Publication Date: October 6th 2015 by Berkley
About the book:
Spend a night of sexual adventure with this gritty, debut thriller.
In a toxic world of lust, lies, and elegant hotels, London’s high-class escorts cater to the carnal appetites of powerful men. It’s a game Stella knows how to play, one that allows her to escape the nightmares of her past. The rules are simple: always leave your client satisfied, don’t get involved, and never disclose your real name. But when a fellow call girl is murdered, the game changes completely. And there’s only one rule—survival.
Once a respected professional, Stella knows how easily men can get away with murder—especially when the victim is a prostitute. Determined to get to the truth, she finds herself sucked into a deadly conflict with some of the world’s most powerful men. But while they may consider themselves above the law, there’s one secret every escort knows: no man is truly untouchable.
My
Thoughts:
Stella is a high priced call girl, not in the business just
for the money, but in it for the escape it brings her. Right away you realize
that Stella is trying to forget her previous life, one where she had a “respectable”
life and job, and getting down to the bottom of what happened is just one of
the mysteries. It was fascinating being the
“the fly on the wall” as Stella takes on clients and gets through this type of
life; the way she stayed detached and approached her job almost in a clinical
manner. Still, there is a client or two
that get under her skin, and I had romantic hopes for one of them. Things become dangerous and a lot more
interesting after one of her professional girlfriends is murdered. Stella is
shaken and jolted awake by the murder, and she’s no longer able to drift along
in numb avoidance of her past.
Stella really did get herself into the middle of a frightening
situation, and I wondering how she’d find a way out, but I was pleased with her
clever thinking. I found Stella to be a
sympathetic character, but I did want to shake her a few times when it was
clear her lifestyle was part escape/part penance over her past, especially when
her choices hurt the people that cared for her.
“You convict yourself
without a trial. Now you’re living out the life sentence you gave yourself.”
It seems most of us are our harshest critic or judge, but at
some point it’s time to move on and realize there’s nothing you can do about
the past. While I wasn’t happy her
friend was murdered, I’m glad Stella didn’t just go about her life like normal
after.
Untouchable was a
different sort of read for me. Yes, I’ve read countless mysteries/thrillers,
but never one with a call girl at its center. To be honest, I was a little
hesitant to pick up the story for that very reason. The thought of reading
about a working girl didn’t appeal to me, but the story was captivating and not
off-putting like I thought it might be. I will say some scenes were graphic and
gritty, fair warning.
Even though it wasn’t the central focus of the story, there
is a romance. Ben was delicious and their
time together was very sensual. Their
chemistry was palpable, heated, and it felt like something that had long term
potential. You know when a couple just clicks? I felt that with Ben and Stella, so I of
course was hoping for a happy ending with them.
“Jesus, Stella. I’ve
been thinking about you…about this, for weeks. It got so I thought I must be
imagining how good it was.”
4 Suns
Connect with Ava Marsh:
The lovely people of Berkley have generously provided a copy of Untouchable by Ava Marsh to one Waves of Fiction follower. The giveaway is open to US Residents only. Fill out the rafflecopter for a chance to win. Good luck!
No, I could never be a call girl. Thanks for having the giveaway.
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