THE SEVEN PERFUMES OF SACRIFICE

Logan’s debut thriller follows an investigative journalist as she sets out to avenge the honor killing of a Druze friend. 

Globe-trotting investigative journalist Fereby McCullough Jones narrowly escapes death in a suicide bombing when her Israeli Druze friend Leila Azzam whisks her off a bus just before it explodes. The Druze, a secretive and restrictive Arab community, adhere to a covert religion loyal to the Israeli state; though Fereby knows Leila as an energetic, bold artist of immense talent, Leila’s strict religious family sees her as a stain on their honor ever since a vicious attack she endured as a child. When Fereby finds Leila’s bruised, bloody body surrounded by jeering crowds in the middle of the street, she immediately suspects her friend has been the victim of an honor killing. But the Druze religious hierarchy, the obstructive Azzam family and the unsupportive Israeli legal system prove to be greater obstacles than anticipated when Fereby attempts to bring Leila’s killers to justice. Logan’s passion to eradicate honor killing is clear in this fast-paced narrative. Despite the intensity of her subject matter, the author fuses exhaustive research on ancient symbols, art and religion to create a gripping page-turner. Well-developed supporting characters add depth and intimacy to Fereby’s noble mission. Logan astutely and sensitively depicts the Druze women as powerful and intelligent characters in spite of their subjugation. Male characters, on the other hand, tend to be slightly one-dimensional, although they remain convincing. A harsh critic of religious doctrines that suppress women, the author highlights some of the sect’s more sublime traditions and beliefs so as to respectfully portray a more complete picture of the Druze. Suspenseful, smart, and laced with unexpected twists and turns, Logan’s exciting novel offers a haunting portrait of women in repressive cultures who are forced to live as second-class citizens.

From the first page, Logan’s thrilling debut novel is an intelligent, intricately layered adventure.