Jason Matthews (1951 – April 28, 2021) was an American author of
espionage novels and former
CIA
The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA ), known informally as the Agency and historically as the Company, is a civilian foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States, officially tasked with gathering, processing, ...
officer, best known for the ''Red Sparrow'' spy novel trilogy.
Personal life
Jason was married to Suzanne, also a former officer. He died April 28,
2021 at the age of 69 from
corticobasal degeneration
Corticobasal degeneration (CBD) is a rare neurodegenerative disease involving the cerebral cortex and the basal ganglia. CBD symptoms typically begin in people from 50 to 70 years of age, and the average disease duration is six years. It is chara ...
.
Career
Prior to becoming a novelist, Matthews spent 33 years working for the
CIA
The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA ), known informally as the Agency and historically as the Company, is a civilian foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States, officially tasked with gathering, processing, ...
. 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.
In 2014, his first novel, ''
Red Sparrow
''Red Sparrow'' is a 2018 American spy thriller film directed by Francis Lawrence and written by Justin Haythe, based on the 2013 novel of the same name by Jason Matthews. The film stars Jennifer Lawrence, Joel Edgerton, Matthias Schoenaerts, ...
'' (2013), won an
Edgar Award for Best First Novel The Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best First Novel was established in 1946.
Only debut novels written by authors with United States citizenship are eligible and may be published in hardcover, paperback, or e-book. If an American author has published ...
by an American Author. Writer and critic
Art Taylor praised it in ''
The Washington Post
''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...
'', 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." It was adapted into a
movie of the same name starring
Jennifer Lawrence.
In 2015 and 2018, he published ''
Palace of Treason'' and ''
The Kremlin’s Candidate'' which are the sequels to ''Red Sparrow''.
Works
Novels.
''Red Sparrow'' trilogy:
# ''
Red Sparrow
''Red Sparrow'' is a 2018 American spy thriller film directed by Francis Lawrence and written by Justin Haythe, based on the 2013 novel of the same name by Jason Matthews. The film stars Jennifer Lawrence, Joel Edgerton, Matthias Schoenaerts, ...
'' (2013)
# ''
Palace of Treason'' (2015)
# ''
The Kremlin's Candidate'' (2018)
Adaptations
* ''
Red Sparrow
''Red Sparrow'' is a 2018 American spy thriller film directed by Francis Lawrence and written by Justin Haythe, based on the 2013 novel of the same name by Jason Matthews. The film stars Jennifer Lawrence, Joel Edgerton, Matthias Schoenaerts, ...
'' (2018), film directed by
Francis Lawrence
Francis Lawrence (born March 26, 1971) is an Austrian-born American filmmaker and producer. After establishing himself as a director of music videos and commercials, Lawrence made his feature-length directorial debut with the superhero thrille ...
, based on novel ''
Red Sparrow
''Red Sparrow'' is a 2018 American spy thriller film directed by Francis Lawrence and written by Justin Haythe, based on the 2013 novel of the same name by Jason Matthews. The film stars Jennifer Lawrence, Joel Edgerton, Matthias Schoenaerts, ...
''
Awards
* 2014
ITW Thriller Award for Best First Novel, for ''
Red Sparrow
''Red Sparrow'' is a 2018 American spy thriller film directed by Francis Lawrence and written by Justin Haythe, based on the 2013 novel of the same name by Jason Matthews. The film stars Jennifer Lawrence, Joel Edgerton, Matthias Schoenaerts, ...
''
* 2014
Edgar Award for Best First Novel by an American Author, for ''
Red Sparrow
''Red Sparrow'' is a 2018 American spy thriller film directed by Francis Lawrence and written by Justin Haythe, based on the 2013 novel of the same name by Jason Matthews. The film stars Jennifer Lawrence, Joel Edgerton, Matthias Schoenaerts, ...
''
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Matthews, Jason
1951 births
2021 deaths
American spy fiction writers
Edgar Award winners
People of the Central Intelligence Agency
Deaths from corticobasal degeneration