IN THE GRAND SPY-TALE TRADITION OF JOHN LE CARRÉ… comes this shocking thriller written with insider detail known only to a veteran CIA officer.
In present-day Russia, ruled by blue-eyed, unblinking President Vladimir Putin, Russian intelligence officer Dominika Egorova struggles to survive in the post-Soviet intelligence jungle. Ordered against her will to become a “Sparrow,” a trained … “Sparrow,” a trained seductress, Dominika is assigned to operate against Nathaniel Nash, a young CIA officer who handles the Agency’s most important Russian mole.
Spies have long relied on the “honey trap,” whereby vulnerable men and women are intimately compromised. Dominika learns these techniques of “sexpionage” in Russia’s secret “Sparrow School,” hidden outside of Moscow. As the action careens between Russia, Finland, Greece, Italy, and the United States, Dominika and Nate soon collide in a duel of wills, tradecraft, and — inevitably — forbidden passion that threatens not just their lives but those of others as well. As secret allegiances are made and broken, Dominika and Nate’s game reaches a deadly crossroads. Soon one of them begins a dangerous double existence in a life-and-death operation that consumes intelligence agencies from Moscow to Washington, DC.
Page by page, veteran CIA officer Jason Matthews’s Red Sparrow delights and terrifies and fascinates, all while delivering an unforgettable cast, from a sadistic Spetsnaz “mechanic” who carries out Putin’s murderous schemes to the weary CIA Station Chief who resists Washington “cake-eaters” to MARBLE, the priceless Russian mole. Packed with insider detail and written with brio, this tour-de-force novel brims with Matthews’s life experience, including his knowledge of espionage, counterintelligence, surveillance tradecraft, spy recruitment, cyber-warfare, the Russian use of “spy dust,” and covert communications. Brilliantly composed and elegantly constructed, Red Sparrow is a masterful spy tale lifted from the dossiers of intelligence agencies on both sides of the Atlantic. Authentic, tense, and entertaining, this novel introduces Jason Matthews as a major new American talent.
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The movie was great. The book even better. This is extremely relevant in the present, when many Americans do not understand how the covert world works and how we are always at ‘war’ on that front.
Highly recommended not only for the entertainment but for the knowledge of how things really work. I can tell from personal experience how real most of …
Jason Matthews has created an amazing cast of characters and a page turner world of spies, sex and romance. This is a book every writer should read for the skillful depth of characterization and interaction. Truly impressive..
RED SPARROW by Jason Matthews is a gripping Cold War espionage thriller in the style of John le Carré’s thrillers. Except longer.
SPARROW starts with a pulse-pounding authentic bit of spy tradecraft in Moscow: the surveillance detection route or SDR. Nathaniel “Nate” Nash is stalked by Russian security services as he meets with an important SVR …
This book is one of the best espionage books I’ve ever read. I recommend the trilogy, of which Red Sparrow is the first book. [The movie didn’t begin to do the book justice. Movies rarely do, but this one really missed the mark in my opinion.) The book has finely drawn characters, excellent writing, and intriguing and intersecting plots that take …
This was one of the best books I’ve ever read. A captivating spy novel by an author who has really been there and done that. Interesting characters, including a Russian ex-ballerina who becomes a double agent working for the CIA. I really loved this book. Can’t say enough good things about it.
I find it difficult how anyone who read this book could troll it with a one star review. The book is very well written, there are no major errors or typos or difficult usages involved in the book. It is eminently readable in that respect.
The story is well told, has twist after twist involved in it. The story is sometimes a little tedious in that …
I loved this book so much that I was compelled to buy the remaining two books in the serious—at full price! While the plot was intricate, even Byzantine, it was the characters that drew me in and kept me thoroughly engaged right from the start. From the background cultural stories to the relevant chapter-end recipes, I was consistently delighted …
Dominika Egorova must fight for her independence and salvation against the iron fist of the Russian bureaucracy when her dreams of being a ballerina are thwarted and she finds herself at the mercy of her uncle’s machinations.
Forced to become a Sparrow, one of the elite seductress spies, Dominika is sent to discover a mole. Pitted against the …
This beautifully written book explores the clandestine world of post-cold war espionage offering a thrilling peek behind the curtain. The long backstories, which normally would annoy me, worked perfectly, and I felt invested in the characters. The action was riveting and the twists and turns kept me up. I bought the next in the series right away.
Gripping spy novel written by a former spy.
Red Sparrow by Jason Matthews (2013)
At the Sparrow School, a former ballerina is forced to undergo espionage training, to seduce targets of the Russian government.
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Red Sparrow
I saw the movie and thought it was very good. Read the book just to see if it was as good and it blew me away. Other than Le Carre’s Smiley/Karla books, I haven’t read much Spy Fiction, but this book was as impressively informative and believable as those novels, with more action. I ordered the next book in the series and will certainly order …
It was the kind of story like, with characters that defy logic
Here is a glimpse into espionage with our biggest enemy and maybe we don’t play so fair either!
The two books following Red Sparrow in the trilogy are equally as gripping to read!
Red Sparrow made my TBR list after I saw the movie trailer and was immediately intrigued. Since books are almost always better, I decided to read the book instead of see the movie. Unfortunately, I’m thinking this one may be better as a movie.
I felt like there was A LOT in this book. The audio book is almost 18 hours long and there was quite a …
I absolutely loved the movie. It was fantastic. And I’m glad I watched it before reading the book, which I don’t normally do. of course there is going to be differences, but there were a lot of differences. Much more than I was expecting. That being said, they are both fantastic. I look forward to reading the second book soon.
Including the …
Well-told spy thriller, written by a master!
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I really liked the trilogy until I got to the end. I really hated the ending of this series, I could not put down the books but when I was finished I am still angry about the ending even after having read 3 books afterwards. I can’t get over how mad I am that the good guys lost and there will …
The sample pulled me in because of the tension, and the book delivered. There were strong characters forced into untenable positions. It kept my attention all the way. Haven’t seen the movie and not sure if I will. I just can’t see Jennifer Lawrence in the part of the heroine.
I read Jason Matthews wonderful RED SPARROW and loved it The book is the first of a trilogy about C.I.A. agent Nathaniel Nash and Russian agent Dominika Egorava. The author is a retired officer of the CIA’s Operations Directorate with 33 years of service so he knows of what he writes. This book is one of the best Espionage novels you may ever …