The Peacock and the Sparrow is an engaging espionage and character-driven narrative that speaks to the dark, thankless, and necessary trade of spies. I.S. Berry may be a new face in the thrillerverse, but she propels the debut with her explosive and palpable challenges as a former CIA officer. If you prefer your spy books to emphasize the grounded tone of operating behind enemy lines, you’ll want to pay attention.
Embodying a first person POV, I.S Berry takes us on a treacherous journey as Shane Collins, a world-weary CIA spy who is just wanting for his career to be over. He is stationed in Bahrain off the coast of Saudi Arabia for his final tour as an intelligence officer working with and against all the sides in the ongoing conflict of uncovering Iranian support for the insurgency against the monarchy. Unsure of who to trust anymore, he leaves a solitary life. His banal outlook changes as his trusted informant ropes him into a revolution that upends all that he had come to believe in. All that he can do is trust to work through the storm and uncover the blurred lines between the dark secrets of both Bahrain and the United States.
It will catch you off-guard with how unlikable its protagonist is. With deep-rooted flaws and some out-right revulsion, it isn’t a happy tale. Perhaps that’s why this narrative stands out so well when it dissects the dark side of espionage where everyone looks out for themselves and no one can be trusted. There are no flashy action sequences. The lack of action however is complimented by sharp dialogues and fascinating twists and turns that focus on Shane Collins navigating through changes in his life just when he imagined all would be over for him. The genuine nature of the described espionage tradecrafts gives it a tinge of non-fiction flavor as if listening to an old-school story by a man looking back at his regrets. The thriller aspect kicks in almost immediately though, as Collins starts unraveling dirty secrets right in the midst of a growing revolution, packing in a paradoxical chaotic serenity where anything can happen but you are put in the mindset to watch everything turn to ash as a parting gift.
Indulge yourself in a dark, unpredictable, twisty, and grim espionage thriller that reads like a true account of a burned-out spy trying to do something right when all seems to be going horribly wrong. The Peacock and the Sparrow is a marvelous and intellectual debut of warring ideologies in a land where no one can be trusted, not even the ‘good’ guys.
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