The Peacock and the Sparrow : A Novel

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...M.F EDGAR AWARD NOMINEE FOR BEST FIRST NOVEL A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: The New Yorker • NPR The Diplomatic Courier • Deadly Pleasures mystery magazine • The Cipher Brief • Spybrary During the Arab Spring, an American spy's final mission goes dangerously awry in this "crackling debut thriller" ( The New Yorker ) from a former CIA officer that Joseph Weisberg, creator of The Americans , calls "the most realistic espionage story I've read." 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. 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 inside the opposition becomes embroiled in a murder, Collins finds himself drawn deep into the conflict. His budding romance with Almaisa—and his loyalties—are upended; in an instant, he's caught in the crosswinds of a revolution. Drawing on all his skills as a spymaster, he sets out to learn the truth behind the Arab Spring, win Almaisa's love, and uncover the murky border where Bahrain's secrets end, and America's begin. BEST FIRST NOVEL WINNER: Edgar Awards • International Thriller Writers Awards A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: The New Yorker • NPR • The Diplomatic Courier During the Arab Spring, an American spy's final mission goes dangerously awry in this “crackling debut thriller” (The New Yorker) from a former CIA officer that Joseph Weisberg, creator of The Americans, calls “the most realistic espionage story I've read.”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. 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 inside the opposition becomes embroiled in a murder, Collins finds himself drawn deep into the conflict. His budding romance with Almaisa—and his loyalties—are upended; in an instant, he's caught in the crosswinds of a revolution. Drawing on all his skills as a spymaster, he sets out to learn the truth behind the Arab Spring, win Almaisa's love, and uncover the murky border where Bahrain's secrets end and America's begin. A NEW YORKER BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR AN NPR BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR AN EDGAR AWARD NOMINEE FOR BEST FIRST NOVEL During the Arab Spring, an American spys final mission goes dangerously awry in this crackling debut thriller (The New Yorker) that Joseph Weisberg, creator of The Americans, calls the most realistic espionage story I've read. 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, hes anxious to dispense with his missionuncovering Iranian support for the insurgency against the monarchy. But then he 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 budding romance with Almaisaand his loyaltiesare upended; in an instant, he's caught in the crosswinds of a revolution. Drawing on all his skills as a spymaster, he sets out to learn the truth behind the Arab Spring, win Almaisas love, and uncover the murky border where Bahrains secrets end and Americas begin. 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's anxious to dispense with his mission, uncovering Iranian support for the insurgency against the monarchy. But then he meets Almaisa, a beautiful and enigmatic artist, and his eyes are opened to a side of Bahrain most expats never experience. When his trusted informant becomes involved with a murder, Collins finds his growing romance with Almaisa and Bahrain upended. In an instant he's caught in the crosshairs of a revolution. Now he must rely on his skills to navigate a bloody uprising, win Almaisa's love, and uncover the blurred lines between the dark secrets of both Bahrain and the United States