Jason Matthews

Jason Matthews is best known as the author of the Red Sparrow Trilogy. He worked as a CIA officer in many places such as Istanbul, Athens, Belgrade, Rome, Budapest and Hong Kong. After retiring from the CIA, Matthews became a best-selling author for his book Red Sparrow, which receaved an Edgar Allan Poe Award for best first novel by a U.S. author. Jason Matthews died on April 28, 2021, at his home in Rancho Mirage.

Life as a CIA officer
Matthews was a retired officer of the CIA’s Operations Directorate and over a thirty-three-year career he served in multiple overseas locations such as the Soviet–East Europe, East Asian, Middle Eastern, and Caribbean. As Chief in various CIA Stations, he collaborated with foreign partners in counterproliferation and counterterrorism operations. He lived in Southern California.

He worked with his wife Suzanne, who is also a retired CIA officer. Their two daughters were raised in many countries thanks to their overseas careers. Back then, his colleagues at the CIA used to comment on how good his cables were, "saying he should be a writer".

Life as a novelist
According to his own words, Jason Matthews started writing because he wanted to find "something productive to do". His first novel, the best-seller Red Sparrow, was released in 2013. All of Matthew's Red Sparrow manuscripts had to be reviewed by the CIA's Publication Review Board (PRB) prior to submission to his editor (Colin Harrison). This is a lifelong obligation that all former agents must fulfill in order to avoid revealing any sources and methods from the CIA. However, the author has said that after a long career as an officer, he could tell what would be considered as classified information, and that "many of the classic tradecraft techniques are so old that there's no problem writing about them".

The rights for Red Sparrow were sold to the 20th Century Fox even before the release date of the book and Matthews worked as a technical advisor for the Red Sparrow movie, providing authentic prospects to the spycraft scenes of the film.

Death
Matthews was 69 years old when he passed away on April 28, 2021, of a rare decease called corticobasal degeneration.

Trivia

 * Jason Matthews spoke 6 languages (several romance languages and Greek) during his time working for the CIA.
 * He started writing because he wanted to find "something productive to do" and he had no idea that his books would become popular.

The Red Sparrow Trilogy

 * Red Sparrow (2013)
 * Palace of Treason (2015)
 * The Kremlin's Candidate (2017)

Awards

 * 2014 Edgar Award for Best First Novel (Red Sparrow)
 * 2014 International Thriller Writer's Award for Best First Novel (Red Sparrow)