Dean Barrett first came to Asia as a Chinese linguist with the American Army Security Agency specializing in Intelligence Operations. He later did graduate work in Asian Studies at San Francisco State College and received his M.A. from the University of Hawaii.

Originally from Groton, Connecticut, Dean was a playwright in New York City for 14 years and a librettist/lyricist at BMI and a member of Dramatist Guild. He was also a board member of Mystery Writers of America. Almost all of his books - fiction and nonfiction - are set in Asia or have a close connection with China or Thailand. His novel set in New York City, Murder in China Red, stars a Chinese detective.

His detective series set in Bangkok includes Skytrain to Murder and Permanent Damage. His erotic novel set in China - A Love Story: The China Memoirs of Thomas Rowley - is available on Kindle and in Bookworm Beijing. Hangman's Point is an adventure novel set in 1857 Hong Kong and has recently been followed by its sequel, Thieves Hamlet, published in mid-2014. His latest novel is set in Manhattan but also related to China: Pop Darrell's Last Case.

His musical, Fragrant Harbour, set in 1857 Hong Kong, was selected by the National Alliance for Musical Theater to be shown to producers and directors on 42nd Street, NYC. His play, Bones of the Chinamen, set in Swatow (Shantou) in 1862, won the South Asian prize of the BBC International Playwriting Competition, coming in among the top 8 selected out of 1200 entries. His one-act plays have been staged in ten countries. Dean now lives in Thailand.