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In this first installment of the author’s New Sentinels series, the protectors of freedom take on the American CIA and British MI-6 in their 1953 effort to topple the democratically elected National Party prime minister Mossadegh with the exiled Shah. However, the story goes back to 1902, when a young Iranian named Harshim Naraghi had high hopes of “pushing back the desert” in rural Iran by building “quants”—underground tunnels to be used for irrigation. But after meeting and marrying Kate York, his new wife’s mining expertise led to expanding into hydroelectric dams that would develop more land faster. Together they formed a “Nation of Citizen Farmers” who worked the new available land.
In the thirties, it turned out the undeveloped oil reserves under this newly developed land were attracting Hitler, who was hungry for oil to feed his war machine. The Sentinels devised an independent oil company that could possibly qualify as an American foreign investment interest that would bring American military protection to the nation’s reserves. Machinations began and extended all the way to 1953 when Western Oil began plotting to seize control.
Based on actual historical records of CIA and MI-6 activities, this novel of historical fiction is a noble attempt to capture the culture and history of Iran before it became the Islamic Republic. Written in a quite readable style, it is a very plot-driven storyline peopled with heroic characters who rely on altruism and honest capitalism to achieve their goals. The theme is one of democratic altruism versus imperialistic self-interest writ large on a transnational scale. Characters often champion heroic women who show their mettle in a male-dominant Iranian society. There is also an interesting illustration of the early Zionist struggle before Israel achieved statehood. Informative and intelligent, this is a nice addition to historical fiction.
RECOMMENDED by the US Review