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The Ayatollah Takedown
In 1979, the Islamic Revolution gave birth to a new beginning for Iran.
But every beginning has an ending…
…And every ending has a new beginning. The Supreme Leader of Iran, Marzban Shir-Del, is desperate. After discovering that Iran started a war between India and Pakistan for national gain, the international community places the toughest economic sanctions on them to date. Thinking that an oil deal with China will shield them from their enemies, Shir-Del turns to General Secretary Zhang Xu for assistance, but he wants more than Shir-Del is willing to give. Unbeknownst to the Supreme Leader, chief commander of the Revolutionary Guard, Ramin Lajani, is conspiring with CIA operatives Ben Thrasher and Beth Jenkins to overthrow him. With the 1953 CIA coup never far from Iranians’ minds, the task is daunting. With Tom Delang acting as a conduit between themselves and the U.S. government, Thrasher and Jenkins must secure the necessary funds from an old nemesis, Vivian Walsh, keep Israel from interfering with their mission, effectively utilize insiders Farhad and Donya, and coordinate with Lajani, without being detected. But Lajani isn’t as beloved as he thinks. Basij General Mohammad Nassiri has been suspicious of him for years. Will Lajani accomplish the impossible or will Nassiri discover his motives before it’s too late, allowing the Supreme Leader to make one last stand?
But every beginning has an ending…
…And every ending has a new beginning. The Supreme Leader of Iran, Marzban Shir-Del, is desperate. After discovering that Iran started a war between India and Pakistan for national gain, the international community places the toughest economic sanctions on them to date. Thinking that an oil deal with China will shield them from their enemies, Shir-Del turns to General Secretary Zhang Xu for assistance, but he wants more than Shir-Del is willing to give. Unbeknownst to the Supreme Leader, chief commander of the Revolutionary Guard, Ramin Lajani, is conspiring with CIA operatives Ben Thrasher and Beth Jenkins to overthrow him. With the 1953 CIA coup never far from Iranians’ minds, the task is daunting. With Tom Delang acting as a conduit between themselves and the U.S. government, Thrasher and Jenkins must secure the necessary funds from an old nemesis, Vivian Walsh, keep Israel from interfering with their mission, effectively utilize insiders Farhad and Donya, and coordinate with Lajani, without being detected. But Lajani isn’t as beloved as he thinks. Basij General Mohammad Nassiri has been suspicious of him for years. Will Lajani accomplish the impossible or will Nassiri discover his motives before it’s too late, allowing the Supreme Leader to make one last stand?
364 pages, Paperback
Published March 20, 2023
3 people are currently reading
2094 people want to read
About the author
Matt Scott
3 books29 followersMatt Scott is the author of the SURVIVING THE LION’S DEN thriller trilogy which debuted in 2021. Once believed himself to be too late in the game to be a thriller writer, an encounter with David Baldacci at a book-signing back in 2018 changed all that.
At the time, Matt would be turning forty-years-old later that year and asked David Baldacci if that age was too old to write his first novel. David stopped mid-signature, looked up at Matt and said, “Oh, hell no. The industry could use some good young writers.” Upon hearing those words, Matt started the first draft of SURVIVING THE LION’S DEN later that same day.
Matt earned his bachelor’s degree in political science and history from Hampden-Sydney College in Virginia, where he had the honor of studying under former Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), General Sam Wilson, who was the college's president and initially introduced Matt to the world of espionage. During his subsequent studies, Matt became fascinated by the CIA and read dozens of non-fiction books related to Middle East politics, spy craft, the CIA’s war against terrorism, tales of clandestine spies and double agents, and memoirs of former agency directors.
Matt’s latest action-packed political thriller is the forthcoming THE AYATOLLAH TAKEDOWN (pub. 3/21/23 Speaking Volumes). His two previous novels in the series include SURVIVING THE LION’S DEN (2021) and THE IRANIAN DECEPTION (2022).
“Vince Flynn and Brad Thor kept me interested in the political spy genre, but I always wanted to do a story about Iran because so few westerners know what it looks like on the inside. When I saw the way THE DA VINCI CODE took readers across a tour of Europe where they learned about the locations as they were involved in the storyline, I knew that I wanted to do something similar with Iran.”
Matt grew up in Portsmouth, Virginia, and currently resides in Charlotte, North Carolina with his wife Amanda. When he’s not writing, Matt works as a professional financial analyst and amateur golden retriever wrangler.
At the time, Matt would be turning forty-years-old later that year and asked David Baldacci if that age was too old to write his first novel. David stopped mid-signature, looked up at Matt and said, “Oh, hell no. The industry could use some good young writers.” Upon hearing those words, Matt started the first draft of SURVIVING THE LION’S DEN later that same day.
Matt earned his bachelor’s degree in political science and history from Hampden-Sydney College in Virginia, where he had the honor of studying under former Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), General Sam Wilson, who was the college's president and initially introduced Matt to the world of espionage. During his subsequent studies, Matt became fascinated by the CIA and read dozens of non-fiction books related to Middle East politics, spy craft, the CIA’s war against terrorism, tales of clandestine spies and double agents, and memoirs of former agency directors.
Matt’s latest action-packed political thriller is the forthcoming THE AYATOLLAH TAKEDOWN (pub. 3/21/23 Speaking Volumes). His two previous novels in the series include SURVIVING THE LION’S DEN (2021) and THE IRANIAN DECEPTION (2022).
“Vince Flynn and Brad Thor kept me interested in the political spy genre, but I always wanted to do a story about Iran because so few westerners know what it looks like on the inside. When I saw the way THE DA VINCI CODE took readers across a tour of Europe where they learned about the locations as they were involved in the storyline, I knew that I wanted to do something similar with Iran.”
Matt grew up in Portsmouth, Virginia, and currently resides in Charlotte, North Carolina with his wife Amanda. When he’s not writing, Matt works as a professional financial analyst and amateur golden retriever wrangler.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
June 21, 2023
Book Review – The Ayatollah Takedown – Matt Scott
The suspense and apprehension of Matt Scott’s first two thrillers in the ‘Surviving the Lion’s Den’ series carries over into his final novel of the three-book series, entitled “The Ayatollah Takedown.” After Iran instigated a war between India and Pakistan for their own national gain, the international community places tough economic sanctions on them which irritates the Iranian Supreme Leader. Thinking that an oil deal with China will protect Iran from their enemies, the Iranian leader turns to the Chinese for assistance, but they want more than what Iran is willing to give. Subsequently, the main character, CIA operative Ben Thrasher and his female partner get involved and the daunting, high intensity international espionage story takes off! Actionable, informative, and well researched on global - especially Middle Eastern politics - The Ayatollah Takedown concludes the series as a solid geopolitical spy thriller. The plot and storyline were a little complicated and busy, but that’s to be expected in any international spy story. The pace was decent and the wide range of characters – various intelligence types, diplomats and politicians, and terrorists and villains all helped move the story along. Entertaining, Educational, and very Edifying, Scott delivers another adequate read in the espionage thriller genre.
The suspense and apprehension of Matt Scott’s first two thrillers in the ‘Surviving the Lion’s Den’ series carries over into his final novel of the three-book series, entitled “The Ayatollah Takedown.” After Iran instigated a war between India and Pakistan for their own national gain, the international community places tough economic sanctions on them which irritates the Iranian Supreme Leader. Thinking that an oil deal with China will protect Iran from their enemies, the Iranian leader turns to the Chinese for assistance, but they want more than what Iran is willing to give. Subsequently, the main character, CIA operative Ben Thrasher and his female partner get involved and the daunting, high intensity international espionage story takes off! Actionable, informative, and well researched on global - especially Middle Eastern politics - The Ayatollah Takedown concludes the series as a solid geopolitical spy thriller. The plot and storyline were a little complicated and busy, but that’s to be expected in any international spy story. The pace was decent and the wide range of characters – various intelligence types, diplomats and politicians, and terrorists and villains all helped move the story along. Entertaining, Educational, and very Edifying, Scott delivers another adequate read in the espionage thriller genre.
July 25, 2023
A political thriller which takes the time to set up the political mechanics to make it more thrilling.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews