It is a pleasure to be able to support the tour for Loyalty and the Learner, the new novel by Miriam Drori. The tour is run by Lynsey Adams of Reading Between the Lines. Thank you for including me on the tour, Lynsey. I'm sure me readers will enjoy the excerpt from Miriam's gripping book.
The Blurb
Once again, Asaf is suspected of murder, but he’s soon released when the victim’s wife, Lihi, is arrested. Nathalie, now engaged to Asaf, is certain of Lihi’s innocence, and is determined to find the real murderer.
As Nathalie, Asaf and friends stumble along the path to achieving their goal, with a little inspiration from Molière, Hillel and Adenauer, they discover new places in Jerusalem and also venture west and north. Despite experiencing fear, sadness and other painful emotions, they never lose their sense of humour – and find that sharing their worries helps them pull through.
While some questions are answered on the way, new ones take their place. But what about the original question: Who killed Ofir? And how much is Nathalie willing to put at risk in order to solve this mystery? Her relationship? Her life?
The Excerpt
Nathalie’s friends, Yarden and Tehila, have just been very kind to her.
“Thank you,” Nathalie said through tears. She reached out both arms and pulled both her friends in for a hug. Still in that position and not quite composed again, Nathalie became aware of a pair of cream-coloured trousers in front of her. She followed them up, past a plain black tee-shirt, to a black-skinned face that screamed, Look at me; I’m the greatest!
She wasn’t sure what gave her that impression. It could have been the designer stubble, the hint of a moustache, the full head of short black hair, the snub nose or the deep brown eyes looking down on the three of them with a sense of pride and enjoyment. What she did know for sure was that her hand was itching to wipe the grin off those thick lips. To Nathalie’s dismay, Tehila leaped from her seat and reached up to hug him. Then she turned back.
“Nathalie, this is Marcel, the guy I told you about on the train.” During the train journey back from Holon, Tehila had told Nathalie about this gorgeous Frenchman she’d met at some party the night before, and had asked for her help in checking him out because he only spoke French. “After all,” Tehila continued, “you promised to do something for me in return for my agreeing to help with your murder. I mean, not yours but… you know.”
“Tehila, I hope you know I’d be happy to check him out for you, simply because you’re my friend,” Nathalie had replied. Now, though, she wasn’t so sure.
The Author
Miriam Drori, author, editor and social anxiety warrior, worked as a computer programmer and a technical writer before turning her attention to full-time writing. Her novels and short stories cover several genres, including crime, romance and uplit. She has also written a non-fiction book about social anxiety. Her short stories have appeared in several anthologies.
Born and raised in London, Miriam now lives in Tel Aviv having moved from Jerusalem, where the cosy crime mysteries are set. She has travelled widely, putting her discoveries to good use as settings in her writing. Her characters are not based on real people, but rather are formed from an amalgam of the many and varied individuals who have embellished her life.
When not writing, Miriam enjoys reading, hiking, dancing and touring.
Thank you so much for this post, Val.