A Bitter Veil: An American Woman Trappee in Khomeini's Iran

by Libby Fischer Hellmann

Overview

Anna, a young American studying in Chicago falls in love with fellow-student Nouri, the son of a wealthy Iranian business executive. Anna, whose parents are divorced and remote, eagerly moves to Tehran where she marries and is embraced by Nouri's family. A few months later, however, in February 1978, the Shah is deposed and the Islamic Republic of Iran is formed. Life turns upside down for the couple as men, but especially women, are restricted in their activities, clothing, and behavior. Arrests and torture are frequent, education for women is prohibited, and Anna cannot travel without her husband's permission. Although she tries to conform to please her husband and new family, Anna chafes under the oppression, while Nouri seems to embrace it. Anna grows increasingly unhappy, and as events become more explosive, so does Nouri. Anna is desperate to return to America, but Nouri refuses to allow it. Tension builds until a shattering event changes everything and plunges Anna into a tumultuous—and dangerous—vortex, raising the possibility she will never leave Iran alive.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940162853015
Publisher:	The Red Herrings Press
Publication date:	12/06/2020
Series:	The Revolution Sagas , #2
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Sales rank:	804,700
File size:	874 KB

About the Author

Libby Fischer Hellmann left a career in broadcast news in Washington, DC and moved to Chicago a long time ago, where she, naturally, began to write gritty crime fiction. She soon began writing historical fiction as well. Seventeen novels and twenty-five short stories later, she claims they’ll take her out of the Windy City feet first. She has been nominated for many awards in the mystery and crime writing community and has even won a few. She has been a finalist twice for the Anthony and the Shamus; and four times for Foreword Magazine’s Book of the Year. She has also been nominated for the Agatha, the Daphne, and won Chicago Writers Association Book of the Year, the IPPY, and the Readers Choice Award multiple times.

Editorial Reviews

Hellmann crafts a tragically beautiful story around a message that is both subtle and vibrant. The author does an amazing job of delivering her point but never by sacrificing the quality of her storytelling. Instead, the message drives the psychological and emotional conflict painting a bleak and heart-wrenching tale that will stick with the reader long after they finish the book.

Crimespree Magazine - Bryan VanMeter

The Iranian revolution provides the backdrop for this meticulously researched, fast-paced stand-alone... A significant departure from the author's Chicago-based Ellie Foreman and Georgia Davis mystery series, this political thriller will please established fans and newcomers alike.

Publishers Weekly

Readers will be drawn in through the well-researched inside look at Iran in the late 1970s and gain perspective on what the people in that time and place endured. A Bitter Veil is so thought-provoking that it especially would be a great title for book clubs to discuss.

BookReporter.com - Amy Alessio

Well-drawn characters have always been a hallmark of Hellmann's writing, and here she's as strong as usual... [a] suspenseful, well-researched book.

Mystery Scene - Betty Webb