Enter the Shadowy Worlds of
Kit Turner
Immerse yourself in evocative spy stories drawn from history.
Walk down the murky streets of faraway cities.
Hear the faint footfalls of your pursuers.
Resist the impulse to steal a backward glance.
Feel the adrenaline as the footsteps quicken and sharpen.
Discover Kit's Books
Fiction
(as Kit Turner)
THE CHILDREN OF OUTER DARKNESS: an illustrated novel of espionage, the Cold War, and the Cuban Revolution

Amazon.com

The Children of Outer Darkness

The Children of Outer Darkness [Turner, Kit] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. The Children of Outer Darkness

Nonfiction
(as C. Turner)
THE CASSIA SPY RING: a history of the OSS's Maier-Messner Group

Amazon.com

The CASSIA Spy Ring in World War II Austria: A History of the OSS's Maier-Messner Group

The CASSIA Spy Ring in World War II Austria: A History of the OSS's Maier-Messner Group [Turner, C.] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. The CASSIA Spy Ring in World War II Austria: A History of the OSS's Maier-Messner Group

Editorial Reviews
The Children of Outer Darkness
"Former CIA officer [Kit] Turner deftly captures the drama, romance, and intrigue surrounding the last stages of the Cuban revolution, set in the Sierra Maestra mountains. The plot moves quickly, capturing the personalities of the revolution, such as its charismatic leader Fidel, his ruthless fellow revolutionary Che, a cunning Russian intelligence officer, and two key CIA operatives, Dolores, a diplomat seconded to the CIA, and Pim, a heroic paramilitary officer. Their risky job is to make contact with Castro and his rebels, and to learn what their strategies and motivations are. Turner knows his history and tradecraft, and his prose makes one feel alive, noting the tensions among the key protagonists, and in the case of Dolores and Pim, their cynical bosses in Havana and in Washington DC. This is a superb spy thriller, to be savored with a mojito and a Cohiba cigar." ―Dr. Kenneth Dekleva, former US Department of State physician-diplomat and author of The Negotiator's Cross and The Last Violinist
"Finally, historical fiction written by an operator himself. Kit [Turner] blends fictional truth into history through lean, uncluttered prose. Nothing will reveal the emotional truth, stakes and geopolitical significance...than will The Children Of Outer Darkness. Guided by Kit's prose, decades of experience in espionage and instinct for what actually mattered...you won't discover something like this again." ―Ryan Faulkner-Hogg, founder of Atlas Geographica and host of A Curious Worldview
"A novel that has it all: historically persuasive, linguistically delicious and humanly enriching. This tale, told in 36 crisp chapters, will linger with you." ―Dr. Siegfried Beer, retired professor of history, University of Graz, and founder of the Austrian Center for Intelligence, Propaganda and Security Studies
The CASSIA Spy Ring
“Turner lifts the veil on [the Cassia] operation with research and deep analysis from an extensive array of never-before used primary sources...deftly recounts the multinational Cassia team’s heroic exploits... With panoramic descriptions of the infamous Gestapo headquarters and detention center, Turner tells this intriguing and inspiring narrative with the highest attention to detail. Turner transports the reader, making us feel we’re among the key Cassia operatives.... [Turner is] a substantive expert in the history and practice of intelligence...the lessons about agent handling and communications are valuable in their own right...eloquently recounts how OSS officers refined the art of spy craft by learning from their successes and failures...Turner has done a great service to the memories of the valiant men and women of Cassia, who made such an extraordinary contribution to the war effort of the U.S. and allied forces against Nazi Germany.”―The Cipher Brief
“Fills a gap in OSS history. It is well-documented and should be of interest to all those concerned with the OSS in WWII.”―Studies in Intelligence, CIA Center for the Study of Intelligence
“Well-researched…a riveting account of an OSS operation gone wrong…[Turner] gives us a scholarly work that reads like a spy novel rather than an academic study…a solid case study of an early intelligence operation”―Military Review
“A gripping story of forgotten heroes, and a must read for anyone interested in the early days of spies and espionage.”―Against the Grain
Behind the Scenes
Photographs
Including glimpses from around the world of my undercover work with CIA.
Other Media
Podcasts Featuring Kit Turner
The Live Drop, Episode 71, "Kit Turner & A Ragtag Group of Rebels Hit The Shores of Revolutionary Cuba"
Spycraft 101, Episode 181, "From Anthropology to Espionage and Authorship"
Spies, Lies and Private Eyes, Episode 114, "Kit Turner: Former CIA Operative and Novelist"
True Spies, Parts One and Two, "The CASSIA Spy Ring"

spyscape.com

CASSIA SPY RING PART 1: THE PRIEST AND THE CEO | True Spies Podcast

In the face of historical evil, would you have the courage to resist? It's a question that weighed heavily on the members of the CASSIA Spy Ring - a civilian resistance operation based out of a church in occupied Vienna. Vanessa Kirby joins ex-CIA officer Christopher Turner and Austrian intelligence expert Siegfried Bier to uncover a story of extreme courage in the face of insurmountable odds. In Part 1, we meet clergyman Heinrich Maier and rubber tycoon Franz Messner - unlikely friends who became the core of a new movement. Together, they recruited like-minded individuals to strike back at the Nazi regime.

spyscape.com

CASSIA SPY RING PART 2: THE BEST LAID PLANS | True Spies Podcast

In the face of historical evil, would you have the courage to resist? It's a question that weighed heavily on the members of the Cassia spy ring - a civilian resistance operation based out of a church in occupied Vienna. Vanessa Kirby joins ex-CIA officer Christopher Turner and Austrian intelligence expert Siegfried Bier to uncover a story of extreme courage in the face of insurmountable odds. In Part 2, the Austrian spies are folded in to the OSS - America's new foreign intelligence agency. But the acquisition comes with unforeseen - and deadly - complications.

Articles about Kit Turner
"The Archaeologist and Spy Who Came in from the Field," Spyscape Museum

spyscape.com

Christopher Turner: The Archeologist & CIA Spy Who Came In From the Field

open.substack.com

🇨🇺 What the Cuban Revolution Can Teach the Democratic Party

Reflections from The Live Drop, Episode 71 with Kit Turner

Articles by Kit Turner
Book Review of "A Light in the Northern Sea"

The Cipher Brief

The Daring Danes Who Defied the Nazis

BOOK REVIEW: A LIGHT IN THE NORTHERN SEA: DENMARK’S INCREDIBLE RESCUE OF THEIR JEWISH CITIZENS DURING WWIIBy: Tim Brady / CitadelReviewed by: Christopher “Kit” TurnerThe Reviewer — Christopher “Kit” Turner served for 25 years as an undercover CIA officer in East Asia, South Asia, and Europe. After o...

Book review of "Forged in Hell"

The Cipher Brief

Hard Won Victories in WWII

C. "Kit" Turner reviews Forged In Hell: The Gripping True Story of the Special Forces Heroes Who Broke the Nazi Stranglehold by Damien Lewis

"Operation FORTITUDE: A Lesson in Deception from D-Day"

The Cipher Brief

Operation Fortitude: A Lesson in Deception from D-Day

(Photo caption:  Full-size dummy LCTs, codenamed BIGBOB, moored in South East England before the Normandy invasion (British Imperial War Museums, photograph H 42527, public domain). This article was adapted from a nonfiction postscript in Christopher Turner’s Lieutenant Barnaby’s Inflatable Air Forc...

About the Author
KIT TURNER worked for 25 years as an undercover CIA officer in East Asia, South Asia, and Europe, where he ran sensitive operations against top-tier objectives. After one risky deployment, he was awarded the Intelligence Star, a rare commendation for valor.
After retiring, Turner wrote The CASSIA Spy Ring (McFarland & Co., 2017), a nonfiction book about an ill-fated coterie of agents handled by the US Office of Strategic Services, the CIA’s forerunner. In 2022, CASSIA was featured in a two-part True Spies podcast narrated by Oscar-nominated actor Vanessa Kirby.
Turner has spoken at the Austrian National Defense Academy (LVAk) and Austrian Broadcasting Corporation (ORF) about wartime resistance and high-stakes espionage.
His articles on intelligence activities have been published in the Journal of Intelligence, Propaganda and Security Studies and in The Cipher Brief.
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