Trevor Barnes studied espionage and the early history of the CIA as a student at the University of Cambridge and was a Kennedy Scholar at Harvard. He has worked as a radio and television journalist for the BBC and as a legal consultant, and is the author of three crime novels. He also researched and wrote Trial at Torun, a radio play about the trial in Poland of a secret service murder case. He lives in London.
A rare combination of thrilling story and carefully documented history, the writing has a remarkable you are there quality that transports the reader back to the height of the Cold War. --Nicholas Reynolds, former CIA Officer and author of NYT bestseller Writer, Sailor, Soldier, Spy Eye-opening.... fans of Furst, Ludlum, and their kind will find this real-world exploration of old-school espionage suitably intriguing. --Kirkus First rate.... Barnes performs an incredible deep dive into this story of international espionage and counterintelligence, mining both existing sources and newly declassified information to fuel a narrative as compelling as a spy novel. --Booklist A gripping and brilliantly researched history of the rise and fall of the Portland Spy Ring, which reveals much about the operations and personnel of Russian, British and American intelligence at the height of the Cold War. --Christopher Andrew, author The Secret World: A History of Intelligence The definitive account of the famous Portland Spies - fascinating, detailed and completely gripping.--Richard J Aldrich, author of GCHQ Reads like a le Carre thriller - only true. Rich in detail. A must read.--Ray Batvinis, former FBI Supervisory Special Agent of Counterintelligence and author of Hoover's Secret War Against Axis Spies I read Dead Doubles with admiration...fascinating and meticulous...Using all available American, British and Russian sources, Trevor Barnes has produced a remarkable book.--Harvey Klehr, co-author of Spies: The Rise and Fall of the KGB in America Excellent and riveting, with a cast of characters as engaging as in any novel. Former KGB officer Vladimir Putin's modern-day Russia employs the same espionage methods now against the West. The themes of Dead Doubles - deception, betrayal, blackmail, chemical and biological weapons, atomic secrets, international rivalry - are as topical today as in the 1960s.--John Sipher, Former Head, CIA Russian Operations, and CIA Station Chief in Asia and Europe An exemplary work of historical scholarship that is also highly entertaining, Dead Doubles is the definitive history of the Portland spy ring.--John Earl Haynes, co-author of Early Cold War Spies: The Espionage Trials that Shaped American Politics A highly readable account of a classic Cold War MI5 investigation. Assiduously researched and a real page-turner.--Nigel West, author of MI5 and The Illegals Dives deep into the investigation and trial.... This meticulously researched account informs and entertains. --Publishers Weekly, starred review An enthralling account of one of the last great spy mysteries of the 20th Century - I loved it. --John Preston, author of A Very English Scandal Thrilling... Barnes leaves out no step in this thorough reporting. This fast-paced narrative will engage those interested in Cold War international espionage and true crime. --Library Journal