Shameless In Stilettos-Ell P

Book: Shameless In Stilettos
Author: Ell P
Publisher: Tara India Research Press

I was provided a media copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

What do you do when you are on the clock to solve a crime?

Anant ‘f***ing’ Reddy is dead. A simple suicide is ruled a murder when the coroner finds something sharp embedded in his eye. His business tycoon father wants answers, so Inspector Meenakshi Rao has been ordered not to sleep, eat or drink till she finds the killer. Her suspects – 3 women who live in the complex where his mangled body was found. A desperate mother turned dominatrix. A woman with baby fever whose husband can’t get a rise without masturbating. A devout Christian and closeted lesbian with a voyeur fetish. With her own marriage in shambles, all that Meenakshi wants is to get stoned so that she can communicate with her dead son. Can she find the killer?

Shameless in Stilettos is a story that explores the primary plot of a crime thriller, but at the same time also explores the pointers of sexuality as well as fetishes from the eyes of the people in the storyline. The writing in the book is quite gripping as well as descriptive which helps you stay glued to the pages. What worked for me in the book was that the sub-plots of the book run parallel to the primary investigation, and each of the sub plot explores a distinct concept that the author wanted to bring forth. The graphic details of the BDSM fetishes, while might be disturbing for some readers, help the reader understand the psyche of the characters and the reasons behind the actions of each of our protagonists. The entire sub plot of Meenakshi’s life is also explored and it weaves in and out of the main story, but for me that was an important aspect which set the tone for her state of mind as well as her motivations for solving the case. Another thing I liked about Ell’s writing was the social messaging and the idea conventional idea of sexuality that forces people to resort to secrets and subterfuge. The climax of the book was a fitting closure to the story; however, I would have loved a bit more of a detailing in the climax.

Coming to the characters, I really loved the way in which Meenakshi’s character was developed. The complexity and the mental state in which she was operating was explored in detail. I liked the spunk and the persistence that was built into her character. Another set of characters that I loved were that of Nisha, Rachel and Mia who were created in such a distinct manner, but the crossing of paths that is revealed was interesting. Through these characters, the author also manages to wonderfully highlight the social lens which is trained on people who do not conform to the society’s expectations of “normal.”

Overall, this is a book that is recommended to anyone who loves to read a good crime thriller; however, it is suitable for people ages 18 and above because of certain themes in the book. The book scores a 4.63/5 for me.

Grab a copy of the book on Amazon India or your nearest bookstore!