WASHINGTON (AP) – When Jason Matthews retired after more than three decades as a CIA operative, writing fiction proved a form of therapy.
Living in Los Angeles, cut off from the agency and its secrets, Matthews channeled his energy into the 2013 novel “Red Sparrow.” It became a best-seller and critical success, resulting in a reported seven-figure movie deal.
Five years on from his retirement, Matthews is back with a sequel, “Palace of Treason,” set in Vladimir Putin’s Russia. And the most interesting accolades are coming from CIA insiders.
They marvel at how he manages to slip so much past the agency’s censors. And they say Matthews, who spent most of his career overseas specializing in “denied areas,” portrays the heart-pounding rhythms of on-the-street espionage better that any novelist in recent memory.