• The Peacock and the Sparrow

  • A Novel
  • By: I.S. Berry
  • Narrated by: Pete Simonelli
  • Length: 11 hrs and 37 mins
  • 4.0 out of 5 stars (53 ratings)

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The Peacock and the Sparrow  By  cover art

The Peacock and the Sparrow

By: I.S. Berry
Narrated by: Pete Simonelli
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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.

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What listeners say about The Peacock and the Sparrow

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

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?”

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

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.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

More than a page turner. A page burner of a mystery

I was sucked in by this insightful observer of flaws and moral qualms. I’m glad the experiences that informed this gritty tale were the authors rather than my own. The author has a cutting wit when painting a picture of overseas life, political machinations, and moral ambiguity. I listened to the book in two days and could barely stand to hit pause for work and sleep.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

A thoughtful spy story relevant for our modern times

Although a little slow moving at the beginning, “The Peacock…” delivers on a great flawed main character of an aging spy trying to navigate the treacherous world of Middle East politics, religion, subterfuge and love.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

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.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

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.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

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.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Stuck the landing

The story was slow going but it picked up in the final third. The main protagonist was interesting and I would enjoy another novel with him as the main protagonist. The twists in the end so did not see coming! As a matter of fact it threw me off as non-sense.

The final third allowed me to slowly put the pieces together and enjoy the outcome.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

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

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  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

Slow storyline

Slow. Unfunny. Not suspenseful. Not very well written. ‘Read’ this for a book club and couldn’t finish it.

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