The Ambassador's Wife

A novel of love, deception and consequences. . . . Richly imagined. . . . Harrowing and brilliant. --The Seattle Times Thrillingly suspenseful and deeply sensuous. . . . Steil deftly conducts us into the private and public rooms of the diplomatic world, the complicated aspirations of modern young women living behind the veil, the unfolding of a very private love story--and best of all, into the consciousness of the fiery and idiosyncratic artist who becomes the ambassador's wife. Captivating, unforgettable. --Janet Fitch, author of White Oleander Cultural binaries fuel this well-plotted, gripping novel. --The New York Times Book Review Beautifully written. . . . Descriptions of [Miranda's] artistic life signal Steil as a masterful storyteller from the book's first pages. --Nashville Scene A multilayered novel that provokes discussion but also entertains. --Pittsburgh Tribune-Review While the story may resonate in a special way for the wanderers among us, this book is for every reader looking to disappear into a well-crafted and winding story. . . . [Steil has] a gift for writing inner conflict just as engaging as the visible kind. --Chicago Literati A gritty and ground-level thriller by an author who is herself the wife of a diplomat, --Literary Hub [An] excellent debut novel . . . packed with ample suspense to keep the pages turning. --Publishers Weekly A fast-paced novel of marital love and the bonds of women's friendships against the backdrop of intrigue in the Middle East. --Booklist Jennifer Steil's memorable heroine confronts the confines of privilege, the fear of death, the temptations of the white savior complex, and the limits of cross-cultural connection in this detailed, thoughtful debut. --Joy Castro, author of Island of Bones The Ambassador's Wife illuminates a very intimate, and feminine, face of terror. Jennifer Steil has lived among artists, journalists, diplomats, and women desiring empowerment in one of the most terror-ridden corners of the Middle East. This is a story only she can tell, and she does so with great clarity, phenomenal insight, and wondrous grace. The rarest of books, this is a thriller about the heart. --Moira Crone, author of The Ice Garden Be warned: once you embark on this hypnotic magic carpet ride of a book, you won't be able to stop. Jennifer Steil is a modern-day Scheherazade, who seamlessly weds lyricism, mystery and a reporter's eye for detail. The Ambassador's Wife is as deeply compassionate as it is thrilling. --Jillian Lauren, author of Some Girls: My Life in a Harem An extraordinarily timely tale, completely gripping. . . . So much of the background, too, was familiar to me as a diplomat's wife. I loved the book. I wish I had written it! --Brigid Keenan, author of Diplomatic Baggage: The Adventures of a Trailing Spouse