About the Book: 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?

About the Beverage: Matt says, “The Pearfection is a perfect pairing with The Ayatollah Takedown because it is everything a regime change should be--sweet on the way in and sour on the way out with a savory froth that makes you glad you ordered one but packs a punch that you should be careful about ordering another.” His recipe includes Grey Goose La Poire and St. Germain Elderflower.

About the Author: Matt 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.

THE AYATOLLAH TAKEDOWN is available in trade paperback and ebook. To order from Amazon, visit https://a.co/d/7qyareF

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