“There was something about the man in the office that made Mueni think of a cockroach. Brown like dirt, hiding in the dark, peering out, and it was not easy to tell whether or not it was looking at you.”


Genre: Crime Fiction
Pages: 246
Published: June 2021
Rate: 3 ⭐⭐⭐
Synopsis
When you go to bed, the whorehouse wakes up; when you you rise in the morning, the whorehouse goes to bed.
The gentlemen of the whorehouse have no place that they want to go home to; and the ladies of the whorehouse call it a home, at least for now.
But what happens when the events of the night are exposed to the light of the day?

Disclaimer: A copy of the book was sent to me by the author for review but all thoughts and opinions expressed are honest and my own.

My Take
I am always up for a good crime fiction, it’s not a genre I read often, but once in a while I like to indulge. I was quite excited for The Whorehouse, more so when I read the premise. I didn’t go in with any expectations other than to have fun with the book. Unfortunately, not much of that happened.

I liked the premise of the story, it is interesting and it made me want to read on. The vivid descriptions is something I liked as well. It set the scene for me and made me feel like I was on there with the characters. It was amazing. Njoki Kamande is also a good writer and I was impressed.

“It was one of those things that individuals pretended to be unaware of just so they can save one another from the shame.”


What I didn’t like: the language. I don’t shy away from vulgar words but in this book it was used for shock value as it didn’t add to the story at all. The book is placed in two scenes, the house and the club. I could have done without the home scenes. They felt like filler chapters and they didn’t fit with the overall plot, which I still can’t tell for sure.

The characters felt underdeveloped. We’re introduced to a few people who are presumed to be key players in the book, but their stories end abruptly. Leaving me with more questions than answers.

I didn’t like how the women in this book are written. No, it’s not about ethics or religion or anything, but it felt like every single woman in this book was written to uphold this one man who has money and everything, who can do whatever he pleases and not be punished for it, the women instead do. I hated this and was so annoyed.

The Whorehouse is action packed, which I liked, but so much happens in very little time that I had to go back à few pages thinking I missed something.

There is a plot twist that is introduced the last few pages. I was interested to see where the story goes only to be met with the ending. That is to say, the ending was rushed and I’m upset.


Have you read the book? What did you think about it?