Matthew Fults is the author of five novels – three thrillers that comprise the award-winning Mathieu James trilogy, and two works of literary fiction known as The Ukraine Stories. A forthcoming Cold War novella is also being published. 

He is a former newspaper journalist and editor, a celebrated documentary filmmaker and accomplished brand photographer. In addition to his documentary work being selected to international film festivals, his visual storytelling has been praised by The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Detroit Free Press, Boston Globe and TV Guide among others.


As a writer, he is known for possessing a cinematic style and crafting scenes so rich with sensory detail that readers feel transported into the story. His thrillers have been compared to Vince Flynn and Frederick Forsyth; his literary fiction to Milan Kundera and Etaf Rum; and his travel essays have been humorously described as "the love child of Hunter S. Thompson and Ernest Hemingway on LSD." Fults's long-form storytelling is known for its poignancy, exceptional realism and literary style of journalism.
 

His debut novel, The Scotland Project, was named a finalist for best thriller of the year. It's sequel, Messenger for the Dead, was named Action Thriller of the Year for 2025. The final book in the series, The Consequence of Sin, has been called "a superb finale."


Meanwhile, his literary fiction debut, The Sunflower Widows, hit shelves in September 2025 as a multi-category bestseller and Top New Release. Heralded as "A quiet triumph" and "Masterful," Discovery says it's "A must read." The Book Commentary wrote, "Fults’s layered, empathetic portrayal of women living through war will captivate readers immensely." 

His next release, a cold war literary thriller, is a companion novel to The Sunflower Widows. Nikolai's Secret tells the story of an ordinary man raised on Soviet ideals who uncovers a secret powerful enough to destroy an empire. Nikolai's Secret will debut May 12, 2026 in paperback and ebook formats.