The Peacock and the Sparrow : A Novel

EDGAR AWARD WINNER FOR BEST FIRST NOVEL

A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: The New Yorker *; NPR *; The Diplomatic Courier *; Deadly Pleasures *; 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 missionuncovering 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 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 Almaisa's love, and uncover the murky border where Bahrain's secrets end and America's begin.