by Avanti Centrae
I never want to see the nightmares that my antagonists dream come true. Lately, real-world headlines have been echoing scenes straight out of my latest thriller — the one featuring Bijan “Renoir” Reza, the Iranian terrorist and master art thief who started his life as an IRGC security officer. A few fans wrote telling me that his mix of icy logic and moral chaos in THE PICASSO JOB felt “too authentic.” Turns out, they were right.
In recent months, tension in the Middle East and a wave of brazen daylight heists have reminded me of a tense interchange between everyman hero Dakota Black and Reza:
As Reza smiled, his eyes disappeared into his trademark squint. He patted Dakota on the back. “Stick with me, farm boy. I have a job for us. Big reward money. Remember the recent heist I told you about?”
“The Mona Lisa? Taken from the Louvre in broad daylight?”
Reza shook his head, then leaned forward. “No, no. Not that one. I told you that heist happened in 1911. My daughter looks like her, by the way.”
Dakota didn’t give a rat’s ass about the older man’s daughter. “I was kidding. That was over a hundred years ago. Which heist are you talking about?”
“The Picasso. Man With Sword.”
“Oh, right; you had me read that article. That painting was stolen during the day, too,” Dakota added. “From that Picasso Museum in Paris. What’s it called? The Musée National Picasso-Paris?”
A slow, crocodile smile spread across Reza’s round face. “Yes, exactly.”
“Bold. French art cops thought the thieves wore silicone masks.”
“Clever,” Reza agreed. “Very Mission Impossible.”
“Drone as a getaway vehicle was unique.”
Reza nodded. “It was a brilliant piece of work.”
Dakota had a different moral compass than his cellmate did; he wouldn’t exactly have called it brilliant.
“Know where the painting is now?” he asked.
“I do. I do. Not many guys could pull off a job like that. Called around. My friends tell me it’s with a man and a woman. She’s a movie star but a Jewess. They have no need for it.”
Dakota tilted his head. “You’re always going on about Jews. Why do you hate them so much?”
Reza’s voice rose. “They lied about the Holocaust, stole land for their nation-state, and have been assassinating our innocent scientists. Not to mention Netanyahu convincing your Orange Mussolini to bomb three of our nuclear sites!”
Reza pantomimed a falling bomb.
When I wrote those words, I wanted to capture the belief system of a fanatic who would steal a priceless painting and sell it to fund a deadly terrorist operation. In the book, Dakota doesn’t understand Reza’s violent perspective and instead believes that “People are people.” Elizabeth Everett, a driven FBI agent of Iranian descent, loves the people of Iran but believes the government is sowing discord. She relentlessly hunts Reza to stop his plans.
Unfortunately, with the current war, there are real-life Rezas planning destruction around the world. In early March 2026, ABC News reported that the U.S. intercepted an encrypted transmission that may serve as a trigger to wake clandestine assets. Like Everett, law-enforcement agents are working day and night to keep us safe from deadly sleeper cells and covert operatives. Still, it’s a good time to avoid travel and large public gatherings. Stay home and join me in donating to organizations that promote peace in the Middle East, such as the Artsbridge Institute, which fosters understanding through programs that support young people.
Or hang out on the couch with a bowl of popcorn and read a good thriller…
Avanti Centrae is an international bestselling and multi-award-winning thriller author. She’s honored that The Picasso Job was named “Book of the Year” by Bestthrillers.com, and her novels have won fourteen other awards. Her smart, adrenaline-laced action thrillers have hit the Top 100 bestseller lists on Amazon in the United States, Canada, and Australia. She’s appeared on multiple radio shows, including NPR, and has been featured in dozens of podcasts to discuss her trademark blend of thrills. Sign up for free chapters, deleted scenes, and fan-only giveaways at her website AvantiCentrae.com.
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