in the crosshairs of a revolution. Drawing on all his skills as a spymaster, he must navigate a bloody uprising, earn Almaisa’s love, and uncover the murky border where Bahrain’s secrets end and America’s begin.

“A breathless tour-de-force, the perfect spy tale” (Ian Caldwell, author of The Fifth Gospel) and dripping with authenticity, The Peacock and the Sparrow is a timely story of the elusiveness of truth, the power of love and belief, and the universal desire to be part of a cause greater than oneself.

©2023 Ilana Berry. All rights reserve (P)2023 Simon & Schuster, Inc. All rights reserved.

Better and better as the story evolves

Detailed and poignant nuanced description of life as a spy. Reads like LeCarre in modern backdrop of Middle Eastern conflicts.

Fantastic reading of a stunning novel

I’m sometimes distracted by audiobook narrators (especially when I am reading the book simultaneously or have read it) but this actor did a phenomenal job of distinguishing the characters and letting the beauty of the prose shine through. I recommend this for fans of classic spy novels or literary fiction. The author deftly incorporates her background as a spy and her international travel experience into the story. The places and people pop. Highly recommend!

Wonderful literary debut, great spy novel

The pacing of the story was great - plot unfolded in a way that felt real. Loved the descriptions of the settings.

Excellent, clever, and well performed.

One needs to pay close attention. No good guys or gals in here. Antiheroes abound. Could have happened just as the story suggests. The CIA and USN take the biggest hits

Nice writing slow start , long finish

The Writing is good but the organizatio of the story,fine in detail of place and character flows sometimes too slowly and sometimes like a to quick wrap up. I think still better work from the author. The beginning is not bad but slow. The middle flows well. But the ending coda contains too much of the plot that should have been woven into the story. The narrator is good but very downbeat rather than evocative or sorrowful. Do recommend it.

Riveting!

Unique, believable characters, vivid descriptions of a world I knew virtually nothing about, and a plot with countless unexpected twists!

Well written story with interesting outcome

As someone familiar with the area and the characters depicted in the story, it took me a while to warm up to the characters. As the story progressed, the descriptive narrative dropped bread crumbs along the path towards the ending that seem to lay the groundwork for a series IF the author elects to pick up the story in another book. Shades of LeCarre in here. Both subtle and raw. Nice work.

Good Read

This story sounds very authentic. It made me want to go back to Arab Spring and read more. I was especially interested in Bahrain and read about the events there. It took me a little bit to get into the narrator’s voice but eventually I did. I will watch for more books from this author.

Who are the good guys?

A well-conceived spy thriller containing surprising twists. I would categorize “The Peacock and the Sparrow” as literary spy fiction in the tradition of the master, John Le Carré. The story has its backdrop, a time of revolutionary foment in Bahrain, pitting the Shiite majority against its Sunni king. The CIA suspects the Shiite revolutionaries are gaining overt support from Iran, a notion that the Bahrain government wants to encourage to undo a US arms embargo. The main character is CIA case officer Shane Collins, a raging alcoholic who’s as hard-boiled as they come in the legion of morally ambiguous intelligence officers. In spy literature, you don’t have to root for the main character. You simply must find them interesting. Treachery is always on the cusp. In reading the novel, I was reminded of Burt Lancaster’s immortal line in “The Professionals”: “Maybe there's only one revolution, since the beginning, the good guys against the bad guys. Question is, who are the good guys?”

Rehash of ideas

Rehash of ideas from other authors of espionage fiction. Commentary about tradecraft was annoying. Particularly because most of it was so inane.