Whitcoulls Recommends: The Peacock and the Sparrow and Jackie Public, Private, Secret

The Sunday Session with Francesca Rudkin

The Peacock and the Sparrow by I.S.Berry. Like the books of David McCloskey of which I’m so fond (Damascus Station, Moscow X) – the author I.S.Berry also worked for the CIA, which gives this book a real sense of authenticity and knowing what she’s writing about. Shane Collins is a CIA operative based in Bahrain. He’s jaded, nearing compulsory retirement age and has no illusions about his own shortcomings. His job in Bahrain is to feed intel back to America about Iran’s involvement in an Arab spring type uprising but this is a really murky world where things might not be as they seem and everyone’s expendable. Throw in the 2011 implosion of Bahrain and it’s dynamite. If you like a top shelf spy thriller, look no further. This is the real deal.

Jackie Public, Private, Secret by J. Randy Taraborelli. Much has been written about Jackie Kennedy Onassis, but this book expertly goes behind the scenes to tell the story of the woman who once said that she had three lives – public, private and secret. The author delves into them all, after decades of interviews with family members, friends, lovers and colleagues and the result is a very personal insight into the woman who married a serial philanderer who went on to become President; who suffered lifelong trauma after his assassination; and whose life was coloured by complex relationships, many of them under constant scrutiny by media and the world at large. It’s absolutely fascinating.

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