Barnes Carr was for many years a journalist for daily newspapers in Mississippi, Memphis, Boston, Montreal, New York, New Orleans, and Washington, D.C. He was trapped in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina and the short story he wrote about the experience was awarded a William Faulkner Gold Medal. His first book, Operation Whisper: The Capture of Soviet Spies Morris and Lona Cohen, was published by the University Press of New England. Barnes lives in Houston, Texas.