I’m a devoted fan of both audiobooks and mysteries/thrillers (I know, the author of a mystery series SHOULD be a fan!), so finding the book Red Sparrow was a real treat. The historical impact of the Cold War is still coloring popular spy thrillers, and as someone who spent years living in West Berlin during the height of the Cold War, this plot line was even more realistic to me as the reader.
The author is retired CIA, which is obvious through the detail and nuances he brings to many aspects of the spy life, as well as the wonderful dialogue. I can’t imagine how he cleared it with the Agency, but somehow he did and the effect is a book so incredibly realistic that it makes the reader ask, “What if?” I love the pairing of the male and female opponents, one American and the other Russian, as they are both targeting the other to recruit as an asset. It’s a lot of fun to witness their “dance” and who will emerge victorious since they are both lethal and capable.