Red Sparrow by Jason Matthews

Red Sparrow
by Jason Matthews

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Published: 2013
Publisher: Scribner
Genre: Thriller, Espionage, Russia
Hardback: 448
Rating: 4

Red Sparrow Trilogy:
Red Sparrow
Palace of Treason
The Kremlin's Candidate

First sentence(s):
Twelve hours into his SDR Nthaniel Nash was numb from the waist down.

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 seductress, Dominika is assigned to operate against Nathaniel Nash, a young CIA officer who handles the Agency’s most important Russian mole.

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, 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”. Packed with insider detail, this novel brims with Matthews’s life experience of espionage, counterintelligence, spy recruitment, and cyber-warfare. Brilliantly composed, Red Sparrow is a masterful spy tale. Authentic, tense, and entertaining, this novel introduces Jason Matthews as a major new American talent.

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My two-bits:

This story gets into some of the intricacies of the Russian espionage world. However, I found myself more interested in heart to heart scenes with Dominika and Nate rather than the story as a whole.

Interesting to note: there are food recipes included at the end of most chapters.

~*~
* review copy courtesy of publisher

* part of World Reads challenge - Russia (here)

The Coldest Winter by Antony Johnston

The Coldest Winter
by Antony Johnston
illustrated by Steven Perkins

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Published: 2016
Publisher: Oni Press
Genre: Graphic Novel, Espionage, Historical, Mystery
Hardback: 184
Rating: 4

The Coldest series:
The Coldest City
The Coldest Winter

After a string of botched assignments for MI6 in Berlin, David Perceval is being sent home. Even his final mission before leaving ― the defection of a Soviet scientist ― goes badly wrong, as the coldest winter for 30 years descends on Europe.

With transport out of Berlin impossible, and the KGB searching everywhere for their lost scientist, Perceval must improvise a deadly game of cat and mouse through the frozen city to keep the Russians at bay, and deliver his own unique brand of revenge!

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My two-bits:

This is a prequel to The Coldest City with a focus on a character found in the first story. It captures that noir spy world in black and white shadows splashed on each page.

I was missing Lorraine from the first book but this did well in twists and turns and twists again.

The Coldest City by Antony Johnston

The Coldest City
by Antony Johnston
illustrated by Sam Hart

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Published: 2012
Publisher: Oni Press
Genre: Graphic Novel, Espionage, Historical, Mystery
Hardback: 176
Rating: 5

The Coldest series:
The Coldest City
The Coldest Winter

November 1989. Communism is collapsing, and soon the Berlin Wall will come down with it. But before that happens there is one last bit of cloak & dagger to attend to. Two weeks ago, an undercover MI6 officer was killed in Berlin. He was carrying information from a source in the East — a list that allegedly contains the name of every espionage agent working in Berlin, on all sides. No list was found on his body. Now Lorraine Broughton, an experienced spy with no pre-existing ties to Berlin, has been sent into this powderkeg of social unrest, counter-espionage, defections gone bad and secret assassinations to bring back the list and save the lives of the British agents whose identities reside on it.

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My two-bits:

Spotted this as the library and the title grabbed me. It so happened that the weather was quite cold outside (well for San Francisco standards) and the winter season upon us contributed to my selecting it during this particular library run. I later found out that the movie version of this graphic novel was released as Atomic Blonde in 2017.

This story is told in black/white panels with some blue tinge throughout which captures the mood brilliantly.

Lorraine is one of those kick-ass heroines to watch out and cheer for. She provides the goods and plenty of action to boot.

The story is your stereotypical espionage tale with cool twists and turns and twists again.

Cross My Heart and Hope to Spy by Ally Carter

Cross My Heart and Hope to Spy
by Ally Carter

Genre: Espionage
Published: 2007
Paperback: 236 pages
Rating: 5

Inspiration: 2nd book in this fun spy series, also following along with the Gallagher Girl book discussion hosted by Cecilia

Description from author's site:
Cammie Morgan may have a genius IQ and attend the best school in the country, but as she starts the spring semester of her sophomore year there are a lot of things she doesn't know. Like will her ex-boyfriend even remember she exists? And how much trouble did she really get in last semester? And, most of all, exactly why is her mother acting so strangely?

All Cammie wants is a nice, normal semester, but she's about to learn her greatest lesson yet—that when you go to a school for spies, nothing is ever as it seems.

My thoughts:
In-a-word(s): Pop quiz
Don't be fooled by the cover. I've heard some people say they were not interested in this book series because it looked like a frou-frou kinda story. Not so. There is more to the girls than what you see. This book is more of the same spy fun and honeypotness as in book 1. I liked the character growth and scenarios the Gallagher Girls encounter. Definitely looking forward to book 3 for more.

Series:
I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have To Kill You
Cross My Heart and Hope to Spy
Don't Judge a Girl by Her Cover
book 4 - "Now, don't worry, I'm going to go get started rewriting GG4 (title and release date to be determined)." -Ally's blog

Ally is currently on tour for book 3. Check out her blog for pictures and juicy tidbits.

I'd Tell You I Love You, But then I'd have to Kill You by Ally Carter

I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have To Kill You
by Ally Carter

Genre: Espionage
Published: 2006
Paperback: 284 pages
Rating: 5

Inspiration: The 3rd book in the series, Don't Judge a Girl by Her Cover, is going to be released in June and this looks like a fun spy series.

I started reading this along with my current read because I wanted to participate in the Gallagher Girl book discussions hosted by: Cecilia, Kate, Reyna, and Katie. Find out more info about it here.

Description from author's site:
The Gallagher Academy for Exceptional Young Women is a fairly typical all-girls school—that is, if every school teaches advanced martial arts in PE, chemistry always consists of the latest in chemical warfare, and everyone breaks CIA codes for extra credit in computer class. So in truth, while the Gallagher Academy might say it's a school for geniuses what they really mean is spies. But what happens when a Gallagher Girl falls for a boy who doesn't have a code name?

Cammie Morgan may be fluent in fourteen languages and capable of killing a man in seven different ways (three of which involve a piece of uncooked spaghetti), but the Gallagher Academy hasn't prepared her for what to do when she meets an ordinary boy who thinks she's an ordinary girl. Sure, she can tap his phone, hack into his computer, and track him through a mall without him ever being the wiser, but can she have a regular relationship with a regular boy who can never know the truth about her? Cammie may be an elite spy in training, but in her sophomore year, she's doing something riskier than ever—she's falling in love.

My thoughts:
In-a-word: honeypotness
Such fun antics occur in this tale of girls-in-spy-training. We get to struggle with Cammie as she starts to deal with questions of loyalty and love in her world.

I'm hooked and will continue with with series!

Series:
I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have To Kill You
Cross My Heart and Hope to Spy
Don't Judge a Girl by Her Cover (release: June 9, 2009)

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updated: 6.29.09
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