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Red Sparrow
- Narrated by: Jeremy Bobb
- Length: 17 hrs and 55 mins
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Red Sparrow
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Summary
A Russian honey trap agent targets a young CIA operative to uncover a senior-ranking mole at the heart of the Russian Intelligence service.
Dominika Egorov, former prima ballerina, is sucked into the heart of Putin's Russia, the country she loved, and spat out as the twists and turns of betrayal and counter-betrayal unravel. American Nate Nash, idealistic and ambitious, handles the double agent, codenamed MARBLE, considered one of CIA's biggest assets. He needs to keep his identity secret for as long as the mole can keep supplying golden information. Will Dominika be able to unmask MARBLE, or will the mission see her faith destroyed in the country she has always passionately defended?
Jason Matthews retired after 33 years in the CIA's Directorate of Operations as a clandestine operations officer and senior manager. Matthews lives with his wife Suzanne, herself a retired 34-year veteran of the CIA, in Rancho Mirage, California. Treason is his first novel.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story1 out of 5 stars
- David
- 30-08-13
The Dan Brown of spy fiction?
What disappointed you about Red Sparrow?
An unbelievable story filled with cliches and stereotypes - Russia bad: USA good - is it really that simple?
What could Jason Matthews have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?
Have a credible plot and at least some characters you can believe in.
Did the narration match the pace of the story?
Story was well-read - but the narrator didn't have much to work with.
If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from Red Sparrow?
Cut out all the sex scenes - they were woeful.
Any additional comments?
I'd like to know how books as weak as this get published?
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58 people found this helpful
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- J. M. Craig
- 04-04-16
Spy Story or Cookery Book
Jason Matthews can't seem to make up his mind on whether he wants to write a spy novel or a cookery book. The constant recipes and details of meals is very annoying
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41 people found this helpful
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- Dr Caterpillar
- 07-02-18
Not good story telling
Some years ago I read an author's guide to police procedure. It was written by an experienced police officer who was an articulate writer but by his own admission did not have what it takes to be a writer of crime fiction.
I feel something similar is going on here. Jason Matthews worked for the CIA for 33 years, so he obviously knows his onions (see end of review) but I don't think he's a thriller writer. I say this knowing there were plenty five star reviews but I wonder if the reviewers are so steeped in the genre that they know how to fill in the gaps. For my own part, there was nothing to get a handle on. The characters were just names, the romance was meh, and what little action there was just failed to engage.
Then there were the recipes. To coin an expression, "It was funny the first time... except it wasn't." Every chapter has a cooking scene shoehorned in, and after a while you start to spot them, and they are flipping annoying.
The most pleasure I got from this book was watching the time count down.
Ainsley Harriott French Onion Soup. Empty sachet into cup. Add boiling water and stir.
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37 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- EJ
- 13-03-18
Thought I had strayed into a cookery book
If you could sum up Red Sparrow in three words, what would they be?
Forsyth meets LeCarre
Any additional comments?
An enjoyable spy thriller in modern Russia. Look forward to the other two books in the series. Bit baffled as to why the author insists on giving our food menues at the end of each chapter.
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17 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Youngstuts
- 23-07-13
Excellent spy thriller with taste...
Red Sparrow is a first class spy thriller with excellent narration. I will not comment on the storyline but leave it to other listeners to enjoy. This book has the unique addition of a recipe at the end of every chapter. Each chapter has some reference to food and to be given the recipe is a very nice twist. There are 40 chapters...........
I am looking forward to the next book by Jason Mathews and, hopefully, narrated by Jeremy Bobb.
Highly recommended.
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10 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Dave
- 26-01-19
A recipe for disaster...
...sorry.
Don’t get me wrong, the story and narrator are great, but what the hell is the deal with the recipes?!?
Initially, they just seem odd... but eventually they become *really* annoying... especially after a really violent confrontation - then a recipe? Why? Who is going to make any of them?!?
I guess it’s bad enough they were in the book, but at least then you could have skipped them. In audiobook form they are just a really terrible joke and actually detract from the enjoyment of the story as a whole.. which is a shame because it’s good (and different to the film). The atmosphere is tense, though I occasionally lost track of who was doing a particular thing because of all the Russian... but still entertaining!
Did I mention that I hated the recipes!
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7 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- P.G.
- 09-07-13
It's what it says on the cover an excellant yarn
What made the experience of listening to Red Sparrow the most enjoyable?
The cast of characters, although somewhat predictiable make the novel an excellent listen. The well written and complext story is well composed and the reciep touch excellent in places, although some of the later ones seem a little insider and incomplete. I can recognise several of the recipes from visits to Russia'
Who was your favorite character and why?
Uncle Vanya, as the self obvsessed beaurocratic monster.
Have you listened to any of Jeremy Bobb’s other performances? How does this one compare?
I have not heard him elsewhere, but some of his ponunciations seem like my spelling unusual.
If you made a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?
The spies who kept warm
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6 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Ivan
- 19-06-13
Great spy thriller, ah those Russians....
Where does Red Sparrow rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?
top 70%
Who was your favorite character and why?
Russian girl spy
Any additional comments?
A bit too propagandist,with Russians the baddies and Americans as the good guys. But a good thriller nevertheless
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5 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- W
- 14-06-13
Stonking!!
I read these comments often and (like you) think, yea ... rite ...wotteva !!!
I can only say : YOU WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED!!! Everything you'd want from a great book is here.
*sigh ... now I need to find another ;o)
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4 people found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Keith
- 18-02-19
Spoilt by pretentiousness
What's with all the fucking recipes!? I suppose the author was trying to prove himself as an epicurean but . . . just awful. It's a shame because, for me, it spoilt an otherwise good story.
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3 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Ruth
- 28-08-17
Way too good
Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?
Yes, I could not stop reading it. Did no work 'till it was finished.
Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?
Yes, really engaging and readable with plenty of suspense
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3 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 03-05-18
Terrible Pronunciation- Great Story
I loved this story but the pronunciation of Russian terms really put me off. It would have required a tiny bit of practice to make it so much less painful to listen to.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Marisia Robus
- 24-03-18
I couldn't stop listening!
An exceptional story line, twists and turns that I did not see coming! The characters were developed excellent and I was floored when I found out who Marble was!
I lived each moment with her and Nath and the end broke my heart!
Can;t wait to read the next one!
Well done Jason Matthews
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Kindle Customer
- 18-09-22
Well contextualised.
Started reading this as Russia invaded Ukraine. Great book on revealing what lies behind that curtain.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- Cari Batenburg
- 07-05-20
Outstanding!
Loved 99% of this book, and enjoyed the narrator's take on it. My only sticking point was the irksome way the writer portrays the protagonist's sexuality. No male character's growing sense of sexuality would be portrayed with silly and patronizing words like "her secret self". Good grief! I cringed for the narrator has he had to read those lines, and other similarly creepy moments... Note to the author: perhaps get some more first-person (women) perspectuves on these experiences. Aargh. the rest - pretty darned awesome. 17 hours of fantastic!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Kevin Crawshaw
- 06-05-20
Loved it
Great storyline and the ending keeps you thinking long after the book is complete. Waiting for the follow up!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Christian Steinmann
- 13-06-19
Amazing.... Hits all the correct areas
This was an amazing experience for me, I'm scared that the second might only let me down.
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story1 out of 5 stars
- Danni Higgins
- 14-01-19
The most boring book I’ve ever listened to!
This book has a pathetically boring story line and is extremely long and drawn out.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Penney
- 05-12-18
I am hooked!
Damn now I need to read the next book. So enjoyed the descriptive writing. Excellent.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Ong
- 03-11-18
A Possible Insider Perspective of Putin's Russia
A well crafted story that is also well written. It can give us an insider's perspective of Russia today.
Prefer the ending in the movie version with a poetic justice.
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