Spotlight – The Itsy bitsy Spyder by Apeksha Rao @apekshar #YA #shortstory

StoreyBook Reviews 

 

 

 

 

Synopsis

 

What do you do when your mother feels that you don’t trust her?

If you’re Samira Joshi, and your mother is an elite spy who works for RAW, the first thing you do is … hide the knives.

After that, you go straight to the therapist that she has chosen.

For, when your mother knows seventeen different ways to kill a man, you don’t argue with her. Much.

Unless she’s trying to destroy your dreams.

Then, you fight dirty. Like a spy.

Samira is sweet, sassy, and almost seventeen. She dreams of becoming a badass spy like her parents.

And, why not?

That’s exactly what her parents have trained her to be.

So, why is her mother suddenly acting like a typical Indian mom and pushing her to be a doctor?

Samira can swear on her stack of covert operative manuals that it has something to with her mother’s last mission.

Her therapist disagrees. She feels the key to the mystery lies in Samira’s childhood.

Between her mother’s drama, a trouble-making grandmother, and a confused therapist, Samira’s life is spinning out of control.

What’s a good spy to do when her dreams are in danger?

 

 

 

Meet Samira Joshi

 

 

 

Samira is smart, sassy, and seventeen – with a difference.

While other teenagers dream of the latest trending hunk, Samira dreams of spies.

She wants to lead missions, run agents in the field, evade exploding napalm. In short, she wants to be a spy!

And why not? Spying runs in the Joshi genes.

If you look closely, her family tree is littered with all sort of spies.

Her great grandmother was the nosiest person in Ratnagiri – the village repository of gossip … er … information.

Her grandmother was the toast of the Hindu Colony Bhajan Mandal for her Miss Marple-like skills. She could solve any problem, whether it

was a missing servant, an errant husband, or a stolen diamond bangle.

And, her parents are elite intelligence agents for RAW … also known as … spies!

They trained Samira to be a spy. So, why did they suddenly change their mind? Why are they pushing her to be a doctor instead of a spy?

They’re up to something, and Samira wants to know what that is.

Like her father says, curiosity is her besetting sin.

But her mother doesn’t think so.

According to her, Sam’s main problem is the fact that trouble follows her like a drone to its homing beacon.

What does a good spy do when her dreams are in danger?

She fights dirty. Like a spy!

 

 

 

 

 

About the Author

Apeksha Rao is a multi-genre author from Bangalore.

She is the author of Along Came A Spyder, which is the story of a seventeen year old girl who wants to be a spy.

Apeksha has written many short stories based on the same series, The Spyders, which are available on this blog.
She is a voracious reader and a foodie.

Apeksha’s current works in progress: A middle-grade book, a chick-lit featuring a detective, and a horror novel (the writing of which is giving her sleepless nights).

 

Website * Facebook * Twitter * Instagram

Recommended Posts

excerpt fiction Guest Post

Excerpt – The Prophet of Central Park by P C Burhenne

    Caleb Ellison is the central figure in The Prophet of Central Park, a novel that takes place in a speculative but familiar America, where culture wars and ideological division have intensified. After leaving behind a strict evangelical community, Caleb finds himself unexpectedly at the center of a national conversation when he prevents a violent […]

StoreyBook Reviews 
5 paws Book Release fiction Historical mystery paranormal Review

Review – The Artist of Blackberry Grange by Paulette Kennedy

  Synopsis For a young caregiver in the Ozarks, an old house holds haunting memories in a ghostly novel about family secrets, sacrifice, and lost loves by the author of The Devil and Mrs. Davenport. In the summer of 1925, the winds of change are particularly chilling for a young woman whose life has suddenly become […]

StoreyBook Reviews 
4 paws coming of age New Adult romance Texas

Review – Under the Gulf Coast Sun by Skip Rhudy

  UNDER THE GULF COAST SUN By SKIP RHUDY   Romance / Coming of Age / Surfing Publisher: Stoney Creek Publishing Pages: 266 Publication Date: April 22, 2025     Synopsis This coming-of-age tale set against the sun-soaked beaches of 1970s Port Aransas, Texas, is a love letter to the people and culture of the […]

StoreyBook Reviews