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Ruth Freund

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Bound by Debt: A NYC Crime Thriller Kindle Edition

by Ruth Freund (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

3.9 60 ratings

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When money goes missing, the ends justify the means

Iris, a beautiful young woman who grew up in a loveless home, escapes to New York City with her eight-month-old daughter following her husband’s betrayal. Lonely and heartbroken, she takes a job at a prestigious brothel in Manhattan, setting off a whirlwind of events that rocks the foundation of her already fragile existence.

The ordeal begins when one of her regulars, a wealthy Jewish Orthodox diamond dealer, is murdered. Her life becomes a dizzying odyssey as she is pursued relentlessly by the Jewish Mafia demanding information about money her customer stole, information Iris does not have.

When the brutal chase is taken to the extreme, Iris understands that her dream to raise her child in a sane environment is eluding her. Now, she is willing to do whatever it takes to protect her, even at the cost of endangering her own life.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Freund captivates her readers until the last page, weaving an erotic suspense story with surprising plot twists, revealing the world of a woman who is willing todo anything to achieve happiness while fighting for her life and the life of her child against all odds." - "SIXTIES" Haaretz supplement

"A gripping thriller with effervescent writing filled with surprises and colorful characters moving between the United States and Israel." - Kol Ha'ir newspaper

"A sensational novel written by a nurse. A romantic riddle commences in a New York brothel where a Jewish Haredi client is murdered. Freund depicts a dizzying tale that encompasses a mysterious book of Psalms, IVF insemination, stolen money, and surrogacy, all in the shadow of cruel Mafia persecution. The events' rocketing pace will not let you put the book down." - "Nurse in Israel" Israel Journal of nursing

From the Author

Over the 25 years of working as a bedside nurse at the ICU, I was exposed to people coping with loss of life, pain, crises that families had to go through supporting a relative who is about to die.
Through being exposed to suffering, I learned a great deal about human misery and loss of control along with physical and mental pain.
This exposure roused an urge in me to write about situations of stress and a sense of doom, but in a more subtle and optimistic way. My story is about a woman who experiences loss of control and a great deal of fear, but does not break, and even emerges reinforced by life's setbacks.
During my years working in the Ministry of Health I was personally involved in writing the Israeli Bill of the Surrogacy and am familiar with its procedures, which I decided to include in the manuscript.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B08HZ6T6R6
Publisher ‏ : ‎ (January 2, 2021)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ January 2, 2021
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 886 KB
Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 392 pages

Best Sellers Rank: #1,514,341 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #2,009 in Women's Action & Adventure Fiction
- #2,621 in Women's Crime Fiction
- #2,760 in Women's New Adult & College Fiction

Customer Reviews:
3.9 60 ratings

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Ruth Freund

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Ruth Freund is a senior civil servant in the Israeli Ministry of Health, where she heads a department that oversees the management of the 46 general hospitals in the country. Freund is married to the former director of the surgical wards at Hadassah Mt. Scopus and a mother of two grown children.

Freund was born and raised in Jerusalem, lived there most of her life and still resides in the city. At the age of 18 she was recruited to the military. She served in the Israel Defense Forces as a parachute folder and was released at the rank of Sergeant. Freund is a registered nurse by training, and holds a Master of Public Health degree from the Hebrew University.

Freund spent years working as a nurse in the ICU unit at Hadassah Hospital. Years of listening and caring for others that strengthened her innate compassion. Alongside her demanding career, Freund enjoys painting and recently presented three exhibitions of her work. She sings in a community choir, plays bridge, and makes a point not to miss her weekly Pilates and yoga classes.

Freund has written three novels, all of which were published in Israel. Bound by Debt has become a bestseller and was her first book to be translated into English. The intimacy of her writing style gives readers the sense that Freund has lived the story. When Freund's mother finished reading this book, she called her daughter and asked, "Tell me, Ruthie, were you a prostitute?"

Customer reviews

3.9 out of 5

60 global ratings

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Bound by Debt

Reviewed in the United States on January 17, 2021

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Very interesting and entertaining storyline about a Jewish prostitute with a plan to work until she had enough money to buy a house in Israel and the mess she found herself in unintentionally. Couldn't put it down.

Reviewed in the United States on September 20, 2021

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Diverting book that captures the atmosphere of Manhattan in a complicated mystery. The characters are flawed, but interesting in their cultural diversity.

Reviewed in the United States on February 22, 2021

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Good - lots of action with the mafia
Bad - boring ending, would not recommend to anyone to read thank you

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phyllis lipscomb

Good suspenseful read

Reviewed in the United States on March 6, 2021

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I loved the detailed dialogue and the story kept me reading. I had to force myself to put the book away to actually get some work done b

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Stephen Scotto-Lavino

Real page turner!

Reviewed in the United States on March 30, 2021

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Great story full of excitement,mystery and joy . You won’t be able to put it down.The story keeps you in its grip from beginning to end.

Reviewed in the United States on July 31, 2021

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Read like a fairytale…didn’t find it believable. When the mob is after Iris she just sticks around and endures the next round of abuse, terror and extortion. Girl, get a clue.

Reviewed in the United States on October 12, 2020

This is a great thriller with nice pacing. Simple written style, but there's no need for any extravagance in this kind of book. Often less is more, especially when it comes to describing struggling in everyday life.
Iris is a very brave young woman, getting away from her destructive family and cheating husband all the way to the other part of the planet, where she started working in the brothel. She has a daughter for whom she'll do anything. And she's trying very hard to provide a good life for her.
The problems start when some mob gangsters start chasing her for no reason, threatening her daughter too. In the meantime, she has found a job as a surrogacy mother. And the father of the child she's supposed to carry wants to have sex with her. For Iris, life has suddenly from complicated became very dangerous.
What I found interesting is that Iris's daughter is to smart for her age of 5. In some things, she's smarter then Iris.
And Iris, at age of 17, when she's leaving her husband, says she's done it because she has dignity and pride and won't suffer degradation. First thing after that, she has sex with the layer to help her leave Israel, and then finds a job in a brothel in New York. So much about pride. But I guess, at that age and nearly dyslexic, she didn't have much of a choice.

Reviewed in the United States on January 13, 2021

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Very enjoyable. Fast reading. Suspense until the end. Only con: needs more proofreading.