The Body in the Dumpster- Review

The Body in the Dumpster by Shruti Priyaa is a crime thriller short story that is part of the Sinners and Secrets series. Here’s the blurb:

The mangled corpse of a woman is found lying in a dumpster with her eyes scooped out, bones broken and limbs twisted the other way. An honest CB-CID officer Raunak Sharma is put in charge of the case. An exceptionally talented and pretty female reporter, Samaira, follows him, intending to tarnish his reputation through her story. The only way to do that is to make sure that she finds the killer before him. Will she? Who is the killer? Is it the millionaire husband? Or the secretary who has always been jealous of her? Or is it someone she already knew or trusted?

Despite being a very short read, the story was fairly interesting and gave me that suspense vibe while reading. The plot is well-constructed and follows the sequence of a normal police investigation. As the story progresses, we are presented with a number of characters who are suspects. There is a scope for the reader to guess the killer, just like any crime story. The ending is logical and satisfying.

The writing style is simple yet brings the suspense needed for a crime story. It’s a third-person narration. The reader does not lose interest throughout. In short, it was a crisp and cool story.

Character formation is good and this is a very important factor that determines my liking of a story, especially a series. Raunak and Samaira, the two people who unfold the case, are two determined young people who compete with each other. When the story ends, we know that their adventures will continue. The ending leaves the reader wanting more stories of Raunak and Samaria.

My rating: 4/5