{{Short description|English author (born 1973)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=November 2020}}{{Use British English|date=May 2013}} '''Jeremy Duns''' (born 10 December 1973)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://authors.simonandschuster.co.uk/Jeremy-Duns/66095423/author_revealed|title=Author Revealed|publisher=Simon & Schuster|accessdate=11 May 2009}}</ref> is a British author of spy fiction and the history of espionage.
==Early life== Duns was born in Manchester and lived in New Zealand, India, Indonesia and Nigeria before the age of 10.<ref>{{Cite web |title=From cold war to cool culture {{!}} Financial Times |url=https://www.ft.com/content/9e72ff0a-dc9f-11df-84f5-00144feabdc0 |access-date=2023-08-15 |website=www.ft.com}}</ref> He studied at St Catherine's College, Oxford.
==Career== Between 1999 and 2006 Duns worked for the Belgian English-language media platform ''The Bulletin'' as a sub-editor, lifestyle editor and then assistant editor.<ref>{{cite web|last=Foster |first=Nick |url=https://www.ft.com/content/9e72ff0a-dc9f-11df-84f5-00144feabdc0 |title=From cold war to cool culture |work=Financial Times |date=22 October 2010|accessdate=25 March 2013}}</ref> <ref>{{Cite web |last=Crew |first=Sarah |date=2022-10-06 |title=The Bulletin at 60: Thriller writer Jeremy Duns enjoyed "digging deep" into Belgian life during his Bulletin years |url=https://www.thebulletin.be/bulletin-60-thriller-writer-jeremy-duns-enjoyed-digging-deep-belgian-life-during-his-bulletin-years |access-date=2023-07-12 |website=The Bulletin |language=en}}</ref> In Britain he has written for ''The Sunday Times'', ''The Daily Telegraph'' and ''The Independent'' newspapers.
An admirer of Ian Fleming and James Bond, Duns unearthed pages of a lost Bond novel, ''Per Fine Ounce'', early screenplays for ''Casino Royale''<ref>{{cite news|last =Duns|first =Jeremy|title=Casino Royale: discovering the lost script|url =https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/jamesbond/8345119/Casino-Royale-discovering-the-lost-script.html|accessdate=20 April 2020|work=The Sunday Telegraph|date=2 March 2011|location =London|url-status =live|archiveurl =https://web.archive.org/web/20120314015829/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/jamesbond/8345119/Casino-Royale-discovering-the-lost-script.html|archive-date =14 March 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Duns|first=Jeremy|url=https://www.thetimes.com/article/catch-007-how-joseph-heller-almost-wrote-casino-royale-wc5hnv0h9|title=Catch 007: how Joseph Heller almost wrote Casino Royale|work=The Times|location=London|date=20 April 2020|access-date=20 April 2020}} {{subscription required}}</ref> and ''The Diamond Smugglers'',<ref name="Duns (2010)">{{cite news|last=Duns|first=Jeremy|title=Ian Fleming's book about gem smuggling in South Africa is as thrilling as Bond, and should have been a blockbuster film starring Steve McQueen. So what went wrong?|newspaper=The Sunday Times|date=7 March 2010|location=London|pages=4–5}}</ref> and researched a wartime MI6 operation that inspired the opening of the film ''Goldfinger''.<ref>{{cite web|last=Harrison |first=David |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/7601274/The-secret-war-mission-that-inspired-Goldfinger-scene.html |title=The secret war mission that inspired Goldfinger scene |work=The Daily Telegraph|date=17 April 2010|accessdate=25 March 2013}}</ref>
Duns writes spy fiction featuring an MI6 agent called Paul Dark, set during the Cold War.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://us.penguingroup.com/static/rguides/us/free_agent.html |title=A Conversation with Jeremy Duns |publisher=Penguin Group |access-date=10 May 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090630083231/http://us.penguingroup.com/static/rguides/us/free_agent.html |archive-date=30 June 2009 }}</ref> Duns's novels are influenced by Fleming,<ref>{{cite web|author=Hockensmith, Steve|url=http://herocomplex.latimes.com/2012/11/10/james-bond-four-writers-carry-forward-ian-flemings-spy-legacy/ |title=James Bond: Four writers carry forward Ian Fleming's spy legacy |work=Los Angeles Times|date=10 November 2012|accessdate=25 March 2013}}</ref> Len Deighton<ref>{{cite web|last=O'Connell|first=John|url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2010/aug/21/john-o-connell-thriller-review-roundup?INTCMP=SRCH |title=John O'Connell's thriller roundup |work=The Guardian |date=21 August 2010|accessdate=20 May 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Duns |first=Jeremy |url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/booksblog/2009/feb/19/len-deighton-revival |title=Jeremy Duns pays tribute to novelist Len Deighton|work=The Guardian |date=19 February 2009 |accessdate=22 May 2013}}</ref> and John le Carré;<ref>{{cite web|author=Jehu, Jeremy |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/bookreviews/7978087/Genre-Thrillers.html |title=Genre: Thrillers |work=The Daily Telegraph |date=2 September 2010 |accessdate=20 May 2013}}</ref> his debut novel, ''Free Agent'' (2009), was one of the ''Telegraph''{{'}}s "thrillers of the year" in 2009.<ref>{{cite web|author=Book Reviews |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/bookreviews/6662621/Thrillers-of-the-year.html |title=Thrillers of the year |work=The Daily Telegraph |date=30 December 2009 |accessdate=25 March 2013}}</ref> The BBC optioned the television rights to the Paul Dark series in 2009,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tobymoorcroftrights.com/projects |title=Projects |publisher=Toby Moorcroft Rights |date=7 March 2013|accessdate=25 March 2013}}</ref> although Duns's own website notes that the option has since lapsed.<ref>{{cite web|title=Jeremy Duns: About |url=http://jeremyduns.net/about/ |publisher=Jeremy Duns |access-date=19 May 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130712113651/http://jeremyduns.net/about/ |archive-date=12 July 2013 }}</ref>
Duns is a member of International Thriller Writers<ref>[http://thrillerwriters.org/members/ Members], International Thriller Writers website</ref> and the Crime Writers' Association.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thecwa.co.uk/links.html |title=Crime Writers Association: links to members' web pages |publisher=Thecwa.co.uk |access-date=25 March 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130327211749/http://www.thecwa.co.uk/links.html |archive-date=27 March 2013}}</ref>
==Stance on plagiarism and sockpuppetry== Duns has criticised other authors for plagiarism.<ref name="HItalie">{{cite news | last =Italie | first =Hillel | title =Publisher Says Eastern Shore Author Didn't Copy From Book on Poe's Wife | newspaper =The Washington Times | date =7 December 2011 | url =http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/dec/6/publisher-says-poe-novelist-did-not-lift-material/ | accessdate =7 January 2013 }}</ref><ref name="NewYorkerMag">{{cite news | last =Coscarelli | first =Joe | title =Did Nate Thayer Plagiarize in the Article The Atlantic Wanted For Free? | newspaper =The New Yorker| date = 7 March 2013| url =http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2013/03/nate-thayer-atlantic-charged-with-plagiarism.html| accessdate =11 March 2013 }}</ref> In 2011 he praised the debut spy novel ''Assassin of Secrets'' by Q. R. Markham, but after reading allegations that a scene in the novel was plagiarised, Duns investigated and discovered that large sections of the novel had been copied. He informed the British publisher Hodder, and the book was pulled by Hodder and US publisher Little, Brown and Company.<ref name="WSJDuns">{{cite news | last =Trachtenberg | first =Jeffrey A. | title =Spy Thriller An Instant Classic Vanishes Amid Plagiarism Charges | newspaper =The Wall Street Journal| date = 9 November 2011| url =https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052970204554204577026450743281494| accessdate =1 March 2013 }}</ref> Markham later publicly apologised.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Flood |first=Alison |date=2011-11-15 |title=QR Markham apologises for 'awful pantomime' of plagiarism |language=en-GB |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2011/nov/15/qr-markham-apologises-plagiarism |access-date=2023-07-12 |issn=0261-3077}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Halford |first=Macy |date=2011-11-09 |title=Q. R. Markham's Plagiarism Puzzle |language=en-US |magazine=The New Yorker |url=https://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/q-r-markhams-plagiarism-puzzle |access-date=2023-07-12 |issn=0028-792X}}</ref>
In 2012 he discovered that the novelist R. J. Ellory had written positive reviews of his own books<ref>Andrew Hough [https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/booknews/9515593/RJ-Ellory-detected-crime-writer-who-faked-his-own-glowing-reviews.html "RJ Ellory: detected, crime writer who faked his own glowing reviews"], ''The Daily Telegraph'', 2 September 2012</ref> while responding negatively to rivals, on the Amazon website through the use of sockpuppets.<ref name="TheHerald">{{cite news | last =Miller | first =Phil | title =Scottish Crime Writer Is Victim of Bad Plot | newspaper =The Herald | date =4 September 2012 | url = http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/home-news/scottish-crime-writer-is-victim-of-bad-plot.18771815 | accessdate =4 January 2013 }}</ref> Ellory admitted he had done this, and apologised for it.<ref>Alison Flood [https://www.theguardian.com/books/2012/sep/03/rj-ellory-secret-amazon-reviews "RJ Ellory's secret Amazon reviews anger rivals"], ''The Guardian'', 3 September 2012</ref> Duns has also examined methods used by British author Stephen Leather since his admission in 2012 that he uses a network of sockpuppets to promote his own work online.<ref name="nickc">{{cite news | last = Cohen | first = Nick | author-link = Nick Cohen | url= https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2012/aug/05/nick-cohen-cheating-authors-journalists | newspaper = The Guardian | date = 5 August 2012 | title= Welcome to Britain, a home fit for shysters | accessdate = 13 August 2012}}</ref> Duns has also alleged that Leather has harassed him online in retaliation.<ref>{{Cite web|title = A thriller writer has been accused of running an online smear campaign|url = https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/news/stephen-leather-accused-of-running-online-sockpuppet-smear-campaign-against-fellow-thriller-writers-a6806696.html|website = The Independent|access-date = 13 January 2016|language = en-GB}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title = Stephen Leather accused of cyberbullying by fellow thriller writers|url = https://www.theguardian.com/books/2016/jan/12/stephen-leather-cyberbullying-steve-mosby-jeremy-duns|website = The Guardian|access-date = 13 January 2016|first = Alison|last = Flood| date=12 January 2016 }}</ref>
In 2012 Duns helped organise an open letter signed by over 50 authors condemning the use by certain authors of sockpuppets, fake reviews and other deceptive marketing techniques.<ref>Andrew Hough [https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/booknews/9518531/RJ-Ellory-fake-book-reviews-are-rife-on-internet-authors-warn.html "RJ Ellory: fake book reviews are rife on internet, authors warn"], ''The Daily Telegraph'', 4 September 2012</ref>
==Personal life== Duns lived in Stockholm, Sweden, from 2004,<ref name="Foster">{{cite news|last=Foster|first=Nick|title=From Cold War to Cool Culture|url=https://www.ft.com/content/9e72ff0a-dc9f-11df-84f5-00144feabdc0|newspaper=Financial Times|date=22 October 2010|location=London}}</ref> and subsequently moved to the Swedish-speaking Åland islands, in Finland.<ref name="Aland Is">{{cite news|title=My Kind of Town Mariehamn|newspaper=The Sunday Telegraph|date=29 August 2010|location=London|page=8}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=vanessa |title=Author interview – Jeremy Duns {{!}} Vanessa Robertson |url=https://www.vanessarobertson.co.uk/author-interview-jeremy-duns/ |access-date=2023-07-12 |language=en-GB}}</ref>
==Bibliography== *''Free Agent'' (2009) {{ISBN|0670021016}} * ''Song of Treason'' (2010) {{ISBN|978-1847394521}} * ''The Moscow Option'' (2012) {{ISBN|978-1847394538}} * ''The Dark Chronicles: A Spy Trilogy'' (2012) {{ISBN|978-0143120698}} * ''Dead Drop: The True Story of Oleg Penkovsky and the Cold War's Most Dangerous Operation'' (2013) {{ISBN|978-1849839273}} * ''News of Devils: The Media and Edward Snowden'' (2014) {{ISBN|978-1503322400}}
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== *{{official website|http://www.jeremy-duns.com/}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Duns, Jeremy}} Category:1973 births Category:Living people Category:Writers from Manchester Category:British expatriates in Finland Category:Alumni of St Catherine's College, Oxford