The Peacock and the Sparrow

A Novel

Formats and Prices

Format

Trade Cloth; Trade Cloth

Format:

Trade Cloth; Trade Cloth

This item is a preorder. Your payment method will be charged immediately, and the product is expected to ship on or around May 30, 2023. This date is subject to change due to shipping delays beyond our control.

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.

On Sale
May 30, 2023
Page Count
320 pages
Publisher
Atria Books
ISBN-13
9781982194543