Tehran, 1978 Iran is sliding into revolution. The escalating chaos provides ample opportunities for adventurers. A secret fund that is to be transported to Bahais in southeastern Iran has excited the larcenous instincts of several disparate parties: the Islamic Warriors of Truth, the amoral son of a missionary, a desperate husband, a group of exiled Kurds, and a determined US agent. Events push the reserved but vulnerable Margaret Lexler, trapped in a faux marriage, into the arms of ex-marine Mitchell Ritchie; but is he who he says he is? Now she finds herself in the center of the drama, Ritchie and a young Iranian named Daryush her only shields. Pursued and pursuing from Tehran to Kerman to Bam to the edge of the Empty Desert, one of the most desolate regions on the planet, the opposing parties meet in a bloody showdown at the Burnt City, an eerie geological formation resembling a petrified city, rumored to be a hideout for bandits, smugglers, and demons… Jay R. Crook, a veteran of more than 17 years in Iran and an eye-witness to the Iranian Revolution, provides his readers with a sumptuous banquet of violence, intrigue, greed, and lust in the streets of Tehran and Kerman, a Sufi shrine, the ruins of Bam, the Empty Desert, and the Burnt City itself.

About the Author

Jay R. Crook was born in upstate New York, the second son of a clergyman, but spent his formative years on Long Island, NY. A chance acquaintance at his workplace awakened an interest in Islamic culture and civilization. After serving in the US Army (1952-54), he traveled to East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) where he earned his BA at Dacca College. He wound up spending most of his working life in the Middle East, especially in Iran (1964-1980) and Saudi Arabia (1983-97) while traveling extensively in the region. A Peace Corps field representative in East Pakistan (1962-63) and later in Iran, he finished his tour there as Deputy Director of the Iran program. He then enrolled in the Doctoral Program of Persian Literature for Foreigners at Tehran University and received his Ph.D. in 1978, just as the Iranian revolution was getting underway. His doctoral thesis, Moqayeseh-ye Qisas-e Quran-e Surabadi ba Ketab-e Moqaddas (A Comparison of the Quranic Stories of Surabadi With the Bible), two decades later became the core of his much-expanded English version, The Bible: An Islamic Perspective books. After leaving Iran in 1980, he taught English to foreigners in the U.S. and Saudi Arabia before returning to visit Iran twice in the late '90s. He now resides in Tucson, Arizona, and has translated several major works from Persian into English, including Kashifi's The Royal Book of Spiritual Chivalry and Ghazzali's The Alchemy of Happiness. He has also edited and annotated two books about the Prophet Yahya (John the Baptist) by Agron Belica. He is currently working on several writing projects, including a novel set in pre-revolutionary Iran, a book of short stories, and a memoir about his experiences in East Pakistan, now Bangladesh.

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