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.

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

Finally a geometric novel with real characters

Would you consider the audio edition of Red Sparrow to be better than the print version?

very good narrative & sound

What did you like best about this story?

Ludlum us to talk about importance of geometric thinking over linear. Nice twist and turns herein. As former Russian analyst; enjoyed the many dimensions.
First time reading a book made me so hungry!!!

Excellent.

Fabulous narrative and story. Kept me on the edge of my seat all the way through. Now listening for the second time.

A big thumbs up. Highly recommended!

"Red Sparrow" is not a perfect novel but it is very, very good and without a doubt one of the best credits I ever spent. It is not really like a John Le Carre book but painting with a broad brush, "Red Sparrow" is more like "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy" than, say, Ian Fleming's "Goldfinger." It is a story of real world human intelligence and counter-intelligence operations and as such the plot involves not only the tradecraft of spies but also the characters' inner lives -- their past experiences, their resentments, their betrayals and humiliations, their hopes and ambitions, and ultimately their shifting loyalties.

There is one shortcoming that comes to mind in that author Jason Matthews gives one of the main characters an unusual trait and at times he uses it as a literary crutch. (Coincidentally this particular character has a limp.) But even so "Red Sparrow" is absorbing and I even found myself over the weekend looking forward to Monday morning when my commute in the car would let me get back to the story. For a debut novel it is excellent and I hope that Matthews has a long and fruitful literary career.

The Best Espionage Novel I've Ever Read

The author clearly understand trade craft and has an intimate knowledge of both American and Russian intelligence agencies. I thought the story was realistic and plausible and left an opening for a sequel. The characters are realistic, humans with attendant foibles and flaws.

McCarry was always my favorite author of this genre but I think Jason Matthews may well surpass him. I highly recommend this book.

Picky reader loved this book

What did you love best about Red Sparrow?

Everything: characters, plot, narration.

What did you like best about this story?

Lot of twists and turns. Hard to stop listening.

Which character – as performed by Jeremy Bobb – was your favorite?

The red sparrow.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Intelligent spy thriller

Any additional comments?

Other books I've liked, so readers can get a sense of my taste: Gone Girl, Suspect, Guilty Wives, Witness, The Unlikely Spy, Cutting for Stone, most Daniel Silva, most John Le Carre. I wish other reviewers would put their top likes as well.

Wow! What a story!!

Would you consider the audio edition of Red Sparrow to be better than the print version?

I have not read the print version.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

This is a long book. I loved coming back to it daily for several days. If I could have stayed awake for the hours necessary, I would have listened to it all in one sitting.

Any additional comments?

This is one of the most fascinating and well crafted stories I have listened to or read. The details of the plot and the amazing twists and turns are stunning. But it is more than just a thrilling spy story. I felt myself being drawn in to truly caring about the characters. This book has it all. I can hardly wait for a sequel!

Best New Author HANDS DOWN!!

What did you love best about Red Sparrow?

Everything!

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

Absolutely! I was so surprised at the end.

What does Jeremy Bobb bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Great Voice added to the great text.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I could not stop listening.

Any additional comments?

I can't wait for the next book!

WoW!! What an amazing book!! Must read!

I didn't see the movie, but I don't see how any movie could live up to this amazing book. It's intense and intelligent, there's action, and love, and sex, and carnage, it's great. I look over my shoulder now and watch my rear view to see if I'm being followed by surveillance! Warning though, there's three books, and you can't read this and not want to finish the series. Also, Dominica is way hotter than J-Law, IMHO.

Kinda filthy

Had I known about the sex in this book I definitely wouldn't have listened to it. With that said the story was great (I could have done without all the sex). I thought the character development was wonderful and the twists were were well worth suffering through a male-version of sexy (far different from what women find sexy); just a matter of taste. I did listen to the trilogy and the author keeps up with the interesting espionage stories with many twists and turns to keep the stories interesting. You grow to like the main characters and loathe the bad guys; good stuff!

Almost five stars.... ALMOST equal to Le Carre

The good: the Sparrow is a durn good yarn written by an ex-CIA spook, who, if he does not know his stuff, certainly has the imagination and writing skills to make someone think he is an expert in spying and spy craft. Welcome to the looking glass world of 2010-2012 and Putin's (Russia's) SVR vs the USA's CIA. Well written and with many cliff hangers the character of "Domi" is central to the book with everyone else third or fourth place (include Nate Nash the CIA protagonist). Having been to Moscow and St Petersburg multiple time (but on business or as a tourist never a spook) I can say that Jason Matthew's description of both is spot on and certainly captures the dark moodiness of Moscow.

I rate it a four for one reason only. I was reared on a steady diet of Le Carre (another former spook turned spy novelist). I could not help compare the two. Matthews has the ability to be the America Le Carre (who I consider the best spy novelist of all time) but he just misses that mark. The reason is simple. Le Carre NEVER explains. Ever. He never explains what the terms Lamplighter, A Burrower, Ferrets and Handwriting (to name a few) are. I would submit this failure to explain is one of the main attractions of Le Carre's writings. The reader not only has to puzzle out confusing terms but is never given a concise picture of what is happening. (I refer you to the first chapter of "Smiley's people). This puts the reader in the role of being a "spy' themselves, figuring out the plot, the characters (and their roles) and adds to the aura of reading something that is real and plausible.
Matthews (and not to drone on about what is wrong) just does too much explaining. Don't tell me over and over what a "STR" is; rather use the term and make me, the reader figure the damned thing out. The same goes for character motives; let them remain obfuscated.

Matthews has the potential to be better than just a "very good" spy novel writer; he is on the brink of being great. If he read reviews (and I bet he does not) he would be well served to read Le Carre's books and examine his technique.

All in all this is a very good, and damned close to great book.