Detective Roger Corso doesn’t hide his sexual orientation from his coworkers, but he does hide the fact that he is involved in the BDSM lifestyle. It may not remain a secret for long after a corpse has been placed in Roger’s living room and all the clues lead to the BDSM subculture. When the corpse’s brother becomes involved in the case he does more than stir up the investigation, he stirs up Roger himself and turns his orderly world on its ear.

I loved this book! I loved the plot, I loved the characters, I loved the mystery, and I just plain loved it! Roger is so uptight and precise about everything, a control freak that is organized and disciplined to a fault, even his sex life. Sean is the total opposite, almost a basket case at times, a miniature tornado that comes in and leaves complete chaos in Rogers’s orderly existence. The two were just so perfect for each other, even though I didn’t see how it would work in the beginning. Each has something that the other needs to make them complete. Aside from the great characters A.M. Riley has written a fascinating story of a serial killer who has targeted men in the gay BDSM community. While I’m not a gushing fan of BDSM literature A.M. Riley has written the scene in such a manner that the underlying emotions come through and the subculture comes across as a necessary need for those involved in it. I loved Roger’s partner and enjoyed the byplay between the two in the office and on the case. While I could predict where the story of Roger and Sean was going to go what I couldn’t predict was the outcome of the mystery. I’m usually pretty good at figuring out the bad guy way before the climax but in the case of The Elegant Corpse I got it right before the reveal. I highly recommend The Elegant Corpse and can’t wait to read more from this author.

Reviewed by: Hayley