I received this great book from my publisher as part of a joint book launch event. As I enjoyed it so much, I wanted to share my review with you.
5*
I loved this book. Miriam Drori writes with authority and insight, bringing to life both the male lead, Asaf, an Israeli IT expert who suffers from social anxiety, and the female lead, Nathalie, a delightful French immigrant who works in the same company in Jerusalem. When Asaf is accused of murdering a colleague, only Nathalie believes instinctively that he couldn’t have done it, and begins her own investigations to find the real killer. Miriam expertly combines this fabulous story which has undertones of Beauty and the Beast with a great crime thriller. I got through this book really quickly, as I was enchanted by the characters, and their growing relationship, and I was also desperate to find out ‘whodunnit’. The setting is also great, as Jerusalem is brought to life as an ordinary but fascinating place to live and work. I would highly recommend this novel to anyone who has ever been in need of someone to believe in them.
Blurb:
An unexpected murder. A suspect with a reason. The power of unwavering belief.
A murder has been committed in an office in Jerusalem. That’s for sure. The rest is not as clear-cut as it might seem.
Asaf languishes in his cell, unable to tell his story even to himself. How can he tell it to someone who elicits such fear within him?
His colleague, Nathalie, has studied Beauty and the Beast. She understands its moral. Maybe that’s why she’s the only one who believes in Asaf, the suspect. But she’s new in the company – and in the country. Would anyone take her opinion seriously?
She coerces her flatmates, Yarden and Tehila, into helping her investigate. As they uncover new trails, will they be able to reverse popular opinion?
In the end, will Beauty’s belief be strong enough to waken the Beast? Or, in this case, can Style waken the Solitary?
About the Author:
Miriam Drori has decided she’s in the fifth and best stage of her life, and she’s hoping it’ll last for ever. It’s the one in which she’s happiest and most settled and finally free to do what she wants. Miriam lives in a delightful house and garden in Jerusalem with her lovely husband and one of three children. She enjoys frequent trips around the world. She dances, hikes, reads and listens to music. And she’s realised that social anxiety is here to stay, so she might as well make friends with it. On top of that, she has moved away from computer programming and technical writing (although both of those provided interest in previous stages) and now spends her time editing and writing fiction. NEITHER HERE NOR THERE (currently unavailable), a romance with a difference set in Jerusalem, was published in 2014. THE WOMEN FRIENDS, co-written with Emma Rose Millar, is a series of novellas based on the famous painting by Gustav Klimt. SOCIAL ANXIETY REVEALED (non-fiction) provides a comprehensive description of social anxiety from many different viewpoints. CULTIVATING A FUJI takes the social anxiety theme into fiction, using humour to season a poignant story. STYLE AND THE SOLITARY sets a murder in a Jerusalem office and a loner as the suspect.
Buy link:
https://amazon.co.uk/Style-Solitary-Miriam-Drori/dp/B092P62P3X
