A powerful new literary crime novel, Rusted Rituals Retaliate, by noted community leader and writer Roy Stephen Kunnel BEM, has been published ahead of Christmas 2025, offering readers a haunting exploration of faith, ritual, and moral decay set against the evocative backdrop of rural Kerala.
Written by the UK-based Malayalee author, Rusted Rituals Retaliate is a multi-generational saga where belief, caste, corruption, and forbidden love collide with devastating consequences. At the heart of the novel lies the brutal murder of Benny Mathew, a man devoted to justice, nature, and ethical living. His death propels his close friend Chacko into a dark labyrinth of deceit involving fraudulent banks, hired killers, political conspiracies, police brutality, and a disturbing network of spiritual practices that have gone dangerously rogue.
Drawing deeply from Kerala’s cultural and ritualistic landscape, the novel moves through sacred Kalamezhuthu (കളമെഴുത്ത്) ceremonies, cursed Yakshis (യക്ഷികൾ), illicit affairs, and unsolved atrocities—including the chilling murder of a Mohiniyattam dancer. Through shifting timelines and layered flashbacks, the story reveals how the past refuses to remain buried in the fictional village of Kaineervila (കൈനീർവില).
The novel examines how blind belief can be weaponised for power and profit, and how rituals—once meant to heal—can corrode when stripped of ethics and compassion. As truth slowly emerges, it retaliates with fury, leaving behind a trail of anguish and reckoning.
Positioned as a literary thriller, Rusted Rituals Retaliate will resonate with readers who appreciated The God of Small Things and Sacred Games. The book combines cultural authenticity with gripping suspense, offering not just a crime story but a profound moral interrogation of faith, exploitation, and human vulnerability.
Speaking through his narrative, Roy Stephen Kunnel highlights a universal truth: while rituals have long provided comfort, identity, and spiritual grounding, their misuse – traditional or modern – can lead to devastating consequences. The novel’s characters ultimately become victims of these “rusted rituals,” succumbing to their severe retributions.
Roy Stephen Kunnel BEM brings to the novel decades of lived experience in community leadership and public service. Based in Swindon, he is actively involved in volunteer and cross-community initiatives in the UK, alongside his professional role at UK Research and Innovation. A former member of the Indian Air Force, he later worked extensively in India’s charity sector before relocating to the UK in 2006. His contributions to community cohesion have been recognised with the British Empire Medal (2017) and the Pride of Swindon Award (2015).
Rusted Rituals Retaliate will be available through online platforms, with printed copies accessible to the public.
The novel is entirely a work of fiction. Any resemblance to actual persons, events, or localities is purely coincidental.
Book Details
Title: Rusted Rituals Retaliate
Author: Roy Stephen Kunnel BEM
Genre: Literary fiction / Crime
The author can be contacted by email roystephenk2002@yahoo.com
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