The Peacock and the Sparrow is set in Bahrain during the Arab Spring. Our narrator is Shane Collins is a world-weary (of course) CIA operative who is tasked with uncovering Iranian links to the political opposition. However, his informant tells him that the story the US and the monarchy are telling is a fiction constructed for their own ends. As he becomes further drawn in he tries to uncover the truth, never knowing who he can trust.

The strength of The Peacock and the Sparrow is in the beautifully written description. There are some lovely images, capturing the rhythm and texture of life in Bahrain. Unfortunately, this is also its weakness. Elmore Leonard famously advised writers to leave out the parts readers skip. I found myself skipping large chunks of text.

There’s a scene early on where Collins describes his journey home from the office almost in real time, only to get a call when he gets there telling him he has to come back to deal with a contrived crisis. I thought perhaps then that it was done for comic effect, but no, every place he goes, every person he meets, is recorded in the same exhaustive (exhausting) detail. There’s also a recurring motif with penny loafers (presumably this resonates with US readers, I had to look up the term). By the end I wanted to scream every time I read the phrase.

The other problem with this gorgeous prose is that it springs from the sensibility of Berry and suggests she is an insightful and empathetic observer. However, her character is not, and in a first-person narrative, the words have to come from him. This leads to an odd incongruence. Collins is a boorish, washed-up, self-hating misogynist, who can only see the people around him as stereotypes (which means we are also condemned to).

I’ve previously written about how I don’t expect characters to be likeable or relatable, but they have to be interesting. The best anti-heroes are repellent but compelling. You find yourself complicit because against your will you’re wanting them to win. Reading parts of The Peacock and the Sparrow just left me feeling soiled. And I can only hope that whoever wrote the book description, which describes Collins’ abusive treatment of a woman he’s involved with as a ‘budding romance’, hasn’t read the book.

There is some interesting background on the Arab Spring and on the contorted political manoeuvrings of the Americans. (The corrupt, venial behaviour and the sheer banality of their daily lives is perhaps realistic, if undramatic.) However the plot was quite predictable and experienced old hack Collins seems to make a few rookie errors (there’s some backtracking on one in particular at the end, a suggestion that consciously or not, he meant to do it).

Overall, then, The Peacock and the Sparrow wasn’t the novel I’d hoped for based on the publicity I’ve seen. However, I would be interested to see what Berry does next, just because of the quality of the writing.
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I received a copy of The Peacock and the Sparrow from the publisher via NetGalley.

I really enjoyed this fresh take on the classic spy thriller. The writing is crisp, detailed and accomplished, often in such a book it’s the plot that takes centre stage so it was quite a new experience for the writing to rival the plot for pole position, Berry excels at both.

This is a book that requires patience, its build up is steady rather than urgent but the pay off is absolutely worth the time. Realistic , well drawn and often disdainful characters, vividly described locations and an intricately woven plot. Would very much recommend this refreshing take on the jaded spy narrative.

Look forward to more from this author.

Thank you to netgalley for allowing me to review this book. I found this book hard to get into at first as I found the character names and places all confusing.
The book however delivers an authentic spy experience but leans too heavily on descriptions. I enjoyed reading it but it at times seemed disconnected. The ending does wrap everything up, but in a way that maybe hits too close to reality.

Complex, smart thriller .. takes its time establishing our becoming familiar with narrator's voice .. weathered, cynical but sustaining of his conviction as a spy in crucial mid Eastern location .. double crossings, trusted informants (or not), there is an authenticity here that is compelling .. in a way, it's an important thriller .. I've already recommended numerous times .. excellent

Written by a former CIA agent this is a fictional spy story set in Bahrain after the Arab Spring. Shane Collins is in his 50’s and his CIA posting in Bahrain is most likely his last before retirement. He is divorced; his son won’t talk to him and he is essentially an alcoholic, basically a mess! His one saving grace is his sole informant Rashid who operates as his connection to the resistance movement against the Regime.

Briefly, Collins lives a luxurious life, waiting out the time to his retirement. His final mission is to expose Iranian support for the insurgency. His meeting and subsequent romance with artist Almaisa results in his seeing the other side of a country where he has lived a charmed existence whilst many live in abject poverty, corruption is rife and the country is on the edge of revolution.

It’s difficult to know who is telling the truth in this cat and mouse game between the US, the Resistance and the King’s strict authoritarian regime. A cynical look at the world of spying as seen through Collin’s eyes. Absolute nothing is what it seems and as the brutality of the inevitable uprising plays out can Collins survive? The descriptions of the country and the city of Manama are well written, vivid and evocative. A fast paced, gritty and exciting spy thriller. Very entertaining.

This is a cracking thriller from IS Berry, a former CIA agent, lending this an all too real authenticity, rather different from your usual spy fiction, set primarily in Bahrain during the Arab Spring, and featuring the divorced, jaded, hard drinking American spy, Shane Collins, estranged from his children, losing his edge, perilously close to obsolescence, a manipulator looking to while away the remnants of his career until he can leave and collect his pension. He resides amongst the privileged and sheltered expat community, immersed in their own shadowy relationships and sex, with a circle of suitable places to frequent, and access to culture supported by the King, including opera, they know little of the locals nor the seething underlying belly of anger that is fuelling the oppositon and its ongoing protests.

Collins refers to their station head,28 y ear old Whitney Alden Mitchell, as 'the kid', in a country that had belonged to so many outsiders, never managing to assume the mantle of being a homeland, protected by Saudi Arabia, fearing the power of Iran to destabilise the region. He has but one informant, SCROOP, where in espionage, sources do not fail, just their handlers, if one goes bad so does the other. Collins is to find himself attracted to Almaisa, an enigmatic local mosaic artist artist with a facial scar, falling into a relationship that is to have him mesmerised, and go on to propel and shape the never before territory he is to tread. There is a richly descriptive and detailed feel for Bahrain, Manama, the Shia, inequalities, the king with his ever growing number of palaces, the bone deep neglect and poverty of the people, jailed opposition members, the slums, hunger, overpowering stink, heavy surveillance, destruction, conspiracy theories, and harrowing policing tactics.

Bahrain is a place of ghosts and mirages, betrayals, sorrow, distraction, where relationships can become inverted, and heartbreak. A place where 'even after you disappear, you cannot escape'. America's murky defence, protection, and advance of its interests is a dirty affair of excess that sees some light of day here, as with the Admiral. This is an enthralling and exciting mosaic of a naward winning espionage read that makes an impact, and which has me eagerly anticipating the next book by the author. Highly recommended. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.

This is truly different to any other spy thriller I’ve read. For a change, the author is female and there’s a male protagonist. He’s an almost washed up CIA agent working in Bahrain and wanting to come home. I feel certain the author has drawn on personal experience for much of this story. She has a background in intelligence work and is also a Harvard graduate. Her writing sparkles and this feels very real. It’s set in the wake of the Arab Spring but the insurgents are still targeting anything Western. There’s a romantic interest, which doesn’t overshadow the more serious events and leads to self doubt and mistrust. This is complex and multi layered, rich in detail and with a host of characters who feel like real people. It’s Most are intensely dislikeable. Berry has taken the spy genre to a new and different level and if this a debut, I can’t wait for what comes next. Very satisfying all round and crafted with skill.