MUSHROOM IN THE SAND by Farsheed Ferdowsi

MUSHROOM IN THE SAND Farsheed Ferdowsi November 23, 2009 Publisher: WingSpan Press Format: Hardcover 348 pages ISBN-13: 9781595943446 Dr. Ross Shaheen was a brilliant physicist specializing in nuclear weapons research while living the America dream in California. Ross had been born in Iran but found his roots and carved out a life with his wife and their children in the United States. He never anticipated returning to the place of his birth but when an unexpected turn of events forces his hand and he finds himself accepting their offer to lecture the feelings are not one of looking to revisit home but fear at what will await him. Ross had given up any hope of Iran becoming a democracy and when he left it was with anger toward the country that had murdered his brother for being an idealist and even after all these years his feelings toward Iran had not changed. While his theories were world renowned and his Federal Security Clearance top notch nothing seemed to make sense, that now after all this time Iran wanted him to lecture. Before Ross was even on the plane every conceivable part of the alphabet soup that is the federal bureaucracy of the United States enforcement of the law was at his door. His FBI neighbor called up the ranks and the top dog came to call and explain to Ross what his country needed and expected him to do. But the surprise was in the details as no one really knew why Iran was asking for him because he could tell them nothing but what was public knowledge yet concern ran deep that Ross was the missing link in Iran’s nuclear program and the worst fear that Iran possessed this technology was too terrifying to even imagine. The chance encounter with a CNN reporter adds some spice to the mix but their time in Iran will be spent chasing ghosts and running down leads that go nowhere but deep into the caverns of the country. Ross’s life is taken control of once he reaches Iran and it takes very little time for him to understand that nothing is as it appears and what Iran wants and how they plan to get it is beyond reprehensible. But Ross has familiar connections across the globe that can more than stop the doom that they want him to create and control the political nightmare that is looming right around the corner. This book was an amazing surprise in that the premises seemed plausible but could it be told in a way to make it believable as well as understandable to the reader. The answer is a resounding yes and the main reason is the author’s ability to tell the story by unfolding layers and explaining so that everyone reading the book understood what was going on and most importantly what was at stake. The Middle East is a complicated and dangerous situation that few truly grasp or comprehend. To have someone write it out as if it we a tale of imagination is brilliant and a gifted author tells a story that will scare you deep into your bones. Mary Gramlich (“The Reading Reviewer”) www.marygramlich.com