The Killer Wore Leather

A Mystery

De: Laura Antoniou

Narrado por: Lauren Fortgang

Audie Award Finalist, Erotica, 2014

Mr. Global Leather has been murdered!

In the Grand Sterling Hotel of Midtown Manhattan, home of the huge annual leather/BDSM/fetish ball and contest known as Mr. & Ms. Global Leather, last year's male winner lies dead on the floor of his suite, wearing only very frilly, bright yellow panties. Cormac "Mack" Steel made a lot of enemies in his year wearing the studded leather sash, not the least being his co-winner, Mistress Ravenfyre. But she is not alone - there are over 3,000 attendees at this year's fetish-festooned event from all over the world, some of whom might have had some very personal issues with the corpse.

Enter Detective Rebecca Feldblum of the Midtown East Precinct. Assigned to this doozy of a case because, as one of New York City's only out lesbian detectives, her lieutenant seems to believe these are "her people". Shocked, amazed and alternately puzzled and amused, Detective Feldblum must navigate a world of doms and subs, masters and mistresses, pups and trainers, leather, latex and lingerie, and discover who murdered the late Mack Steel - and, she hopes, do it before the weekend is over and everyone goes home. In the process, she will discover more about the sexual underworld than she ever really wanted to know, and more about her own past than she could have ever imagined.

Written in the classic spirit of Sharyn McCrumb's Bimbos of the Death Sun, The Killer Wore Leather is both an engaging mystery and a humorous glimpse into the world of modern, pansexual international leather/BDSM contests and conferences. Only Laura Antoniou could write The Killer Wore Leather. In addition to being the author of the best-selling Marketplace series of erotic novels, she has over 20 years of experience teaching, speaking to, and occasionally skewering the alt-sex communities around the world. With a wicked sense of humor, insider information and a twisted imagination, she crafts a spicy melange of mystery and mayhem!

The Killer Wore Leather is a deliciously tongue-in-cheek murder mystery set at a leather convention, allowing listeners into this private world of personalities and peccadiloes. It's the kinkiest game of clue ever, with a sex toy as the murder weapon, and every leather man and woman lacks an alibi. Cleverly crafted and highly humorous, Antoniou is at her wicked best in this pause-resistant fetish fest. Laura is the best-selling author of the classic BDSM series The Marketplace, which has sold more than 400,000 copies and been translated into five languages.

©2013 Laura Antoniou (P)2013 Audible, Inc.

Funny, sarcastic, and thrilling!

Funny, sarcastic, and thrilling. This delightfully entertaining murder mystery set in the subculture of BDSM could only be written by someone with inside knowledge. I would recommend this book to anyone outside and within the scene, and to anyone who is a fan of more... sunny murder mysteries.

A great performance of a fun and well written book

What made the experience of listening to The Killer Wore Leather the most enjoyable?

The Voice Actor does a great job bringing the different characters to life. I enjoyed her voice work immensely and I am usually not fond of female readers. (My owns stuff around the voices lulling me to sleep and I mostly listen while driving)

What did you like best about this story?

It is a great story in a world I am all to familiar with. Laura A. Did a great job crafting the characters and environment and I really enjoyed the book in general

What does Lauren Fortgang bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

The voice work and energy she brings to the voices is perfect.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

If only I could. Not enough time but I find myself listening to sections I have already read to enjoy them at another level with Lauren's voice.

Thanks for the laughs

It doesn't get any better than Laura Antoniou. She truly loves this community and this novel proves it. She's pulls pieces from this conference and that and if you've been to any number of conferences you can pinpoint what came from where. She gets deep into Bootblacks which is awesome and truly sexy (damn I adore a good Bootblack). This novel is outstanding in that it leaves you hanging, wondering who did it up to the end. Bravo Laura, love you, love your writing style and love this wonderfully, kinky community.

Really funny!

if you've ever been to any kind of convention for any kind of subculture, you will recognize these people! Very funny, never mean, more like nudging your friend with an elbow over a shared joke. The narrator is particularly good as well!

Real, witty, funny, and touching

A fellow member of the community recommended this book to me. He read the first chapter to me aloud and encouraged me to read it for myself. I downloaded it last night and read it nearly nonstop over the past 24 hours. It was one of the best uses of a credit I’ve ever found.

The characterizations are lovingly detailed, amusing, and bitingly accurate composite portrayals. I feel as if I personally know all of these people. I may not know the individuals Ms Antinou primarily based her characters on, but I’ve met each and every one of their counterparts. I’ve attended conferences, worked tables, given presentations, and scened beside them. (I particularly love Bitsy, and feel great kinship there! *wry chuckle*)

The author uses the initial ignorance of her writer and police officer characters to great effect, seamlessly delivering the information that is most important to understand about this wildly diverse and vibrant community, without ever lecturing or pandering or becoming boring. She delivers accurate information about the core values of the community (e.g., safety, consent, honesty, transparency, and respect for diversity of all kinds.) Despite being necessarily based in some stereotypes, her characters all change and develop during the novel in satisfying ways. Bigotry and slurs are accurately and painfully represented, but then thoroughly addressed through education and openminded communication. Would that all police and other community members might be so open minded and committed to true justice!

Through all of this, she cleverly weaves the core mystery at the heart of the story, leading us down one path and another, giving us bits and pieces of information, but never making it clear until the final reveal which of the main suspects is the culprit. I’m not a mystery fanatic, but I have read many of them over my life, and this one is as good as most and better than many, leading to a very satisfying conclusion.

Ms Fortgang’s narration was also excellent, delivering distinct voices for the various characters, so for instance we are never left in confusion as to which of the Jacks — Boy Jack? Or Boi Jack? — are speaking. Her Yiddish accent could use some work, but it gets the job done and isn’t too distracting (although to be fair I’m not Jewish myself, so a real NY Jew might find it more challenging.)

If you are in the community — or any of the communities, really — portrayed in this book, you will most likely enjoy it and recognize the essence of your friends and community members. Prepare for a fun romp, and be sure to lay in some snacks, because you won’t want to stop.

If you don’t like erotic or sexual content in your books, this is not the book for you. If you truly believe that queer folks, transgender, consensually non-monogamous, and/or kinky people are going to hell or otherwise morally depraved, then what are you doing reading this review in the first place? This book will offend you, and you should move on.

If, however, you are open minded and curious about the community, and appreciate a touch of mildly spicy explicit sexual content in your reading, then this is probably a good book for you. It’s not a bad place to begin learning, so long as you remember that it’s still fiction, not a documentary.

Ultimately, my only criticism of this book is that there aren’t more books with these characters to enjoy! Fortunately I see that more of her Marketplace series are available through Audible. Since I haven’t read these yet, I am likely to check them out. (I may have found my reason to stay subscribed for a while longer!)

Thank you to everyone involved in the production of this program. It was a joy to listen to, and I look forward to enjoying it again in the future.

I loved listening to this book!

Laura is an acquaintance of mine and the way she portrays the leather community is spot on! Thank you!

Brilliant narration adds to the superb story

I thoroughly enjoyed this story.. the humour, satire and even some of the more serious points underneath. I loved reading the book when it came out and listening to it just brought it more to life. The narration is fantastic ...completely entertaining... lots of accents and each character recognisable. a great read and a great listen.

Murder Most Foul at the Global Leather Convention

Antoniou is the author of the top-notch "Marketplace" erotica series. With "The Killer Wore Leather," she's branched out into mystery-erotica, and--humor. And this book is hilarious--not a compliment I dole out easily. Antoniou writes a tight little mystery with all the gratification of a jigsaw puzzle. She peoples it with an S/M community that she skewers with all the love and familiarity of a close family member.

What if Raymond Chandler was more explicit with his implied S/M? What if Agatha Christie's Miss Marple was a demanding bottom? (“That’s SLAVE Marple to you!”) What if Chandler and Christie wrote their books with the humor of Steve Martin? We don’t have to wonder “what if?” We only need to listen to this book.

Narrator, Lauren Fortgang gives an especially excellent performance. Each character has a clear "voice," but it never sounds gimmicky.

Accurate

It's nice to finally find a novel that lives in the Leather world that portrays it accurately AND has a quality story.

Great storytelling, loved the reader

I loved this story. Narrator did a great job, story was engaging and well told. Great job on this!