Overview

A young inventor and his wife die in a car bombing - leaving behind a will that surprises friends and parents by directing a vast fortune toward charities in the developing world. On the ground in Afghanistan, international charities rapidly search for Afghan partners to compete for the attention of the new foundation - including an orphanage and a health team supporting reproductive rights. As part of their strategy to win the new funds the two groups try to focus attention on two particular women in the village of Laashekoh- a young mother imprisoned for murdering the village leader's oldest son and a woman who has a reputation for providing reproductive health care, including abortions. When they discover that the first woman abandoned her infant daughter, and the second has no actual patients, aid workers and lawyers scramble to enhance the stories.a Meanwhile, most Laashekoh villagers do not want Western charity and are astounded to be regarded as potential recipients.aThen a group of orphanage workers visiting the village goes missing, and foul play is immediately suspected. The stakes are high, the sums of money are huge, and cultures clash. All these are motivations for fraud and murder in Allure of Deceit.

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9781616140175

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Praise for Allure of Deceit Allure of Deceit is a complex stew of hidden ambitions, good intentions and lies that unravel to devastating consequences. This novel captures the reader in much the same way as an intricate puzzle. - CALLIOPE Celebrity philanthropy. Baby trafficking. A mysterious compound in the Afghanistan mountains. Allure of Deceit is an IED of a novel. Trust no one, and step carefully. --MARTIN J. SMITH, author of the Memory Series crime novels, including Time Release, The Disappeared Girl, and Edgar Award nominee Straw Men Froetschel's crystal clear picture of Afghanistan and its people fascinates me. Though her characters' lives differ from ours, they are like us in the ways that really matter. They laugh, they love, they seek answers when things puzzle them. This is a mystery with a stunning sense of place. --PEG HERRING, author of the Loser Mysteries A smart, sharply plotted thriller that puts the reader on the ground in Afghanistan. Susan Froetschel delivers. --DANIEL STASHOWER, author of The Hour of Peril Praise for Fear of Beauty ♦ 2014 Mary Higgins Clark Award Nominee ♦ 2014 Love Is Murder Best Suspense Lovey Nominee♦ 2014 National Federation of Press Women Communications 2nd Place Winner for Best Novel For Adult Readers An exceptionally well-written tale of love, loss, trust, and greed with appeal that reaches far beyond mystery fans. -- Publishers Weekly A great societal thriller.... Action-packed, readers will feel they are in [Afghanistan].... One of the top novels of the year.... -- Mystery Gazette This fictional woman halfway across the world isn't so different from you and me. Froetschel has great respect for the Afghan culture and deftly provides a slice-of-life tale that moves, informs and even surprises. -- Shelf Awareness Froetschel pulls the reader in almost from the first word with her dynamic plot twists. -- Women's Book Reviews Susan Froetschel makes the Afghanistan conflict real on a personal level, in a tale rich with thought-provoking themes. . . . Fear of Beauty is a wonderful novel. --Sandra Parshall, Agatha Award-winning author of Bleeding Through Froetschel is a superb storyteller. She brings the rugged beauty of Afghanistan, its simple folk, and its many dangers together in a spine-tingling tale. --Nayan Chanda, author of Bound Together

Praise for Fear of Beauty ♦ 2014 Mary Higgins Clark Award Nominee ♦ 2014 Love Is Murder Best Suspense Lovey Nominee♦ 2014 National Federation of Press Women Communications 2nd Place Winner for Best Novel For Adult Readers An exceptionally well-written tale of love, loss, trust, and greed with appeal that reaches far beyond mystery fans. -- Publishers Weekly A great societal thriller.... Action-packed, readers will feel they are in [Afghanistan].... One of the top novels of the year.... -- Mystery Gazette This fictional woman halfway across the world isn't so different from you and me. Froetschel has great respect for the Afghan culture and deftly provides a slice-of-life tale that moves, informs and even surprises. -- Shelf Awareness Froetschel pulls the reader in almost from the first word with her dynamic plot twists. -- Women's Book Reviews Susan Froetschel makes the Afghanistan conflict real on a personal level, in a tale rich with thought-provoking themes. . . . Fear of Beauty is a wonderful novel. --Sandra Parshall, Agatha Award-winning author of Bleeding Through Froetschel is a superb storyteller. She brings the rugged beauty of Afghanistan, its simple folk, and its many dangers together in a spine-tingling tale. --Nayan Chanda, author of Bound Together

Praise for Fear of Beauty Afghanistan's harsh terrain provides the backdrop for Froetschel's moving exploration of the mysterious death of a young boy....Froetschel has crafted an exceptionally well-written tale of love, loss, trust, and greed with appeal that reaches far beyond mystery fans. -- Publishers Weekl y Froetschel pulls the reader in almost from the first word with her dynamic plot twists. - Women's Book Reviews Some nice plot twists and all ends happily, ...the authenticity of the villagers, their beliefs and background, as well as the American agronomists, ring true. Are we sure the author isn't writing from Afghanistan?... And at the very end, the mystery of the title is solved. A good read. -- The Daily Sentinel [T]his fictional woman halfway across the world isn't so different from you and me. Froetschel has great respect for the Afghan culture and deftly provides a slice-of-life tale that moves, informs and even surprises. -- Shelf Awareness Praise for Other Novels by Susan Froetschel ... enjoyable mystery thriller .... Froetschel offers a nuanced view of Elena's relations with the royal family that closely follows the obvious historical model. Readers looking for a less tragic fate for the late Diana, princess of Wales, will find much to like in this beguiling what-if. -- Publishers Weekly (on Royal Escape ) Readers who appreciate a fine who-done-it within the context of a major society issue will want to read INTERRUPTIONS, a solid environmental mystery. -- Midwest Book Review (on Interruptions ) A very satisfactory mystery... captures the atmosphere of an individual community of diverse personalities in a demanding environment. -- Washington Times (on Alaska Gray ) Susan Froetschel ... spent five years in Sitka, Alaska. It shows. The story's strong sense of place rendersc

Author Information

Susan Froetschel is the author of four previous novels--Fear of Beauty (nominated for a Mary Higgins Clark Award), Alaska Gray, Interruptions, and Royal Escape. In addition, she has written articles for the New York Times, the Christian Science Monitor, Barron's, and many other publications. She has taught at Yale University and Southern Connecticut State University, and she is currently a consultant editor for YaleGlobal Online at the Yale Center for the Study of Globalization.

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