Surviving the Lion's Den

Book excerpt: Trusted CIA operative Tom Delang is kidnapped in Dammam by Iranian operatives following a meeting with the Saudi ambassador to the United States and is tortured for coveted information. Discovering that Delang is of personal interest to the Russian president, Iranian Revolutionary Guard commander Rahim Shirazi offers to trade the American to the Russians in exchange for access to their secret missile system. Together, the two countries conspire to overtake the American military base in Bahrain, currently home to the Fifth Fleet. On Capitol Hill, Senator Vivian Walsh exploits the media and attempts to manipulate the Defense Department as she conspires to have the base closed after a drone strike targets two high-value terrorists but kills several Iraqi children instead. While Delang is locked away for months, Kirk Kurruthers, an American of Iranian descent, finds his grandfather murdered by mysterious Iranian intruders. After uncovering his family’s connection to the 1953 CIA coup that deposed Mohammed Mossadegh, Kirk flies to Iran, hell bent on revenge, where he is met by his in-country guide, Farhad. Following his own capture, Kurruthers, along with Delang, risk a daring and unconventional escape into neighboring Turkmenistan, their only hope of surviving and disclosing the truth.