Razi Crossing [Kindle Edition]

Tom Burchill (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

In the summer of 1978, John Burchill was a bored and broke college dropout trying to survive in Munich, Germany. Desperate for money and hungry for adventure, John and his sidekick Pat Tiahrt decide to take an ill-advised job running used cars to Iran. Knowing full well that they were taking part in an illegal and potentially risky venture, they defied their parent's wishes and headed to Iran.

On the dangerous journey to Iran, John and Pat find plenty of adventure and excitement until they are apprehended by Iranian authorities on their way home. At Razi Crossing, they make a most fateful mistake that lands them in prison for what could be upwards of five years of incarceration.

In the ensuing months, the reality of incarceration quickly becomes a secondary concern as the full fury of Iranian revolution soon exploded all around them. Ironically, the prison walls provide an unexpected sanctuary amidst the chaos raging outside. That is, until one day when a prison riot led to a fire, and ultimately, the mass breakout of 2,000 inmates.

John and Pat join the escaping hoards and run for their lives into the night. They find safe harbor at the American consulate in Tabriz, but their refuge there was short-lived. In a matter of days, vigilante gunmen storm the consulate in a hail of machinegun fire, taking everyone including the American Consul captive. John and nine others who survived the violent take-over now found themselves accused of being CIA spies!

At the Revolutionary headquarters, the Americans were paraded in front of an angry mob chanting "Death to America, death to CIA." To John, it seemed there was no way out as they faced almost certain execution at the hands of an angry mob. Only with the courageous intervention of the American consul and some miraculous luck, they not only avoided execution as spies, but instead became accidental heroes of the revolution!

Even after being exonerated and hailed as brothers of the revolution, their long journey home was still fraught with danger and unexpected pitfalls. Civil order had broken down in the nation and armed radical Islamists everywhere thirsted for American blood. In the end, it would take not just a miracle, but many more miracles to bring John and Pat home safely.

About the Author

Born in Japan in 1959 to an American Father and a Japanese mother, Tom Burchill grew up in multiple cultures from the Far East to the United States and Europe. After graduating from High School in Frankfurt, Germany, he attended the University of Maryland in Munich, Germany. In 1981, Tom returned to the U.S. to pursue a career in film and television in Los Angeles. In 1984, Tom moved to Silicon Valley where over the next four years, Tom bounced between teaching and sales until he found his calling in the High Tech industry. Tom spent the next 13 years at Intel Corporation where he developed and ran Intel's corporate TV studio and broadcast/webcast network. Today Tom is semi-retired and lives in Vancouver, Washington with his wife Jeannie and son Alex. Tom's brother John lives in St. George, Utah where he is the manager of the Barnes and Noble bookstore.

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Product Details

• Format: Kindle Edition
• Print Length: 196 pages
• Publisher: Trafford Publishing (February 13, 2006)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services
• ASIN: B000PY4930
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #344,640 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I waited a long time to get this book & then I could not put it down, March 1, 2010

By	K. Harris - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Razi Crossing (Paperback)

It described how crazy things were in the beginning. Kids having fun and misbehaving like we all do. Then it suddenly changed and described how dangerous life could be in a single moment. Mr. Metrinko was truly amazing in life and death situations. He knew exactly what to do at all times and this book kept me on the edge of my chair. It is unbelievable the way he negotiated his way out of seemingly impossible situations.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Side Story: An American Diplomatic Hero, November 9, 2006

By	Virginia music lover "cossack" (northern Virginia United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Razi Crossing (Paperback)

There is a true American hero in this book. Michael Metrinko, to whom the book is dedicated, stayed in Tabriz when the first violence occurred because he knew there were westerners in the Tabriz prison and he wanted to rescue them. Metrinko was suspected by the Iranian revolutionaries of being a spy, and was going to be executed (a noose was already around his neck); fortunately a friendly Iranian intervened. When the Tehran American Embassy was reopened months later, Metrinko volunteered to go back to Iran, where he became one of the 52 hostages. His story is featured in Mark Bowden's excellent book "Guests of the Ayatollah." Post-retirement, Metrinko has since volunteered for diplomatic missions in post-war Iraq and in Afghanistan (where he presently serves).