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The Elegant Corpse
BDSM LGBT Romantic Suspense
Detective Roger Corso is open about his sexual orientation. He's less forthcoming about his leather lifestyle. There's only so much his coworkers can take. He thinks he's doing a pretty good job of keeping it covert, but then something happen that changes his mind.
Someone delivers an elegantly clothed corpse to his home. His couch to be precise. And that corpse is carrying a leather flogger. Roger's taking that personally.
Additional distraction comes in the form of the victim's younger brother Sean. He's annoying. Knows something about the murder he's not telling. Wants something from Roger--and is everything Roger ever wanted. But before he can make Sean his, he's going to have to solve the mystery of the elegant corpse.
Publisher's This book contains explicit sexual content, graphic language, and situations that some readers may find Anal play/intercourse, BDSM with significant D/s play, male/male sexual practices, spanking, strong violence.
Detective Roger Corso is open about his sexual orientation. He's less forthcoming about his leather lifestyle. There's only so much his coworkers can take. He thinks he's doing a pretty good job of keeping it covert, but then something happen that changes his mind.
Someone delivers an elegantly clothed corpse to his home. His couch to be precise. And that corpse is carrying a leather flogger. Roger's taking that personally.
Additional distraction comes in the form of the victim's younger brother Sean. He's annoying. Knows something about the murder he's not telling. Wants something from Roger--and is everything Roger ever wanted. But before he can make Sean his, he's going to have to solve the mystery of the elegant corpse.
Publisher's This book contains explicit sexual content, graphic language, and situations that some readers may find Anal play/intercourse, BDSM with significant D/s play, male/male sexual practices, spanking, strong violence.
152 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 1, 2008
8 people are currently reading
1208 people want to read
About the author
A.M. Riley
19 books223 followersA.M. Riley is a film editor and amateur poet living in Los Angeles, California. She writes murder mystery, romance and urban paranormal with GLBT characters. In addition to writing, Riley enjoys politics, police blogs and ice hockey.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 162 reviews
February 1, 2016
Like being buried underneath an avalanche of mediocrity, that’s basically how I felt about my latest reads. So color me very relieved when The Elegant Corpse turned out to be a breath of fresh air!
You won’t find overwrought flowery sentences and metaphors in this book. If you adore your m/m romance clichés and manipulative tropes, ones that leave you teary-eyed, you’ll be barking at the wrong tree as well. So lemme just step on my soapbox once more and shout from the top of my lungs......What a solid, smoothly- written old-school detective! A fast-paced murder mystery with a grim edge, in which dead bodies pop up everywhere, the killer's one step ahead of the game, and the sturdy detective falls in love with a suspect...
...And I, in turn, fell in love with the detective. For some odd reason, my brain kept feeding me images of a Don Draper look-a-like, sitting behind his desk at the police station..
Anyway! Detective Roger Corso is cool as a cucumber. But even he understands that he better take it personally when someone leaves a dead body in his living room. And that’s not all. The body is in fact the wrapped, disemboweled, and ritualistically posed mummy of a beautiful gay boy, who disappeared 20 years ago. Roger, not a closet case but a private person nonetheless, immediately recognizes what the corpse holds in its hands. Those are not Egyptian artifacts, but BDSM equipment. In that instance, Roger realizes that his secret life as a Master is about to bleed into the fabrics of his life as a detective...
This book offers a bit of everything really: crime, torture, suspense, romance, humor, BDSM, poetry even...and sympathetic characters. And yet it appears as if I got to know the latter only in passing. In a way, The Elegant Corpse seems like the very first book in a shiny new series, in which everything is laid out for future reference. There are almost too many ideas stuffed into one book. I was dying to get to know the meticulous Roger and his sidekick Mary Anne better and am bummed that this apparently is a stand-alone?! Do something about that Riley!
I'd beg...?
Oh well, onwards we go. The references to the 80’s gay life, the Tom of Finland leather daddies and the AIDS epidemic added a rich and realistic touch. It’s an era Roger only remembers too well. It has shaped him. Thus he is all the more weirded out when he finds that he’s not immune to Generation Y kid Sean (can we say thirty going on thirteen? His age.. what a joke, psht!). The redhead is the brother of one of the mummified victims and too young, too vocal and too brash for Roger’s usual tastes...
Yup, since Roger is distracted by a bouncy redhead who threatens to compromise the case – and Roger’s secret life – you’ll have plenty of time to see if you can solve the crimes before he does. Should be a piece of cake....hmm?
Two final notes. One: you don’t have to be into BDSM to enjoy this book. Not a fan of formalized BDSM myself, but other than a first scene (that I found dull, sorry), it was worked into the story unobtrusively. And two: Mary Anne. Who is definitely not a Mary Anne. What a kick-ass sidekick for Roger this woman is! For once, you won’t be stuck with a female character who is either a bitch from hell or a dowdy Mary Sue, as seems to be the standard in the m/m romances I read. If Roger’s love life doesn’t end up in shambles, I’ll settle for Mary – “I love you dearly, Roger, but I don’t want you to have kinky sex in my house, okay?” – Anne.
You won’t find overwrought flowery sentences and metaphors in this book. If you adore your m/m romance clichés and manipulative tropes, ones that leave you teary-eyed, you’ll be barking at the wrong tree as well. So lemme just step on my soapbox once more and shout from the top of my lungs......What a solid, smoothly- written old-school detective! A fast-paced murder mystery with a grim edge, in which dead bodies pop up everywhere, the killer's one step ahead of the game, and the sturdy detective falls in love with a suspect...
...And I, in turn, fell in love with the detective. For some odd reason, my brain kept feeding me images of a Don Draper look-a-like, sitting behind his desk at the police station..
Anyway! Detective Roger Corso is cool as a cucumber. But even he understands that he better take it personally when someone leaves a dead body in his living room. And that’s not all. The body is in fact the wrapped, disemboweled, and ritualistically posed mummy of a beautiful gay boy, who disappeared 20 years ago. Roger, not a closet case but a private person nonetheless, immediately recognizes what the corpse holds in its hands. Those are not Egyptian artifacts, but BDSM equipment. In that instance, Roger realizes that his secret life as a Master is about to bleed into the fabrics of his life as a detective...
This book offers a bit of everything really: crime, torture, suspense, romance, humor, BDSM, poetry even...and sympathetic characters. And yet it appears as if I got to know the latter only in passing. In a way, The Elegant Corpse seems like the very first book in a shiny new series, in which everything is laid out for future reference. There are almost too many ideas stuffed into one book. I was dying to get to know the meticulous Roger and his sidekick Mary Anne better and am bummed that this apparently is a stand-alone?! Do something about that Riley!
I'd beg...?
Oh well, onwards we go. The references to the 80’s gay life, the Tom of Finland leather daddies and the AIDS epidemic added a rich and realistic touch. It’s an era Roger only remembers too well. It has shaped him. Thus he is all the more weirded out when he finds that he’s not immune to Generation Y kid Sean (can we say thirty going on thirteen? His age.. what a joke, psht!). The redhead is the brother of one of the mummified victims and too young, too vocal and too brash for Roger’s usual tastes...
Sean chewed his thumb, eyes darting around the precinct room, those bloody fingers tapping out an uneven rhythm on Roger’s desk.
“Stop that”, snapped Roger suddenly.
Sean froze. “What?”
Roger schooled himself to patience, took a deep breath in, and released it slowly. “It can’t be hygienic – or pleasant, either – to have gnawed bloody fingertips all the time.”
Sean lowered his thumb and looked at it as if seeing it for the first time. “Sorry,” he said, sounding angry. He folded his fingers around themselves in his lap and said: “I don’t suppose you have any bad habits?”
Roger raised his eyebrows, typing. He didn’t answer.
Yup, since Roger is distracted by a bouncy redhead who threatens to compromise the case – and Roger’s secret life – you’ll have plenty of time to see if you can solve the crimes before he does. Should be a piece of cake....hmm?
Two final notes. One: you don’t have to be into BDSM to enjoy this book. Not a fan of formalized BDSM myself, but other than a first scene (that I found dull, sorry), it was worked into the story unobtrusively. And two: Mary Anne. Who is definitely not a Mary Anne. What a kick-ass sidekick for Roger this woman is! For once, you won’t be stuck with a female character who is either a bitch from hell or a dowdy Mary Sue, as seems to be the standard in the m/m romances I read. If Roger’s love life doesn’t end up in shambles, I’ll settle for Mary – “I love you dearly, Roger, but I don’t want you to have kinky sex in my house, okay?” – Anne.
January 4, 2015
Reading the blurb of this book I was hooked immediately, and no, not because it is a m/m BDSM. At least not immediately..
So, yeah I wanted to know more about this mysterious mummified body. (Don’t judge!)
“The Elegant Corpse” was more than a mystery book. It was about acceptance – who you are and what you need, about moving on, about honesty and communication, about second chances.
Homicide Detective Roger Corso had been out of town for a week on a much needed vacation. When he comes back he finds on his sofa a dead body. But not just a dead body, a mummified body, dressed as a woman and with a flogger next to him. The strange thing is the man died in ’80. So who is the psycho who mummified him and kept him so long/exhumed him.
Roger finds out who the victim is and he contacts the victim’s brother, a man named Sean. Sean is a little awkward to say the least. He’s insistent, a real pain in the ass, being convinced he can help Roger to solve the case. While Sean helps Roger and his partner Mary Anne with some information about his brother, his past and their family past, Roger is exhausted being around Sean.
Roger figures out from the beginning the body he found on his sofa is not a coincidence since he’s gay and he used to be part (and occasionally he still is) of BDSM lifestyle. Especially when men who were or still are part of the BDSM lifestyle are dropping dead in the city.
Will Roger find out who the killer is? Will he manage to protect himself and the other from the killer?
I didn’t expect to enjoy this book as much as I did. I was worried a little about the BDSM aspect, but in this case I really enjoyed reading about it. This was a solid read for me – solid plot, solid characters and great writing. The story was long enough to have a good, intense mystery aspect and also a romance between our detective, Roger and Sean.
The mystery was great and well done. I was hooked from the start and the story kept me guessing, so for me it really worked. The mystery involves cold cases, so we get to know how the BDSM lifestyle was in 80s and 90s. I found this aspect of the story pretty interesting, especially since it was my first read about this. The romance is a great part of the story. I liked both MC and I liked how their relationship progressed naturally.
Roger is a great Detective and a great colleague and friend. He’s out, but no one knows about his BDSM lifestyle. He’s an organized man and he likes to be in control not only when it comes to his sex life. He’s also a great man. He offers Sean a place to stay at his house, even if he doesn’t know him very well. If at first, Roger is not the most patient man, he actually is the most patient Dom for Sean. He’s not the sweet type, but he’s for sure a loving and a tender man and Dom. He wants to make Sean understand this lifestyle that is BDSM before anything happens between them and he never pressures him with anything. Sean was a little annoying at first, believing he’s a little Detective, but as the story progressed he grow on me. Both Roger and Sean seemed real to me. Just two man who have their own past, who feel and have fears. Their relationship was fast paced, but I wasn’t bothered. To me they felt right together. I liked the fact that their relationship wasn’t sweet and fluffy. I wouldn’t have liked to see that kind of relationship in a mystery. The chemistry between them is fantastic and the sex scenes are really hot. There are not only BDSM sex scenes between them. There are vanilla too and I really liked that. I’ve got to see the two man as a Dom and Sub and just two lovers who enjoy being with each other.
This was not my first BDSM read, light or not, M/F or M/M , but it was for sure of the best I’ve read. Not only everything is very descriptive and very well explained but there are some scene ( not only between the MC) where you can “feel” what the characters feel and experience the connection between them. Most of them are very intense and in my opinion (I’m not an expert) very well written.
Roger’s partner, Mary Anne was a great side character and I liked their friendship from the start.
Overall, a really great book!
"There is a place for everything, Detective Roger Corso believed. And even though, in the chaotic and often grotesquely messy world of Los Angeles homicide, things could be misplaced or badly placed, still there were certain places where certain things most certainly never, and without exception, ever belonged. A mummified corpse did not belong stretched across his living room couch."
So, yeah I wanted to know more about this mysterious mummified body. (Don’t judge!)
“The Elegant Corpse” was more than a mystery book. It was about acceptance – who you are and what you need, about moving on, about honesty and communication, about second chances.
Homicide Detective Roger Corso had been out of town for a week on a much needed vacation. When he comes back he finds on his sofa a dead body. But not just a dead body, a mummified body, dressed as a woman and with a flogger next to him. The strange thing is the man died in ’80. So who is the psycho who mummified him and kept him so long/exhumed him.
Roger finds out who the victim is and he contacts the victim’s brother, a man named Sean. Sean is a little awkward to say the least. He’s insistent, a real pain in the ass, being convinced he can help Roger to solve the case. While Sean helps Roger and his partner Mary Anne with some information about his brother, his past and their family past, Roger is exhausted being around Sean.
Roger figures out from the beginning the body he found on his sofa is not a coincidence since he’s gay and he used to be part (and occasionally he still is) of BDSM lifestyle. Especially when men who were or still are part of the BDSM lifestyle are dropping dead in the city.
Will Roger find out who the killer is? Will he manage to protect himself and the other from the killer?
I didn’t expect to enjoy this book as much as I did. I was worried a little about the BDSM aspect, but in this case I really enjoyed reading about it. This was a solid read for me – solid plot, solid characters and great writing. The story was long enough to have a good, intense mystery aspect and also a romance between our detective, Roger and Sean.
The mystery was great and well done. I was hooked from the start and the story kept me guessing, so for me it really worked. The mystery involves cold cases, so we get to know how the BDSM lifestyle was in 80s and 90s. I found this aspect of the story pretty interesting, especially since it was my first read about this. The romance is a great part of the story. I liked both MC and I liked how their relationship progressed naturally.
Roger is a great Detective and a great colleague and friend. He’s out, but no one knows about his BDSM lifestyle. He’s an organized man and he likes to be in control not only when it comes to his sex life. He’s also a great man. He offers Sean a place to stay at his house, even if he doesn’t know him very well. If at first, Roger is not the most patient man, he actually is the most patient Dom for Sean. He’s not the sweet type, but he’s for sure a loving and a tender man and Dom. He wants to make Sean understand this lifestyle that is BDSM before anything happens between them and he never pressures him with anything. Sean was a little annoying at first, believing he’s a little Detective, but as the story progressed he grow on me. Both Roger and Sean seemed real to me. Just two man who have their own past, who feel and have fears. Their relationship was fast paced, but I wasn’t bothered. To me they felt right together. I liked the fact that their relationship wasn’t sweet and fluffy. I wouldn’t have liked to see that kind of relationship in a mystery. The chemistry between them is fantastic and the sex scenes are really hot. There are not only BDSM sex scenes between them. There are vanilla too and I really liked that. I’ve got to see the two man as a Dom and Sub and just two lovers who enjoy being with each other.
This was not my first BDSM read, light or not, M/F or M/M , but it was for sure of the best I’ve read. Not only everything is very descriptive and very well explained but there are some scene ( not only between the MC) where you can “feel” what the characters feel and experience the connection between them. Most of them are very intense and in my opinion (I’m not an expert) very well written.
Roger’s partner, Mary Anne was a great side character and I liked their friendship from the start.
Overall, a really great book!
March 13, 2014
So maybe I don't have long red hair. Or look like a girl. But if I was wearing headphones and going up a glass elevator, I'd be dancing like someone told me I won the internet. Or a date with a certain actor of my dreams. Anyways...
Detective Roger Corso comes back to his home to realize a corpse has been planted on his couch. And not just a normal corpse either, but a mummified one holding a leather flogger that points to his closeted BDSM lifestyle. Thus begins an investigation that will bring Roger and his partner, Mary Anne, through a mystery that's been decades in the making.
What I find very fascinating is A.M. Riley's ability to create this dichotomy in gay culture between the early '80s and present time. It's that feeling of rifling through an old photo album and seeing the faded pictures of times long past. Roger is only in his early 40s, but it's interesting to read about a mystery where the main character has to look far in his past and present to investigate.
There's also the author's portrayal of BDSM. I am, by no means, an expert on BDSM. I can't attest to things like how "authentic" it is in fiction. However, A.M. Riley's portrayal of it as a lifestyle in this book, as opposed to a kink, makes me want to believe that she has it down pretty well. At the least, it's refreshing to read about it in this context. If you are not a fan of BDSM, I would look elsewhere since it's a heavy element in this book in terms of relationships and the investigation.
The characters in this book, mainly Roger, Mary Anne and Sean (the corpse's younger brother), were all pleasant characters to read. Roger is the dominant partner in his interaction with Sean. He also doesn't like cussing. Sean was the "never knows when to quit" kind of guy, and was kind of bratty at times. Mary Anne is the loyal, but kick-ass, partner to Roger. What can I say? Maybe nothing super original with the cast of characters, but it just worked.
The book also managed to balance the mystery and romance aspect well, but tended to tip more towards the former. I also wished that there was more time devoted to certain things , but overall it was a damn good read.
Basically, if you are looking for a well written BDSM book with a murder mystery (that doesn't pull it's punches - there's no fluff here!), then the Elegant Corpse is for you.
June 25, 2013
I wonder if I’ve read the same book as everyone else, because I’m kind of looking about in disbelief.
Surely I’m not the only one that found that this book was mediocre at best. Hmmf … perhaps I really have become a cynical cow... Oh well, just so you know that this is a minority opinion review before deciding to read it, don’t let me sway you.
The stand out thing about this book is the opening paragraph. It’s really good, and the story has an original premise - seemingly fresh and exciting with a murder mystery to indulge in and a sexy BDSM thread. Nice.
Erm, … no not really. There’s too much going on here, too many threads in the story to actually feel a connection to any of it. The scene breaks leave skid marks on the pages and too often I became unfocussed because of it. I hate doing the whole, what? Who just said that? Where the hell are they now – let me click back and see …urgh, very annoying. It’s a shame because the writing would be much more engaging if it wasn’t for that.
Roger Corso was a pleasant departure in the hot cop category. His love interest however, is not. Perhaps if he had been made younger it would have worked for me. Sean is too immature, too bratty and way too naïve to be a 30 + year old man. Too much of his characterisation doesn’t gel in my opinion.
The villains motivations are fade to black - which really infuriates me. If you are going to form a murder mystery with mummified corpses, I’d really like to know the psychology and reason behind that kind of crazy. I do not want the villain’s incomplete and unjustified ramblings fading off with this ---> “…” That's just rude, right?
The BDSM element is really quite tame (apart from a torture scene) and dips into Roger’s past and history with the leather daddy scene. The secondary characters where all a bit meh, and don’t bring anything exciting to the story. EXCEPT for Mary Ann - she's Roger’s partner and she’s is a treat who brings some snarky humour and wit to the story. She was much more appealing than Sean.
I guess this was okay, it could have been great. Most people think it was great, I just can’t see it, feel it or appreciate this story and most of its characters. That said; I reckon I would try another book by this author … maybe.
Surely I’m not the only one that found that this book was mediocre at best. Hmmf … perhaps I really have become a cynical cow... Oh well, just so you know that this is a minority opinion review before deciding to read it, don’t let me sway you.
The stand out thing about this book is the opening paragraph. It’s really good, and the story has an original premise - seemingly fresh and exciting with a murder mystery to indulge in and a sexy BDSM thread. Nice.
Erm, … no not really. There’s too much going on here, too many threads in the story to actually feel a connection to any of it. The scene breaks leave skid marks on the pages and too often I became unfocussed because of it. I hate doing the whole, what? Who just said that? Where the hell are they now – let me click back and see …urgh, very annoying. It’s a shame because the writing would be much more engaging if it wasn’t for that.
Roger Corso was a pleasant departure in the hot cop category. His love interest however, is not. Perhaps if he had been made younger it would have worked for me. Sean is too immature, too bratty and way too naïve to be a 30 + year old man. Too much of his characterisation doesn’t gel in my opinion.
The villains motivations are fade to black - which really infuriates me. If you are going to form a murder mystery with mummified corpses, I’d really like to know the psychology and reason behind that kind of crazy. I do not want the villain’s incomplete and unjustified ramblings fading off with this ---> “…” That's just rude, right?
The BDSM element is really quite tame (apart from a torture scene) and dips into Roger’s past and history with the leather daddy scene. The secondary characters where all a bit meh, and don’t bring anything exciting to the story. EXCEPT for Mary Ann - she's Roger’s partner and she’s is a treat who brings some snarky humour and wit to the story. She was much more appealing than Sean.
I guess this was okay, it could have been great. Most people think it was great, I just can’t see it, feel it or appreciate this story and most of its characters. That said; I reckon I would try another book by this author … maybe.
January 14, 2014
LA based murder mystery with some kink? Why, yes…I"ll take that.
Perfect timing for this read. I was so in the mood for this story and gobbled it right up. It had a nice mix of nostalgia, mystery and this coming to accept the changes of time. So, emotional and a bit sad at times, but the kind that makes you realize that it all still goes on. Some things get lost and new ones found.
The murder mystery was an interesting premise and the everything up until the reveal was quite good. A little weak at the end, but I enjoyed the story more than the mystery. I especially thought Jay's intervention with Roger and Sean was brilliant and made me want to smile and cry simultaneously.
Roger and Sean. Hot and sweet and mercy that is some fine fun unfolding. Roger's got issues and Sean's got some, too. The intersection of them and the resolution--very nice.
Favorite passage:
Perfect timing for this read. I was so in the mood for this story and gobbled it right up. It had a nice mix of nostalgia, mystery and this coming to accept the changes of time. So, emotional and a bit sad at times, but the kind that makes you realize that it all still goes on. Some things get lost and new ones found.
The murder mystery was an interesting premise and the everything up until the reveal was quite good. A little weak at the end, but I enjoyed the story more than the mystery. I especially thought Jay's intervention with Roger and Sean was brilliant and made me want to smile and cry simultaneously.
Roger and Sean. Hot and sweet and mercy that is some fine fun unfolding. Roger's got issues and Sean's got some, too. The intersection of them and the resolution--very nice.
Favorite passage:
Sean’s voice was defensive, and Roger felt, once again, challenged, as if Sean were throwing a dozen Scrabble tiles at him and daring him to read the secret word.
May 28, 2013
What a pleasant surprise! I really didn't know what to expect with this title but it's a who-done-it with some kink folded in for good measure. Roger Corso is a long time member of the leather community who comes to his impeccably clean home one night to a startling discovery lying on his couch-a mummified cross dresser from the 80s. Eep! Roger handles this development with considerable aplomb probably due to him also being an LAPD homocide detective. The body leads him down an odd & somewhat painful path down memory lane within the Leatherman's community that he has known so well & also leads him to the corpse's brother, Sean. Sean was only seven when his brother disappeared so he grew up in a grief stricken house in the shadow of his deceased brother. Somehow he's still managed to be lively & bubbly with a charisma that's hard to resist. Sean takes one look at Roger & a searing, all consuming crush develops. Let me tell you, Sean is relentless. That kid is not going to be denied. Seriously, it borders on stalking at times, while he's insinuating himself into the investigation partly because he's wants to discover what happened to his brother & partly because of the crush. And it just so happens Sean is a world class brat & a masochist both of which call to Roger & they soon find themselves in an ill-advised love affair, especially considering Sean becomes a potential suspect as the bodies begin to pile up.
The mystery was well written & kept me in the dark until about the middle & even then it was just a suspicion. Corso's partner, Mary Anne, is the perfect balance to Corso & their relationship is comical. As Roger sloughs through his past & all the memories of those that didn't survive "the plague" as they refer to it he's compelled to contact & face some ghosts from his past. Roger's internal dialogue with regard to his own journey from being gay to discovering the leather community & all it's implications I thought was exceptionally well written. Sean, as it turns out, is newly discovering, or maybe admitting is a better descriptor, his desire for pain through his relationship with Roger. I felt like his struggles with his own needs were written with consideration & the right amount of tenderness. The only negative is that I didn't understand the logistics of the murders. It just didn't gel how it began, how it progressed over the years & how it turned out in the end. For the sake of brevity, 2+2 didn't equal 4 for me. But then again, it's not supposed to be solely a murder mystery.
The mystery was well written & kept me in the dark until about the middle & even then it was just a suspicion. Corso's partner, Mary Anne, is the perfect balance to Corso & their relationship is comical. As Roger sloughs through his past & all the memories of those that didn't survive "the plague" as they refer to it he's compelled to contact & face some ghosts from his past. Roger's internal dialogue with regard to his own journey from being gay to discovering the leather community & all it's implications I thought was exceptionally well written. Sean, as it turns out, is newly discovering, or maybe admitting is a better descriptor, his desire for pain through his relationship with Roger. I felt like his struggles with his own needs were written with consideration & the right amount of tenderness. The only negative is that I didn't understand the logistics of the murders. It just didn't gel how it began, how it progressed over the years & how it turned out in the end. For the sake of brevity, 2+2 didn't equal 4 for me. But then again, it's not supposed to be solely a murder mystery.
August 24, 2013
Excellent mystery and crime solving, excellent romance, excellent character development, excellent writing. Just all-around excellence.
I ate this baby up in one sitting – between eleven p.m. and two thirty a.m. (well, it is a very short book), actually, but my anal retentiveness forced me to mark it as “read from 22.08 to 23.08”, alas – and it was the only one, out of four books I started (or tried to start) today, that managed to fully capture my attention; more so, it did that from the very first page.
Apart from being compelling, intriguing, engrossing, the whole shebang, it's the kind of crime story that gives you a satisfaction that an episode of a crime TV show won't give you, because very often the mystery is solved but the problems in the characters' lives aren't. Here, we get the full package, and it just sends me soaring in the sky.
I find it pretty hard to review books I loved, because I feel like I'm always saying the same thing: the characters were lovable, the writing was smooth, expressive and polished, the pacing was even and kept me constantly on edge, the crime part of the plot was clever and pretty convoluted and satisfying. Still, it's true, so there's not much I can do about it. It's an incredibly rich story, despite its shortness, and every little part of it contributed in leaving me feeling fulfilled and slightly overjoyed.
Random note on the writing: I particularly liked the way most chapters were divided in very short scenes – some of them body findings, some of them sex scenes, some of them internal musings, some of them even phone conversations – that despite their length managed to be highly visual and smoothly transitioned.
As for the characters... damn good. The cast is much larger than just two MCs, but not excessively so, allowing for great characterisation and frequent interactions. There isn't only romance and crime solving – there are friendships, work partnerships, past relationships and antagonisms, and they're all shown, not told; that is why the past isn't really delved into, but the reader gets a perfectly clear impression of the present.
Roger and Sean are polar opposites, but they are perfectly matched. This is a romance I can believe in – it works, it's happy and loving and beautiful, it's the kind of thing I want, dammit.
Roger is gruff, clueless, domineering, protective and closed off; Sean is rebellious, straightforward, fearless but terrified, sweet and brash. They clash, they fight a little bit, they make sparks and they try to deny it. Delicious.
The crime part is smart, and it's ugly stuff. It's not like I'm prime detective material, but this was pretty hard to guess, and terrifyingly possible. I can't just feel disgust, rage and hatred for the killer, even if I wish I could; there's some sadness and regret there, too, because it's difficult to accept ourselves, and some of us have a harder time doing it than others.
One of the best published M/M novels I've read in a while – warmly recommended.
No, really. Go read it.
I ate this baby up in one sitting – between eleven p.m. and two thirty a.m. (well, it is a very short book), actually, but my anal retentiveness forced me to mark it as “read from 22.08 to 23.08”, alas – and it was the only one, out of four books I started (or tried to start) today, that managed to fully capture my attention; more so, it did that from the very first page.
Apart from being compelling, intriguing, engrossing, the whole shebang, it's the kind of crime story that gives you a satisfaction that an episode of a crime TV show won't give you, because very often the mystery is solved but the problems in the characters' lives aren't. Here, we get the full package, and it just sends me soaring in the sky.
I find it pretty hard to review books I loved, because I feel like I'm always saying the same thing: the characters were lovable, the writing was smooth, expressive and polished, the pacing was even and kept me constantly on edge, the crime part of the plot was clever and pretty convoluted and satisfying. Still, it's true, so there's not much I can do about it. It's an incredibly rich story, despite its shortness, and every little part of it contributed in leaving me feeling fulfilled and slightly overjoyed.
Random note on the writing: I particularly liked the way most chapters were divided in very short scenes – some of them body findings, some of them sex scenes, some of them internal musings, some of them even phone conversations – that despite their length managed to be highly visual and smoothly transitioned.
As for the characters... damn good. The cast is much larger than just two MCs, but not excessively so, allowing for great characterisation and frequent interactions. There isn't only romance and crime solving – there are friendships, work partnerships, past relationships and antagonisms, and they're all shown, not told; that is why the past isn't really delved into, but the reader gets a perfectly clear impression of the present.
Roger and Sean are polar opposites, but they are perfectly matched. This is a romance I can believe in – it works, it's happy and loving and beautiful, it's the kind of thing I want, dammit.
Roger is gruff, clueless, domineering, protective and closed off; Sean is rebellious, straightforward, fearless but terrified, sweet and brash. They clash, they fight a little bit, they make sparks and they try to deny it. Delicious.
The crime part is smart, and it's ugly stuff. It's not like I'm prime detective material, but this was pretty hard to guess, and terrifyingly possible. I can't just feel disgust, rage and hatred for the killer, even if I wish I could; there's some sadness and regret there, too, because it's difficult to accept ourselves, and some of us have a harder time doing it than others.
One of the best published M/M novels I've read in a while – warmly recommended.
No, really. Go read it.
May 26, 2014
4.5 stars. This is written in very spare prose, with the emotion delivered between the lines. I think it will have a variable reception, based on whether you feel that connection being made, or not. The setting seems a bit ambiguous, but with the MC having been a very young Dom in 1983, it has the feel of very late 90's or early 2000's (one remark suggests 2008, but it seems a bit older than that). Because the mystery involves old, cold cases, there is a lot of backward-glancing in this, to the 80s and 90s. The reader is pulled back to Detective Roger Corso's memories, mingled nostalgia and pain, experiencing his first exposure to leather and BDSM clubs, and a sea-change in gay culture as AIDS ripped its way through the population, while the world at the same time became more open and accepting.
Roger Corso is an interesting MC, a police detective who is quietly out to his partner and department about being gay, but firmly closeted about his BDSM lifestyle, with its inevitable illegality. He's cool, controlled, a bit OCD and unemotional, although you get the feeling that there is emotion, just locked away since the slow death from liver failure of his partner, Patrick, four years earlier. He has an old friend who will sub for him when he wants a scene, and sometimes share his bed outside the scene. He's reasonably content, until a body in his own living room opens up cases of murdered, cross-dressing, young subs linked inexorably to his past and the men he once knew.
When the brother of the first victim arrives, Roger is primarily irritated by Sean's obtrusive presence. But fairly quickly, other feelings supplant his annoyance...
The mystery is a good one, although the "he's crazy" type of perpetrator is not my favorite. (Since the first body was mummified and embalmed, this was inherent from the start, not a surprise.) There were times when the plot seemed to be force-fit around the scenes the author wanted, rather than really holding a coherent shape. But I was pulled in enough not to care.
The relationship with Roger's partner Mary Anne was great, and I adored her as a character. The MCs' love was a bit fast and hot, and so was, IMO, Sean's progression but it was a compelling ride. Where the book lost points for me was at the end, in the denouement after the climax. There was a wonderful scene where Roger seeks advice for some of their lingering issues from an old friend. But still, the consequences for both Roger and Sean, and the complications of their relationship in the wake of the climactic action, got a bit of a short shrift. I wanted to see the immediate aftermath and some of the work to get them past it on the page. Still, well worth a read if you like mystery, BDSM, and the leather culture of the late twentieth century.
Roger Corso is an interesting MC, a police detective who is quietly out to his partner and department about being gay, but firmly closeted about his BDSM lifestyle, with its inevitable illegality. He's cool, controlled, a bit OCD and unemotional, although you get the feeling that there is emotion, just locked away since the slow death from liver failure of his partner, Patrick, four years earlier. He has an old friend who will sub for him when he wants a scene, and sometimes share his bed outside the scene. He's reasonably content, until a body in his own living room opens up cases of murdered, cross-dressing, young subs linked inexorably to his past and the men he once knew.
When the brother of the first victim arrives, Roger is primarily irritated by Sean's obtrusive presence. But fairly quickly, other feelings supplant his annoyance...
The mystery is a good one, although the "he's crazy" type of perpetrator is not my favorite. (Since the first body was mummified and embalmed, this was inherent from the start, not a surprise.) There were times when the plot seemed to be force-fit around the scenes the author wanted, rather than really holding a coherent shape. But I was pulled in enough not to care.
The relationship with Roger's partner Mary Anne was great, and I adored her as a character. The MCs' love was a bit fast and hot, and so was, IMO, Sean's progression but it was a compelling ride. Where the book lost points for me was at the end, in the denouement after the climax. There was a wonderful scene where Roger seeks advice for some of their lingering issues from an old friend. But still, the consequences for both Roger and Sean, and the complications of their relationship in the wake of the climactic action, got a bit of a short shrift. I wanted to see the immediate aftermath and some of the work to get them past it on the page. Still, well worth a read if you like mystery, BDSM, and the leather culture of the late twentieth century.
November 24, 2014
The Elegant Corpse is all about Roger Corso for me. The man hit my favorite characters list with force. BOOM! His presence on the page is intense. I couldn’t look away. Didn’t want to!
Detective Roger Corso comes home one night to a body on his couch. And not in a fun, sexy way. A mummified corpse. A corpse wrapped up in Corso’s past. All sorts of old ghosts, memories, trouble, and feelings get stirred up and turned around in Roger’s world. You’re going to have to jump in and read to see how Roger likes the stirring. :)
I did have a problem grasping the timeline in this book. I wish I could explain this point better, but words are not cooperating with me today. I just couldn’t feel the history. Twenty five years, five years, decades. I couldn’t get lost in the story’s present because there was so much of the past swirling around. And Sean is how old? He felt much younger, which threw off the chain of events and time for me as well. Not a huge bump, but one that pulled me out of the story a few times to do math.
Now back to Roger! I never wanted to leave his side. I NEEDED to be there when he finally took hold of what he needed. And oh-boy does he take it! The chemistry bubbling on the page between Sean and Roger is amazing to read. Addictive! It was frustrating, fun, magnetic and sexy! I loved watching Roger struggle for control around Sean. Haha….The kid pushes and pushes Roger to the edge until he POPS!
I’m willing to beg for more Roger.
This was my first A.M. Riley tale and it will not be my last. I can’t wait to meet more of her characters.
February 7, 2013
Actually a 3.5*, but as books getting BDSM even halfway right are so rare I'll round this up.
This is well-written and well-edited, with only the transitions from one scene to the next occasionally being a bit abrupt. I'll not go into any of the plot, because that would give away things, the mystery itself is well-woven into the romance plot which ended with a satisfying HFN. I guessed who the culprit was about 60% in, but the resolution also still was satisfying.
Lovely cover!
Some of the cons were that this book took on too many things, there was the old Leather scene, sickness and death, an MC who is OCD, religious experiences, paranormal experiences, BDSM, sorrow and whatnot else. It came on as too much at times, with not enough space given to each. What also exasperated me were the instances where BDSM and whip facts were simply wrong, e.g. a cat is not a singletail, nor will a normal BDSM cat cut through cured leather, an asian penitentiary cane isn't something commonly used in BDSM, applied normally it leaves the recipient for days in a hospital, some of the reactions were askew or over the top as written.
However, on the whole, one has to be thankful for an author writing more emotions into BDSM than what is usual. I also was thankful for that all sex scenes were plotpoints and relevant.
I certainly will check out other books by this author.
This is well-written and well-edited, with only the transitions from one scene to the next occasionally being a bit abrupt. I'll not go into any of the plot, because that would give away things, the mystery itself is well-woven into the romance plot which ended with a satisfying HFN. I guessed who the culprit was about 60% in, but the resolution also still was satisfying.
Lovely cover!
Some of the cons were that this book took on too many things, there was the old Leather scene, sickness and death, an MC who is OCD, religious experiences, paranormal experiences, BDSM, sorrow and whatnot else. It came on as too much at times, with not enough space given to each. What also exasperated me were the instances where BDSM and whip facts were simply wrong, e.g. a cat is not a singletail, nor will a normal BDSM cat cut through cured leather, an asian penitentiary cane isn't something commonly used in BDSM, applied normally it leaves the recipient for days in a hospital, some of the reactions were askew or over the top as written.
However, on the whole, one has to be thankful for an author writing more emotions into BDSM than what is usual. I also was thankful for that all sex scenes were plotpoints and relevant.
I certainly will check out other books by this author.
March 21, 2011
I am a little bit at loss with words at the moment. And a little bit in love with Roger Corso too.
He is a character that is simple and complicated at the same time. He is a very disciplined man, he keeps himself in check and he controls how he lets himself go. Even his sexual release is just the right amount to satisfy a need, but it doesn't involve his feelings. Since when his lover died, Roger has put a lid on his emotions. His encounters with his old friend Peter, owner of a BDSM club, and the scenes he plays with him are the only way he lets some steam off.
His life is rocked when, coming home from a short vacation, he finds a corpse in his living room. The corpse has been dead for a long time and the investigation brings the brother's victim, Sean, into his life. It's one of those fated encounters. Sean is a ball of energy, with little discipline and a lot of nervous tics. He is also the perfect opposite to Roger's dark and handsome beauty: a lithe, redheaded, artistic beauty that slowly imposes itself on Roger's life. Roger surrenders.
While the threads of Roger's investigation wound around the detective himself, bringing the loyalties to the BDSM world into question, Roger falls for the younger man. Roger brings his need of discipline into the relationship, because Sean needs it too. He lets him into his house, because he wants him safe. Because he wants to own him. The way he takes possession of Sean, and Sean lets himself be taken, is beautifully written and very passionate, because they both have to strip their souls bare in that moment.
The mystery was very good until the end. I was glad there were still a few pages after the case was closed, because they showed the characters' vulnerability and their intimacy. I felt a little bit like a voyeur, because the last pages were very emotional, but I was glad to see that the author took care of his characters after putting them through very rough times.
The BDSM element was integral to the plot, because it describes what Roger is, but it's not overwhelming.
In my opinion this book is simply awesome.
He is a character that is simple and complicated at the same time. He is a very disciplined man, he keeps himself in check and he controls how he lets himself go. Even his sexual release is just the right amount to satisfy a need, but it doesn't involve his feelings. Since when his lover died, Roger has put a lid on his emotions. His encounters with his old friend Peter, owner of a BDSM club, and the scenes he plays with him are the only way he lets some steam off.
His life is rocked when, coming home from a short vacation, he finds a corpse in his living room. The corpse has been dead for a long time and the investigation brings the brother's victim, Sean, into his life. It's one of those fated encounters. Sean is a ball of energy, with little discipline and a lot of nervous tics. He is also the perfect opposite to Roger's dark and handsome beauty: a lithe, redheaded, artistic beauty that slowly imposes itself on Roger's life. Roger surrenders.
While the threads of Roger's investigation wound around the detective himself, bringing the loyalties to the BDSM world into question, Roger falls for the younger man. Roger brings his need of discipline into the relationship, because Sean needs it too. He lets him into his house, because he wants him safe. Because he wants to own him. The way he takes possession of Sean, and Sean lets himself be taken, is beautifully written and very passionate, because they both have to strip their souls bare in that moment.
The mystery was very good until the end. I was glad there were still a few pages after the case was closed, because they showed the characters' vulnerability and their intimacy. I felt a little bit like a voyeur, because the last pages were very emotional, but I was glad to see that the author took care of his characters after putting them through very rough times.
The BDSM element was integral to the plot, because it describes what Roger is, but it's not overwhelming.
In my opinion this book is simply awesome.
August 1, 2011
Incredibly good story, romance and a mystery intertwined with a light does of BDSM. The author did a very good job of showing that the sub, even without having acknowledged his submissive qualities himself, does deteremine how and where the D/s relationship goes. It was riveting to watch Roger instinctively react and read Sean's vibes, excersing his dominant personality and obtaining behavioral changes, sometimes even against Sean's verbal protests. For example, the nail biting. Sean doesn't like it and wonders how Roger feels he has the right to tell him what to do or not to do, yet he does try to control the behavior, at least in front of Roger.
I was able to figure out who the bad guy was about half-way through the book, but the mystery was very well crafted, the clues doled out a bit at a time, to keep the suspense building.
In summary, well written and original story, real characters, both main and secondary (loved Jay and his 'nurse'), look forward to reading more by this author.
I was able to figure out who the bad guy was about half-way through the book, but the mystery was very well crafted, the clues doled out a bit at a time, to keep the suspense building.
In summary, well written and original story, real characters, both main and secondary (loved Jay and his 'nurse'), look forward to reading more by this author.
September 2, 2013
Excellent. I can't quite express what it is I want to say about this one but the words that repeatedly come to mind for me are evocative, tender and nostalgia. I'm rarely a fan of BDSM stories because they so often get caught up in the mechanics of the scene and lose the relationship aspects in the process. In this book we have the exact opposite, a story where the rituals and trappings of leather culture reveal character, drive the plot and ultimately make the reader nostalgic for a glimpse of a tradition that, like all sub-cultures, is as complex and unfinalisable as a dream. After labouring mightily over those heartfelt sentences, I may as well add that Roger Corso was really, really hot, Sean was cute and the sex was sexy. Also, I wanted to take Jay home and tell him about a new invention.... nasal prongs.
October 16, 2015
This was so damn good! Excellent plot. Characters were great. I enjoyed the way the mystery played out. 5 stars!
October 17, 2009
After reading the summary I wasn’t sure what I was expecting but The Elegant Corpse kept me guessing and wondering throughout. Solidly written with fully realized characters and a fascinating mystery plot that was perfectly matched to the pace of the burgeoning relationship, this story satisfies on all levels. Great main characters blend with a heavy BDSM theme while giving a lovely setting of almost a fading era. The older characters create almost an old guard feeling of their community, something of a time slowly past and never to be recaptured. This almost nostalgic feel sets a beautiful tone to the writing and especially to Roger.
Roger is a wonderfully complex character. Suffering from the death of his partner and submissive five years earlier, he has resigned himself to living alone for the duration of his life. His needs are met with close friends and occasional visits to a local BDSM club with no strings attached relationships. Roger is not looking for someone to fill the empty space in his life, nor is he looking to start over. His life is orderly and held strict within his standards by the sheer force of his will, which is not insubstantial. So when his tightly controlled life is upset by the appearance of a corpse, Roger fears his participation within the leather community will be exposed. He must straddle a thin line of helping both the community and the police in finding the murderer without exposing each to the other. This balancing act is tipped precariously as Roger fights a helpless attraction to the corpse’s younger brother, Sean.
Sean is also a great character as he struggles with an immaturity and lack of confidence that is surprising for his age. Although he’s thirty-two, Sean acts much younger with his nervous gestures, confusion, and easy anger. He is conflicted with his own identity and desires, fighting himself and Roger yet yearning desperately for the control and peace that Roger’s dominance offers. Sean has issues with his childhood and the effect his older brother’s absence had on the family, thus keeping him involved and around Roger despite the older man’s best efforts to distance himself. Sean’s openly needy emotional state sparks something within Roger, as does the challenge Sean constantly presents. Sean may want more than he can articulate but his ignorance and instinctive defensiveness cause him to bounce back and forth from surly to obeying. Thankfully Roger’s steady strength and patience is a perfect match to Sean’s chaotic personality.
Although these two seem to get together quickly, when taking into consideration the actual short time line, the depth of their connection and the complex relationship the author has drawn makes the their time together seem much longer. Similarly the mystery of the corpse and subsequent murders from men involved in the BDSM leather scene is multifaceted and engaging, leaving the reader with the feeling the events take place over a much longer time period than they actually do. Combining both the dull semantics of police work with the fast paced rush of discovery of new murder, the writing and pace kept moving evenly. Delving into the emotional, physical, and mental aspects of the BDSM culture was done remarkably well, showing its multilayered culture. There were enough hints to guess at the final resolution without feeling overly force-fed or an out of the blue suspect. The truly solidly written mystery was just as satisfying and engaging as was the development of Roger and Sean’s relationship.
Mixing the cast of characters from Roger’s police life with his friends from his BDSM side was done wonderfully and showed the dual sides of the man’s life he tried to keep separate. From his partner to his old master, each person added an important element to the story and given their own identity without taking the focus away from the plot and main characters. Peter as Roger’s friend was a sympathetic and remarkably drawn man, one given life along side Roger’s ex-master Jay, who is quietly commanding even wheezing in a wheelchair. I was truly impressed with the author’s ability to meld so many unique elements and characters in a complex and layered plot that hardly missed a beat. The lovely ending showing the healing process Sean and Roger must go through only continued my esteem for the novel, even if the point of view changing was slightly clumsy.
If there were any problems, I’d have to point out the few easy to see errors in writing and/or editing. Frequently the names of Roger’s friend Peter was confused with Roger’s dead lover, Patrick – even within the same dream sequence. This is easy enough to see and should have been corrected as it causes confusion. Additionally there were several hanging sentences and lost words that were noticeable, both of these problems jarring the flow of the writing. While I can easily read over these errors, the name confusion was less so but the strength of the writing and story should be enough to keep you reading. Hopefully in future editions this could be corrected.
Overall, I was impressed with this novel from an unknown (to me) author. The sheer complexity of the plot was well done and the intensity of the relationship made this story one that will stay on my mind for a while. I can easily recommend this story to those who like a strong mystery within a burgeoning heavy BDSM relationship. I look forward to other works by this author.
Roger is a wonderfully complex character. Suffering from the death of his partner and submissive five years earlier, he has resigned himself to living alone for the duration of his life. His needs are met with close friends and occasional visits to a local BDSM club with no strings attached relationships. Roger is not looking for someone to fill the empty space in his life, nor is he looking to start over. His life is orderly and held strict within his standards by the sheer force of his will, which is not insubstantial. So when his tightly controlled life is upset by the appearance of a corpse, Roger fears his participation within the leather community will be exposed. He must straddle a thin line of helping both the community and the police in finding the murderer without exposing each to the other. This balancing act is tipped precariously as Roger fights a helpless attraction to the corpse’s younger brother, Sean.
Sean is also a great character as he struggles with an immaturity and lack of confidence that is surprising for his age. Although he’s thirty-two, Sean acts much younger with his nervous gestures, confusion, and easy anger. He is conflicted with his own identity and desires, fighting himself and Roger yet yearning desperately for the control and peace that Roger’s dominance offers. Sean has issues with his childhood and the effect his older brother’s absence had on the family, thus keeping him involved and around Roger despite the older man’s best efforts to distance himself. Sean’s openly needy emotional state sparks something within Roger, as does the challenge Sean constantly presents. Sean may want more than he can articulate but his ignorance and instinctive defensiveness cause him to bounce back and forth from surly to obeying. Thankfully Roger’s steady strength and patience is a perfect match to Sean’s chaotic personality.
Although these two seem to get together quickly, when taking into consideration the actual short time line, the depth of their connection and the complex relationship the author has drawn makes the their time together seem much longer. Similarly the mystery of the corpse and subsequent murders from men involved in the BDSM leather scene is multifaceted and engaging, leaving the reader with the feeling the events take place over a much longer time period than they actually do. Combining both the dull semantics of police work with the fast paced rush of discovery of new murder, the writing and pace kept moving evenly. Delving into the emotional, physical, and mental aspects of the BDSM culture was done remarkably well, showing its multilayered culture. There were enough hints to guess at the final resolution without feeling overly force-fed or an out of the blue suspect. The truly solidly written mystery was just as satisfying and engaging as was the development of Roger and Sean’s relationship.
Mixing the cast of characters from Roger’s police life with his friends from his BDSM side was done wonderfully and showed the dual sides of the man’s life he tried to keep separate. From his partner to his old master, each person added an important element to the story and given their own identity without taking the focus away from the plot and main characters. Peter as Roger’s friend was a sympathetic and remarkably drawn man, one given life along side Roger’s ex-master Jay, who is quietly commanding even wheezing in a wheelchair. I was truly impressed with the author’s ability to meld so many unique elements and characters in a complex and layered plot that hardly missed a beat. The lovely ending showing the healing process Sean and Roger must go through only continued my esteem for the novel, even if the point of view changing was slightly clumsy.
If there were any problems, I’d have to point out the few easy to see errors in writing and/or editing. Frequently the names of Roger’s friend Peter was confused with Roger’s dead lover, Patrick – even within the same dream sequence. This is easy enough to see and should have been corrected as it causes confusion. Additionally there were several hanging sentences and lost words that were noticeable, both of these problems jarring the flow of the writing. While I can easily read over these errors, the name confusion was less so but the strength of the writing and story should be enough to keep you reading. Hopefully in future editions this could be corrected.
Overall, I was impressed with this novel from an unknown (to me) author. The sheer complexity of the plot was well done and the intensity of the relationship made this story one that will stay on my mind for a while. I can easily recommend this story to those who like a strong mystery within a burgeoning heavy BDSM relationship. I look forward to other works by this author.
April 29, 2010
4.5 stars
A good mystery is the one that can keep you guessing but at the same time give a good, solid, and best of all, complicated NON two dimensional characters that make you feel for them.
This one simply delivers on all counts. Both Roger, the hard detective that first seems to want to detach himself from anything that might close to relationship (since he lost his partner years ago) and Sean, the brother of a victim who is fighting his inner turmoil hook me right from the get go. It's so interesting to see their interaction. Added with a good murder mystery that frame the whole story -- and I must say this is one of the most satisfying mystery I've read this year. If only this is part of a series ...
This is my first experience with A.M. Riley, so I'm looking forward to find out more about her works.
A good mystery is the one that can keep you guessing but at the same time give a good, solid, and best of all, complicated NON two dimensional characters that make you feel for them.
This one simply delivers on all counts. Both Roger, the hard detective that first seems to want to detach himself from anything that might close to relationship (since he lost his partner years ago) and Sean, the brother of a victim who is fighting his inner turmoil hook me right from the get go. It's so interesting to see their interaction. Added with a good murder mystery that frame the whole story -- and I must say this is one of the most satisfying mystery I've read this year. If only this is part of a series ...
This is my first experience with A.M. Riley, so I'm looking forward to find out more about her works.
January 9, 2016
'...Roger’s entire body had been an agonized knot of outrage since he’d crossed his living room and discovered the corpse where his tuxedo pillows were supposed to be...'
The sparsity of the language initially surprised me, there's no flowery sentences or clunky metaphor. LAPD homocide detective Roger Corso works with his partner and polar opposite Mary Anne Stelter to solve a case that begins when Roger returns home to find a mummified corpse posed in his immaculate living room.
The synopsis sounds as if the book could be dry and challenging and yet it is bursting with black humour and wry observation, instead the starkness of prose provides the perfect juxtaposition for the complexity and inner turmoil of outwardly cool as a cucumber cop Roger Corso who has up until now managed to keep his private life private, as a long standing member of the leather community. The case leads him to confront painful memories and uncover connections to long forgotten acquaintances, especially once he meets the murder victim's brother thirty-two year old Sean who brings new evidence to light.
Sean was seven when his brother disappeared and subsequently grew up in a grief stricken house living in the shadow of his deceased older brother; and yet he is full of lively engaging charm and charisma. He uses all of his wiles to woo the surly detective.
'...Sean looked up at him, eyes dark and aroused, and Roger felt the undeniable thud of blood where it ought not to be surging...'
Resistance is futile for Roger as he tries to keep a professional distance from Sean making their interactions an absolute delight for me as a reader. Sean is crushing on hunky and brooding Roger, seeing him as the key to unlocking the mystery of what happened to his brother as well as potential boyfriend material who can introduce him to a whole new world of BDSM.
Both Roger and Sean have issues but mutual attraction begins to build and grow as the body count mounts up. The murderer always seemingly one step ahead of the investigation however Roger's partner Mary Anne is equally determined to solve the case. She and Roger work brilliantly together and bounce well off each other.
I found myself delighted throughout by the exchanges and interplay between main characters and the side characters there is little or no cliche. I was constantly wondering 'who-done-it' until over halfway.
The mystery is well written and kept me guessing . Ultimately it was the relationship between Roger and Sean tha kept me focused and the mystery was more of a side issue.
There are a lot of elements in this story around change, grief, memory, choices, conformity, boundaries, secrets, friendship and ghosts real or imagined (not to mention even a little poetry, hence the elegant corpse reference: who knew?).
A compelling story with a lot to think about and enjoy even if the final reveal is a little weak, and so four stars instead of five. Still highly recommended, the writing paints wonderful pictures:
'...Sean’s voice was defensive, and Roger felt, once again, challenged, as if Sean were throwing a dozen Scrabble tiles at him and daring him to read the secret word....'
April 14, 2012
I wish there were more MM BDSM books like this one!!!
I loved it.. everything is perfect. The original plot, the mystery, the romance, the... BDSM scenes.
Just a comment. There is not abuse in this book. At all. So if you are searching a BDSM with a strong, but lovely Dom and a younger partner (10 years less than the Dom) learning about love, about what he need, and that his needs are not wrong, this book is for you.
I most of the times connect immediately with the Dom (Detective Roger Corso)... but must be sincere saying Sean, the Sub was who struck me most. He don't know why he need to feel pain, he don't know if it's ok to have this needs... I just love him. He was a remarkable Sub.
I recommend it to readers of BDSM, and to all readers that never read a BDSM, but want to know more about it. Try this book, and I know you will want more.
I loved it.. everything is perfect. The original plot, the mystery, the romance, the... BDSM scenes.
Just a comment. There is not abuse in this book. At all. So if you are searching a BDSM with a strong, but lovely Dom and a younger partner (10 years less than the Dom) learning about love, about what he need, and that his needs are not wrong, this book is for you.
I most of the times connect immediately with the Dom (Detective Roger Corso)... but must be sincere saying Sean, the Sub was who struck me most. He don't know why he need to feel pain, he don't know if it's ok to have this needs... I just love him. He was a remarkable Sub.
I recommend it to readers of BDSM, and to all readers that never read a BDSM, but want to know more about it. Try this book, and I know you will want more.
June 4, 2016
An excellent m/m bdsm mystery novel, all the right ingredients superbly put together!
(Sean) knew he was in trouble. Roger struck him dumb. Scared stiff like a bunny in the road, watching the big diesel truck bear down on it. The six foot four, with a lumberjack's body eyes the color of new grass, wielding a whip type of truck.'
(Sean) knew he was in trouble. Roger struck him dumb. Scared stiff like a bunny in the road, watching the big diesel truck bear down on it. The six foot four, with a lumberjack's body eyes the color of new grass, wielding a whip type of truck.'
December 14, 2013
I enjoyed this old-school detective story and loved that it was set in Los Angeles. I also really liked that the main romance didn't seem to be the entire focus of this book. Unfortunately, I found myself re-reading several sentences and was a bit confused about some the story breaks. Not sure if it was the editing or just me.
September 30, 2016
A Joyfully Jay review.
5 stars
am going to begin by saying I LOVED this story and the reason was all about the Dom, Roger Corso. His near OCD lifestyle belied such a fiercely coiled brute strength that he used with an intensity, coupled with gentle care and a nurturing spirit it left me breathless at times. Here was a man who could inflict serious damage with everything from a flogger to a whip and yet hold his sub tenderly after, soothing him, caring for him, and making sure any marks inflicted would fade with the glorious memory of having just experienced a mind-blowing orgasm under his manipulations. He was a multi-dimensional character who could have been written off just as some tough guy with a penchant for sadism. Instead, he became a man who stole my heart and made me truly understand what it meant to be a Dom and how incredibly wonderful they can be with the men under their care.
When the murderer threatens to blow Roger’s private life wide open, rather than avoid doing the hard work of tracking down former friends in the scene, Roger carefully does his job—even when that finds him crossing a line he never thought possible and starting a relationship with the relative of one of the deceased. Sean was desperately in need of a guiding hand—to rein him in but to set him free— to give him the peace he so desperately craved, but could not begin to understand actually came from the need to be held in bondage and whipped into submission. The slow burning dance between these two men made this story heat up till it scorched the page and the follow through—the tenderness that was finally unleashed—that had been buried so deeply inside Roger since the death of his partner five years before was stunning to behold.
Read Sammy’s review in its entirety here.
5 stars
am going to begin by saying I LOVED this story and the reason was all about the Dom, Roger Corso. His near OCD lifestyle belied such a fiercely coiled brute strength that he used with an intensity, coupled with gentle care and a nurturing spirit it left me breathless at times. Here was a man who could inflict serious damage with everything from a flogger to a whip and yet hold his sub tenderly after, soothing him, caring for him, and making sure any marks inflicted would fade with the glorious memory of having just experienced a mind-blowing orgasm under his manipulations. He was a multi-dimensional character who could have been written off just as some tough guy with a penchant for sadism. Instead, he became a man who stole my heart and made me truly understand what it meant to be a Dom and how incredibly wonderful they can be with the men under their care.
When the murderer threatens to blow Roger’s private life wide open, rather than avoid doing the hard work of tracking down former friends in the scene, Roger carefully does his job—even when that finds him crossing a line he never thought possible and starting a relationship with the relative of one of the deceased. Sean was desperately in need of a guiding hand—to rein him in but to set him free— to give him the peace he so desperately craved, but could not begin to understand actually came from the need to be held in bondage and whipped into submission. The slow burning dance between these two men made this story heat up till it scorched the page and the follow through—the tenderness that was finally unleashed—that had been buried so deeply inside Roger since the death of his partner five years before was stunning to behold.
Read Sammy’s review in its entirety here.
February 21, 2014
I really really wanted to be inspired by this book. At a passing glance, it seemed to contain everything I could hope to read that would finally entice me back into the world of M/M where the only thing I wanted to do was to be the dirty little voyeur in every gay romance Goodreads has ever seen. As such, it's only left a dimple of an impression -- a pleasant aftertaste that easily washes away with my next cup of tea.
The opening was brilliant; it's not every day that someone finds a mummified corpse on their couch, detective or not. The book immediately presents itself as decently written-- a smooth and easy ride. I had this anticipation of greatness that was easily upheld throughout the majority of the book. The brilliant pacing and convoluted, delicious mystery had me willing to sell my body for the answers (in theory anyway). The characterisation was ,likewise, brilliant, and the chemistry and connection between Roger and Sean had me smiling and chuckling to myself.
And theeennn the rocket crashed. Kaboosh. The fish flopped pathetically inches away from the water. Inches.
The climax and resolution was just.. *shakes head mournfully* I can't even.
1) Hi murderer, what the fuck? [don't read the spoiler unless you've read the book. Seriously]
2) i would feel sorry for you, if I wasn't rolling my eyes
3) evil begone you fucking ghost!!!
Apart from the major let down at the end, this was a very enjoyable read, bringing back the classic murder mystery storyline with a wonderful M/M romance weaved in. Wonderful writing, delicious characters and near-perfect mystery (*glares at ending*).
Rating: maybe 3.5
The opening was brilliant; it's not every day that someone finds a mummified corpse on their couch, detective or not. The book immediately presents itself as decently written-- a smooth and easy ride. I had this anticipation of greatness that was easily upheld throughout the majority of the book. The brilliant pacing and convoluted, delicious mystery had me willing to sell my body for the answers (in theory anyway). The characterisation was ,likewise, brilliant, and the chemistry and connection between Roger and Sean had me smiling and chuckling to myself.
And theeennn the rocket crashed. Kaboosh. The fish flopped pathetically inches away from the water. Inches.
The climax and resolution was just.. *shakes head mournfully* I can't even.
1) Hi murderer, what the fuck? [don't read the spoiler unless you've read the book. Seriously]
2) i would feel sorry for you, if I wasn't rolling my eyes
3) evil begone you fucking ghost!!!
Apart from the major let down at the end, this was a very enjoyable read, bringing back the classic murder mystery storyline with a wonderful M/M romance weaved in. Wonderful writing, delicious characters and near-perfect mystery (*glares at ending*).
Rating: maybe 3.5
October 31, 2013
4.5 stars
I've read this book too many times to count and it's still as fresh as the first time I've read it, even with knowing the resolution of mystery. This is one of those books when I completely lack the words to describe adequately why they worked so well for me: is it the unraveling of Corso's tight control and gentleness towards Sean, Sean's endearing immaturity and struggle with his needs and desires, the "old" BDSM community, the mystery or great secondary characters? All of it? I just know that it never gets old. While I sometimes wish that A.M. Riley writes more, I am ready to wait as long as it takes if every book she gives us is as good as this one. She still has to disappoint me. Highly, highly recommended.
I've read this book too many times to count and it's still as fresh as the first time I've read it, even with knowing the resolution of mystery. This is one of those books when I completely lack the words to describe adequately why they worked so well for me: is it the unraveling of Corso's tight control and gentleness towards Sean, Sean's endearing immaturity and struggle with his needs and desires, the "old" BDSM community, the mystery or great secondary characters? All of it? I just know that it never gets old. While I sometimes wish that A.M. Riley writes more, I am ready to wait as long as it takes if every book she gives us is as good as this one. She still has to disappoint me. Highly, highly recommended.
May 12, 2012
(3.5 stars)
This was an interesting read, and while I can't say I truly enjoyed the BDSM scenes in it, the murder mystery was very good (even if I did guess the killer). Roger's journey back to humanity and Sean's journey to security added depth to the plot and the sole female role, played by Roger's detective partner was very likeable. I'd imagine for a fan of both BDSM and murder-mysteries, this would be close to a 5 star-read.
This was an interesting read, and while I can't say I truly enjoyed the BDSM scenes in it, the murder mystery was very good (even if I did guess the killer). Roger's journey back to humanity and Sean's journey to security added depth to the plot and the sole female role, played by Roger's detective partner was very likeable. I'd imagine for a fan of both BDSM and murder-mysteries, this would be close to a 5 star-read.
August 2, 2014
I did not think I was going to like this book as much as I did. I'm usually not a big fan of the investigation side of a book but in this case I was actually wishing they would hurry with the sex parts (wtf?) and get on with the case. I really wanted to know who the killer was. I suppose some people figured it out ahead of time but I didn't and I was shocked. This one completely sucked me in.
December 17, 2020
That's a no for me! Honestly, the only reason I finished this book was because I didn't want to pick another book for the GB challenge.
What really annoyed me was the way the BDSM was portrayed. Oh and we never got to know why the murderer killed all those people.
Like how are you going to "force" someone you just met to move out of their apartment because you don't trust their neighborhood? I'm sorry sir, but who are you? And I understand that Sean expressed some interest in BDSM, but I feel like both of them still needed a thorough discussion about how he would play out in their "relationship". We could have avoided scenes like "I told you to stop swearing, but you didn't. Here's a spanking for you even though we never discussed spanking as a punishment for this". Oh boy, let me stop here...
What really annoyed me was the way the BDSM was portrayed. Oh and we never got to know why the murderer killed all those people.
Like how are you going to "force" someone you just met to move out of their apartment because you don't trust their neighborhood? I'm sorry sir, but who are you? And I understand that Sean expressed some interest in BDSM, but I feel like both of them still needed a thorough discussion about how he would play out in their "relationship". We could have avoided scenes like "I told you to stop swearing, but you didn't. Here's a spanking for you even though we never discussed spanking as a punishment for this". Oh boy, let me stop here...
May 3, 2017
I really enjoyed this book. BDSM isn't the main plot (though there some very steamy scenes), but rather a backdrop for a murder mystery/detective story. Very refreshing change for a sub-genre I adore but can be somewhat predictable. This was anything but!
October 3, 2015
How do you carry a blue tooth and type into it?
That's a lot of flogging. I'm surprised it wasn't drawing blood at that point.
First bdsm scene realistic sounding and safe.
He is wound tighter than a spool of thread. I think he needs to sub--give up control to someone else.
No way would a locker at the Y still be untouched 25 years later.
Wow. That discipline thing only against women is horrific.
I would be very surprised if what they were doing weren't illegal. He pays someone to participate in something they both do for sexual gratification. He touched the other guy's penis and he tipped him. How is that not prostitution?
Okay now I'm really confused on that front. He told someone that nothing they're doing in the scenes is illegal but now he just said that BDSM is still illegal. Really? Where? I did a search and can't find anything stating that BDSM activity is illegal in California. Some other--red--states yes.
Roger's really a throwback isn't he. He keeps saying these positive things about women but in the way if a Neanderthal who learns that women are surprisingly interesting at times. It makes Heinlein's twisted not-sexist-sexism seem feminist in comparison.
"As he grew to know [women], he found he could sincerely enjoy them as people."
Like women are actually some exotic pet that he was wary of at first. "Oh look, dear, an interesting new species."
It's weird because his partner is a perfectly normal, smart, and capable woman and that comes through in the narrative.
I'm still not sure what Roger sees in Sean. I'm not feeling the lust. Cool that they're using condoms for oral sex.
I'm having problems with this. Somehow it's depressing me. And it isn't the BDSM. That's really well done. It's the relationship, the loneliness and the sadness of the characters, even if they maybe aren't supposed to be so tragic. There just isn't warmth there. We're told that Roger is feeling something but I don't see it.
I so hate the term wife beater. I know that it presents an image so many of us get, but it's just horrible. It's particularly bad when a good guy is described as wearing one. There's a reason they're called that.
I don't really like Sean. It's weird to me that Roger cares if other people curse around him. I get why he wouldn't do it but his hatred of swearing is weird.
During the nipple ring thing, Roger should have reminded Sean of his safe word.
Sean was a butt virgin at 32?
It's a big pet peeve of mine when people say someone couldn't have killed themselves because something wonderful was happening for them and they were excited about it. Depression that deep is chemical and it isn't influenced by only one thing. Someone who hates himself might question his ability to do the cool thing everyone else says is great.
He might be overwhelmed by people's expectations. The event might directly interfere with something else, like if he goes off in this grand trip, he's have to break up with his boyfriend. It he might have had yet another fight with his partner and felt like he was worthless. There are endless possibilities, but the biggest is that when its chemical, there really is no rhyme or reason.
I'm glad there are consequences from the hell Sean went through. I like that it's affected both of them deeply and they have to work on it.
Really good with POV through almost all the book, then one chapter where it flipped and now at the end, flipping mid paragraph.
Well done. The BDSM was safe and sane and appropriate. It helped me understand a little more.
The mystery was good. It took me a while to figure out who was the murderer. My only issue is that I never understood why Roger fell for Sean and I was never that find of Sean. He was immature and underhanded. I didn't feel the attraction until the end game.
But the peril, the danger, was beautiful, perfect, written just for me it felt.
4.5 stars I'm rounding down at this point because it was still depressing to me and I never understood their love. It just didn't ring true.
That's a lot of flogging. I'm surprised it wasn't drawing blood at that point.
First bdsm scene realistic sounding and safe.
He is wound tighter than a spool of thread. I think he needs to sub--give up control to someone else.
No way would a locker at the Y still be untouched 25 years later.
Wow. That discipline thing only against women is horrific.
I would be very surprised if what they were doing weren't illegal. He pays someone to participate in something they both do for sexual gratification. He touched the other guy's penis and he tipped him. How is that not prostitution?
Okay now I'm really confused on that front. He told someone that nothing they're doing in the scenes is illegal but now he just said that BDSM is still illegal. Really? Where? I did a search and can't find anything stating that BDSM activity is illegal in California. Some other--red--states yes.
Roger's really a throwback isn't he. He keeps saying these positive things about women but in the way if a Neanderthal who learns that women are surprisingly interesting at times. It makes Heinlein's twisted not-sexist-sexism seem feminist in comparison.
"As he grew to know [women], he found he could sincerely enjoy them as people."
Like women are actually some exotic pet that he was wary of at first. "Oh look, dear, an interesting new species."
It's weird because his partner is a perfectly normal, smart, and capable woman and that comes through in the narrative.
I'm still not sure what Roger sees in Sean. I'm not feeling the lust. Cool that they're using condoms for oral sex.
I'm having problems with this. Somehow it's depressing me. And it isn't the BDSM. That's really well done. It's the relationship, the loneliness and the sadness of the characters, even if they maybe aren't supposed to be so tragic. There just isn't warmth there. We're told that Roger is feeling something but I don't see it.
I so hate the term wife beater. I know that it presents an image so many of us get, but it's just horrible. It's particularly bad when a good guy is described as wearing one. There's a reason they're called that.
I don't really like Sean. It's weird to me that Roger cares if other people curse around him. I get why he wouldn't do it but his hatred of swearing is weird.
During the nipple ring thing, Roger should have reminded Sean of his safe word.
Sean was a butt virgin at 32?
It's a big pet peeve of mine when people say someone couldn't have killed themselves because something wonderful was happening for them and they were excited about it. Depression that deep is chemical and it isn't influenced by only one thing. Someone who hates himself might question his ability to do the cool thing everyone else says is great.
He might be overwhelmed by people's expectations. The event might directly interfere with something else, like if he goes off in this grand trip, he's have to break up with his boyfriend. It he might have had yet another fight with his partner and felt like he was worthless. There are endless possibilities, but the biggest is that when its chemical, there really is no rhyme or reason.
I'm glad there are consequences from the hell Sean went through. I like that it's affected both of them deeply and they have to work on it.
Really good with POV through almost all the book, then one chapter where it flipped and now at the end, flipping mid paragraph.
Well done. The BDSM was safe and sane and appropriate. It helped me understand a little more.
The mystery was good. It took me a while to figure out who was the murderer. My only issue is that I never understood why Roger fell for Sean and I was never that find of Sean. He was immature and underhanded. I didn't feel the attraction until the end game.
But the peril, the danger, was beautiful, perfect, written just for me it felt.
4.5 stars I'm rounding down at this point because it was still depressing to me and I never understood their love. It just didn't ring true.
Read
April 24, 2009Another book by A.M. Riley that I hardly will forget. Roger Corso is a detective by the book; forget all those detective from television fiction, tough men who do what they have to do even if what they do is slightly (or heavily) not legal. Roger is a freak controlled and perfect detective.
When he arrives home after a one week vacation and finds a mummified corpse in his living room, he calls the CSI and starts to investigate. And everytime he finds a proof he relates to his superiors, even when the proofs lead to one of his best friend, his former Master. Yes cause Roger is now a Master himself, one of the old league, a leatherman with whips and mask; Roger is not the mild mannered queer type that it's so fashion in the twenty-one century, Roger is a big man, muscle and discipline from the '80. And now that his former lover and sub is dead, Roger lives an apparently quite and ordinary life, saved going one night every month in a BDSM club managed by an old friend. Like other ordinary men go to play pool or booling, Roger plays with whips and S. Andrew cross.
Sean is the young brother of the victim Roger finds in his living room. Gary, the victim, disappeared more then 20 years before, when Sean was still a little child, and now Sean is alone, since the death of both his parents. He is a troubled guy, living in a precarious way and having no control on his life. He is the classical type who pushes the right bottoms on Roger, a man who needs someone to control, someone who needs to be controlled, a mutual exchange of powers. But Sean is very young and Roger fears to be again in a committed relationship. Actually Sean's behaviour is very strange, he is a more than 30 years old man who behaves like a nearly twenty.
Maybe the strenght of this couple is that both of them are so clearly made to be together and the reader knows that they will be together, what he is expecting is the climax, not of their relationship, but of the mystery which plays along with the romance: who is the serial killer? everytime you think to have found the right man, soon after he is the next victim and you need to start again. The mystery is pretty good, I should admit I'm not an expert, but sincerely I discovered the killer only cause all the others were dead.
I think Roger is somewhat a Dom disillusioned; he has seen too much, made too much and now nothing seems to have the same impact on him as before. He is a survivor, he has escaped the AIDS plague, but many around him not, and now he is alone. I don't think he needs someone who turns up his little world, he needs someone who will share it with him: sorry, he has not the age to start again, he is arrived to a point in which he needs stability and comfort. Sean instead is a little like a Peter Pan, someone who is arrived to a point when he needs to grew and instead he seems to always avoid it.
The book is very complex and wonderfully intertwined, full of supporting characters who are themself worthy of an entire story. And it's also a little bit nostalgic, it seems like a last greeting to a dying era.
http://elisa-rolle.livejournal.com/29...
When he arrives home after a one week vacation and finds a mummified corpse in his living room, he calls the CSI and starts to investigate. And everytime he finds a proof he relates to his superiors, even when the proofs lead to one of his best friend, his former Master. Yes cause Roger is now a Master himself, one of the old league, a leatherman with whips and mask; Roger is not the mild mannered queer type that it's so fashion in the twenty-one century, Roger is a big man, muscle and discipline from the '80. And now that his former lover and sub is dead, Roger lives an apparently quite and ordinary life, saved going one night every month in a BDSM club managed by an old friend. Like other ordinary men go to play pool or booling, Roger plays with whips and S. Andrew cross.
Sean is the young brother of the victim Roger finds in his living room. Gary, the victim, disappeared more then 20 years before, when Sean was still a little child, and now Sean is alone, since the death of both his parents. He is a troubled guy, living in a precarious way and having no control on his life. He is the classical type who pushes the right bottoms on Roger, a man who needs someone to control, someone who needs to be controlled, a mutual exchange of powers. But Sean is very young and Roger fears to be again in a committed relationship. Actually Sean's behaviour is very strange, he is a more than 30 years old man who behaves like a nearly twenty.
Maybe the strenght of this couple is that both of them are so clearly made to be together and the reader knows that they will be together, what he is expecting is the climax, not of their relationship, but of the mystery which plays along with the romance: who is the serial killer? everytime you think to have found the right man, soon after he is the next victim and you need to start again. The mystery is pretty good, I should admit I'm not an expert, but sincerely I discovered the killer only cause all the others were dead.
I think Roger is somewhat a Dom disillusioned; he has seen too much, made too much and now nothing seems to have the same impact on him as before. He is a survivor, he has escaped the AIDS plague, but many around him not, and now he is alone. I don't think he needs someone who turns up his little world, he needs someone who will share it with him: sorry, he has not the age to start again, he is arrived to a point in which he needs stability and comfort. Sean instead is a little like a Peter Pan, someone who is arrived to a point when he needs to grew and instead he seems to always avoid it.
The book is very complex and wonderfully intertwined, full of supporting characters who are themself worthy of an entire story. And it's also a little bit nostalgic, it seems like a last greeting to a dying era.
http://elisa-rolle.livejournal.com/29...
September 30, 2013
The Elegant Corpse If you want to get a synopsis of what happens in a book, don't read my reviews. Synopsis writing has to be one of my least favorite occupations.I will tell you what I liked and didn't like about them though.First up. A.M.Riley's books all are non-predictable. In other words, whether writing a whodunnit or a contemporary romance you can't predict the ending after just a few pages.Her characters have flaws and sometimes those flaws are still there at the end of the book.Roger will always be meticulous and fussy and Sean will probably always swear too much and chew his fingernails.She doesn't have "and now they ride off in the sunset together" endings, However you do learn enough about her characters and see there are ways they can accommodate their differences, which is really what life is all about.The hot sex is there but not the be all and end all. The characters' motivations and conflicts in personality and actions are what drives the story.This book had one of the best openings I've read for a while:"There is a place for everything, Detective Roger Corso believed. And even though, in the chaotic and often grotesquely messy world of Los Angeles homicide, things could be misplaced or badly placed, still there were certain places where certain things most certainly never, and without exception, ever belonged.A mummified corpse did not belong stretched across his living room couch.", [AM Riley, The Elegant Corpse:]You do have to think with most of her books. Everything is not cut up and served to you on the plate. You may also be reaching for the dictionary a couple of times when you read. She does not "write down" to her readers, you are lifted to her level which is a high one.I thoroughly recommend reading her stories.
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