You can expect any book whose first line is “My name is India Black. I am a whore,” to pack a punch, and this one certainly does.
India hasn’t had an easy life as a prostitute working the streets of London, but we find her in a place where she’s the owner of her own establishment, Lotus House, and making a decent income while treating her girls as fairly as one can.
Unfortunately for her, an English official dies while in the act at her establishment, and his attache case full of important documents goes missing. She’s called upon by a handsome and reticent British agent, French, to use her talents to retrieve these documents. In the journey to do so, she parties at the Russian embassy, gets kidnapped more than once, encounters more than one impostor, and endures a freezing carriage, sleigh, and boat ride. It’s almost needless to say, but this is one fast-paced book.
“I’m out of the game myself these days, but I can set you up with a nice girl, any night after seven, at the Lotus House on St. Alban’s Street.”
India’s Background
We have no idea if India Black is her real name, but she definitely has a colorful past. She’s well educated, but we don’t know where from. She doesn’t tell us a lot about her past, but we get the impression that she’s had a rough go of it – one might expect that any lady of the night might have a difficult history. She mentions how stiff the competition was on the streets, and how it took a lot of work to create Lotus House as it is today. She’s extremely familiar with the male anatomy, and has had experiences that most of us can only imagine – and definitely not all pleasant ones.
Carr’s choice of prostitute as a main character was a bold one; a lot star the highborn classes, or at least characters bent on propriety. In India’s world, propriety is totally thrown out the window. Her money came from hard work, not inheritance, and as a prostitute, the rules of polite society don’t apply to her. In this instance, it isn’t always a good thing, as she will always be treated with disrespect. I applaud Carr for her selection of main character as it makes for a very interesting read. We know why India is tough, ruthless, and completely aware of her sexuality and sensuality. It is extremely refreshing to read a novel where the main character isn’t a woman who’s been living in a glass bubble her whole life. India Black is so entertaining as a heroine that you don’t want to put her down.
“Stranger things might have happened to me than being offered a glass of whiskey by the prime minister, but for the life of me, I can’t recall what they might have been.”
India’s Involvement
India is not a spy by trade, but as a prostitute, she’s in a unique position to meet high-ranking members of society. And, like a maid, no one really notices her (well, they notice a beautiful prostitute, but who really pays attention to her?). She can move about society fairly freely (un-escorted) because of her profession, and is tough from sticking it out on the streets all those years. Combine all of those factors with her education, and you’ve got one heck of a woman, and the great makings of a spy.
India actually gets roped (or kidnapped by the government, rather) into espionage by the death of a client with important papers that were stolen. Her job is to bring a friend to the Russian embassy and perform a threesome with a count to get the papers back. Since she’s a prostitute, and the official died under her roof, the government felt they could ask this favor.
Although she doesn’t succeed in her mission, she continues to be involved, even when there’s no further need for her services – I think she just likes the adventure. She assists agent French with the chase, which gets her into all kinds of trouble. However, she doesn’t seem to mind the trouble, which is funny to read. She endangers herself multiple times in the three-day window of becoming an espionage agent, and seems to enjoy it. She keeps claiming that she wants to see the case through to a resolution, but I think there’s more to it than that… however, I have no idea what it could be. You never know with India.
“Well, if you haven’t already shelved this book on account of the dearth of depravity and vice you were hoping to find in it, presumably you’re still interested in learning what a whore has to contribute to the literary scene.”
Lack of Sex
Here’s another cool thing about this book: there’s no sex in it. Well, no explicit sex. There is a threesome that India participates in but it’s two paragraphs and just viewed as part of her duties. I think that for a book starring a prostitute, a lack of explicit sex is remarkable. I give props to Carr for making India so direct and blunt as a character, but not describing every sensation to us. In fact, how could she? She’s seen so much that it may be just part of the job to her. There definitely seems to be some partitioning in her brain where work and play are concerned.
Another comment on this feature: sex is not what this book is about. India tells us in the prologue that if we wanted something juicy, we were reading the wrong book. You only have to read the book to know she’s telling the truth. It is truly a thriller/adventure/mystery novel. Although you might be disappointed by this in the beginning, you won’t be by the end – in fact, you might have a ton of respect for Carr for not including the juicy bits. I know I do.
10/10 Would Recommend
If this review didn’t pique your interest, I’m surprised! It really was an entertaining read and easy to follow along with. It’s in first person, so we get India’s perspective on things, which is humorous and cynical. Some parts will definitely make you chuckle.
Carr does us all a favor by creating such a unique heroine, and I look forward to seeing what trouble India Black enjoys next.
It certainly did pique my interest! Will check out the book 🙂