Those who work for charitable foundations have the enviable task of giving away other people’s money to benefit a myriad of good causes. It’s easy to assume such individuals are themselves altruists who are above reproach.
This assumption, as explored in the debut thriller by longtime foundation consultant Elizabeth Russell, is woefully flawed.
In Other People’s Money, readers meet Katie Nelson, a program officer at Atlanta’s largest charitable foundation. Katie’s job is to give away other people’s money, but when her latest grant recommendation literally goes up in flames, a nameless Latina woman is killed and everyone on the board and staff at the Hartwell Foundation becomes suspect.
Among the numerous questions asked are these: Was the burning of the non-profit Viva Latina Health Clinic an accident? Could the fire have been a hate crime? Was it an inside job, or something more insidious?
Determined to learn the truth, heartsick over the loss of the clinic and the aid so desperately needed by the women and families who looked to the clinic for help, Katie enlists the help of Hartwell Foundation board trustee Jim Hunter. Together, they attempt to unravel the mystery, but their investigation is complicated by their unexpected and burgeoning romance.
To her surprise, as Katie unearths more evidence, Jim becomes less cooperative and more distant. When Katie accidentally discovers that Jim is not who he claims to be, she must choose between trusting him or giving up on their relationship. Meanwhile, she is determined to help foundation grantee Dr. Jorge Ramirez find a way to reopen his clinic.
Struggling to find the truth, all the while yearning to trust her heart, Katie’s suspicions bring her ever closer to learning who’s responsible for the burned clinic and the death of the Latina woman. They also place her in mortal danger, with no one to come to her aid.
Russell comments, “After working with charitable foundations for twenty years, I wanted to help readers see behind the ivory towers and understand the very human characteristics – both good and bad – that come into play when we are entrusted with large sums of money.”
For her efforts, Other People’s Money won the Silver Medal in the Mystery/Cozy/Noir category in the 2015 IPPY (Independent Book Publishers) Book Awards. Her second book, Donor Intent, is forthcoming and will follow the story of Katie Nelson through new twists and turns.
“Elizabeth Russell has crafted a compelling and most intriguing narrative sure to make the reader smile with satisfaction and delight.” ~ Mark Constantine, author of Wit and Wisdom: Unleashing the Philanthropic Imagination
Author: Elizabeth Russell has been telling the stories of foundation and nonprofit clients for twenty years. During most of that time, she served as a marketing and communications consultant to the Southeastern Council of Foundations, a membership association of 350 foundations in eleven Southern states. She has also worked for high profile national foundations. Through this work, she has developed an in-depth knowledge of the “real life” issues that face foundations and the individuals who work in them. Her fiction is drawn from her insider’s knowledge of the good and the bad of the foundation world and woven with a creativity that makes the field intriguing and engaging to all. She lives with her husband and two children in Asheville, North Carolina.
