Jason Matthews (novelist)
American novelist (1951–2021)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jason Matthews (September 17, 1951 – April 28, 2021[1]) was an American author of espionage novels and a former CIA officer, best known for the Red Sparrow spy novel trilogy.
Jason Matthews | |
|---|---|
| Born | September 17, 1951 |
| Died | April 28, 2021 (aged 69) |
| Occupations | novelist, former CIA officer |
| Known for | author of espionage novels |
| Notable work | Red Sparrow spy novel trilogy |
| Awards | International Thriller Writers Awards, Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best First Novel |
Biography
Matthews was born September 17, 1951, in Hartford, Connecticut.[1] He worked for the Central Intelligence Agency for three decades, where he met his wife, Suzanne, also a former CIA officer.[2][1] He died April 28, 2021 at the age of 69 from corticobasal degeneration.[3]
Career
Prior to becoming a novelist, Matthews spent 33 years working for the CIA.[4] While in the CIA, he was officially a diplomat, in Europe, Asia, and the Caribbean, but his real job was recruiting and then managing foreign agents.[5]
In 2014, his first novel, Red Sparrow (2013), won an Edgar Award for Best First Novel by an American author.[6] Writer and critic Art Taylor praised it, in The Washington Post, writing that it "isn't just a fast-paced thriller—it's a first-rate novel, as noteworthy for its superior style as for its gripping depiction of a secretive world."[7] It was adapted into a movie of the same name starring Jennifer Lawrence.[8]
In 2015 and 2018, he published Palace of Treason and The Kremlin’s Candidate, which are the sequels to Red Sparrow.
Works
Red Sparrow trilogy
- Matthews, Jason (2013). Red Sparrow. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 978-1-4711-1261-4.
- ——— (2015). Palace of Treason. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 978-1-4767-9375-7.
- ——— (2018). The Kremlin's Candidate. Penguin Books, Limited. ISBN 978-1-4059-2085-8.
Awards
- 2014 ITW Thriller Award for Best First Novel, for Red Sparrow[9]
- 2014 Edgar Award for Best First Novel, for Red Sparrow[10]