Project Nightingale

Bird Bright Shadows #1

by E.V. Greig

It is the late 21st Century. Whilst mega corporations and governments fight a less than discrete war for control of the general population, there are others who operate within the traditional boundaries of Intelligence. Walking in the shadows and trading in secrets, these operatives will do whatever is necessary to complete their missions. In the interest of maintaining public ignorance, someone is needed to clean up in their wake.

That someone is Nightingale Spence, AKA Housekeeping - a unique blend of assassin, medic, alibi merchant, and therapist to some of the most inventively lethal people in the world...

164 pages, Paperback

First published March 20, 2015

About the author

Non-binary indie author E.V. Greig is a graduate of Queen’s University Belfast, and the co-founder of the literary e-zine A New Ulster. They have been actively involved within the Arts Community in Northern Ireland since 2001, and have received funding as an individual artist via SIAP 2013/14, 2016/17, 2018/19, and 2020/21. When not busy writing, their other interests include gardening, dog walking, and equestrianism.

E.V. Greig is the author of the following books:
Bird Bright Shadows - Dystopian Cyberpunk/Technothriller novella serial. Still ongoing.
The Legend Of Graymyrh - Seven book Epic High Fantasy novella serial. Now complete.
Elsekin Chronicles Book 1: The Pinnothrope Mance - YA Urban Fantasy/Coming of Age novel. Published under the pseudonym of Eibhlín Valdys.

Reviews

[E.M. Hamill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great spy adventure

This was a thrilling tale full of danger and espionage. Nightingale Spence is an enigmatic character and I thoroughly enjoyed them. Looking forward to reading more.

[Kate Rhoads · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. It is the first I've read from this author. It was imaginative. It told a story in a minimalistic kind of way, giving the reader info on a need to know basis. Sometimes that was surprising, sometimes confusing, especially in the beginning. But once I got the hang of it and more and more of the 'world' setting info was revealed, I loved it. Definitely am going to read the next book, which is something I don't usually do with a series. Too much recapping and filler for very little new content and plot. Hopefully, this author will avoid those pitfalls.

[O.E. Tearmann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bond with better characters. Sans bulls$t

I went through this book in one sitting. It's dry, sly, clever and completely engrossing, with a surprising humanity under the very hard shell of operative pride and gallows humor. Spence is hands down the best non-gendered character I've read. The future tech is woven in subtly. And the characters have all the clever lines of Bond, without all the gendered bull.

[Sue Hewitt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Project Nightingale is an exciting read, fast paced, pared down to the bone, a gush of a novel, set deep within a dangerous, murky world of future global espionage. Complex characters leap from the page into an unnervingly believable scenario where nothing and no one are quite as they seem. E.V. Greig intimates much, trusts the intelligence of her reader, and shows throughout a thoroughly convincing knowledge and understanding of the mechanics of spies and spying. Unlike some other novels in the genre E.V. Greig’s female characters are central, powerful and do not conform to stereotype – but then neither do the males. If a female director, Sigourney Weaver perhaps, got hold of this I could see Project Nightingale becoming the basis of an innovative and feminist ‘action’ movie.
I really enjoyed this novel, and would be more than happy to recommend it to other readers - particularly to women like myself - who generally find this genre far too macho for their taste.