When the Apricots Bloom

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Three very different women must confront how far they will go to protect their families, under the ruthless rule of a dictator 'Thrilling yet heart-wrenching ... This must-read novel is mesmerizing, captivating, and profound' DEBORAH RODRIGUEZ, million-copy bestselling author of The Little Coffee Shop of Kabul 'Baghdad springs into vivid violent life ... Outstanding!' DINAH JEFFERIES, No. 1 Sunday Times bestselling author of The Tea Planter's Wife Iraq, 2002. As night falls in Huda's fragrant garden of apricot trees, a breeze sweeps in from the desert, warning of visitors at her gate. A secretary at the Australian embassy in Baghdad, Huda has been ordered by the mukhabarat to befriend and spy upon the Deputy Ambassador's wife, Ally Wilson. To refuse is to risk her son being forced to join a deadly militia. But - though Huda cannot yet know it - Ally is keeping dangerous secrets of her own. Meanwhile, Huda's estranged friend Rania - a sheikh's daughter whose wealth is long gone - is battling to keep her ...