THE PEACOCK AND THE SPARROW

Narrator Pete Simonelli embodies Shane Collins, a world-weary alcoholic spy who is navigating Bahrain's confusing political landscape during the Arab Spring upheaval. Author Berry's CIA experience in Baghdad lends verisimilitude to her characters, their challenges, and the compromises they must make for success. Simonelli's portrayal of Collins is steady and relaxed, pleasing to the ears. As narrator, he maintains the same pacing for detailed descriptions of locations, secondary characters, and tense scenes of violence. Berry offers listeners a candid view of the mutual dependency of the informant-handler relationship. As Collins's search for answers takes him to some of the globe's seedier locations, Simonelli adeptly handles the accents. This realistic tale lacks the glamour, cool technology, and flat characters of less authentic spy stories. E.Q. © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine [Published: JUNE 2023]