THE DEADLY SECRET: Persia
MARCH 11, 2023
TEHRAN, IRAN
As the country at the heart of the Persian Empire, Persia eventually became Iran. With much of THE DEADLY SECRET set in Tehran, Iran, the fast-paced action races throughout a city located in the midst of a country unique for the area. Whereas much of the Middle East is comprised of flat, lowland deserts, vast expanses of Iran are mountainous with fertile plateaus. At an elevation of nearly 4000 feet and a population of roughly 12 million people, Tehran is a thriving metropolis, and up until the 1979 Islamic revolution, the city’s residents were largely Westernized, sharing much in common with Americans. Many Iranian expatriates living in Los Angeles refer to their adopted American city as Tehrangeles, due to the numerous similarities between the two sprawling metropolises, both teaming with skyscrapers and having a similar climate and vegetation. In the expanse of just a few hours, it’s possible for Tehranians to have breakfast at a quaint outdoor café in the city, ski the snowy slopes at Dizin in the Alborz mountains, and have a late lunch at the Caspian Sea in Bandar-e Torkaman. Despite Iran’s present-day setbacks due to its theocratic government, its people have a rich heritage and culture that cannot be diminished by the passage of time.
LALEH PARK, TEHRAN
The setting for the powerful, climatic end of THE DEADLY SECRET, Laleh Park is located in central Tehran, in the heart of the action. Founded by Queen Farah Pahlavi in 1966, it covers more than eighty-six acres and is a hub of activity year-round. Filled with trees, fountains, pathways and an abundance of manicured grass, the park is similar to New York’s Central Park, taking up many square blocks in a city desperate for building space. It is here that CIA Agent Danika Stone must find a way to unravel the deadly secret, or the world will pay the price.
SHEMIRAN, IRAN
In THE DEADLY SECRET, Shemiran is the location of a pivotal sequence that launches the story into nonstop action. Nestled against the slopes of the Alborz Mountains, it is often referred to as the Beverly Hills of Iran, an affluent sector just north of Tehran, where fancy restaurants, European auto dealerships, and stores selling haute couture all front spacious, tree-lined streets. Wealthy families, diplomats, expats and celebrities all call the area home, as do foreign embassies and their respective ambassadors and staff who thus circumvent the harsh realities of the Islamic State. It is also where many of Iran’s elite ruling class live, beyond the view of prying eyes, partaking in many of the finer things in life, including alcohol, stylish women and premarital sex, all against Iran’s strict Islamic laws, laws that do not apply to the elite.
UNIVERSITY OF TEHRAN CAMPUS
Located just several blocks from Laleh Park, this ariel shot shows the University of Tehran campus, circa 1960s, the birthplace of 1979s Islamic revolution that deposed Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi, ending the monarchy and sweeping Ayatollah Khomeini into power, thus setting the Westernization of Iran back at least fifty years. With the taking of over 400 American hostages, starting a grueling fifteen-month ordeal, it signaled the end of Iran’s cozy relationship with the United States. A key element of THE DEADLY SECRET centers around an undercurrent of unrest among Iran’s youth, once again desperate for change, for a new revolution, but knowing the deadly consequences should they fail.
MAP OF IRAN
In the heart of the Middle East, Iran is situated between the Caspian Sea in the north and the Persian Gulf in the south. Known as Persia throughout much of its 2500-year history, at one time, the Persian Empire stretched from Egypt and Greece in the West and encompassed Afghanistan, Pakistan and parts of India to the East. With only about twenty percent of the country, in the central and eastern sections, being inhospitable desserts, Iran has a little something to offer for everyone. From fertile farmland, growing apples, pears, cherries, figs and dates to snow skiing on the slopes of the Alborz Mountains to fishing for sturgeon in the Caspian Sea to tropical resorts on the Persian Gulf, there is a unique blend of geography, agriculture and climates to suit even the most discriminating of tastes. NOTE: Refer to the black-and-white map in the front of THE DEADLY SECRET to identify two additional places of significance in the story; Natanz and Bandar-e Torkaman.