Rating: 
Summary: Best Enjoyed By Armchair BDSM Players
Review: Those that will appreciate this book most are the ones who enjoy BDSM from the safety of their armchairs. Those who actually live the BDSM lifestyle will most likely find this book to be offensive and downright degrading. The basic tenet of BDSM is that all play must be "safe, sane and consensual" and you'd be hard pressed to find even the heaviest "edge" players willing to partake in some of the scenes described in Reese's book. Aside from the ridiculous portrayals of BDSM (M. is not a true dominant, he is simply deranged), the protagonist is completely insipid and the storyline is predictable down to its final twist and turn.
Rating: 
Summary: Mind-blowingly explicit erotic thriller!
Review: Topping from Below is one of the most explicit erotic thrillers I have read in a long time! Its powerful, no-holds-barred approach to eroticism pulls you into the dark and sinister world of hardcore S&M.
When her younger sister is found murdered, Nora Tibbs becomes obsessed with wanting to expose the man she believes is her sister's killer. Nora wants to experience the same things her sister had experienced by surrendering to the suspect's tough and illicit sexual commands. However, the sleuthing journey she decides to embark upon is one of deception, surprises and manipulation. Nora soon finds that collecting evidence is more difficult than she had anticipated, especially when the suspect mightn't be the murderer after all... The novel's climax will blow you away. Exquisitely dark, fiendishly graphic and powerfully gripping, Topping from Below is the best reading investment I've made all year. I recommend this novel to all fans of erotic thrillers.
Rating:
Summary: Topping From Below
Review: I usually cannot put a book down once started. I have not been able to complete this book it is so boring. If I wanted to read a murder mystery I would buy a good one. I would not recommend this read. I've read slave books that were interesting. This one is not but I find it offensive to women. After all who is so stupid as to become lovers with the man she suspects of murdering her sister?
Rating:
Summary: A Serious Erotic Thriller
Review: "Topping From Below" bridges the gap between a serious thriller of a novel and explicit erotic fiction. It is an admirable, perhaps audacious, first novel by Laura Reese. It is more than an exciting "fast read" and has a depth that deserves merit. This is a shocking mystery novel opening with a first person account by the main character, Nora Hibbs, of the sadistic death of her sister Franny. The author grabs the attention of the reader in a graphic first paragraph and succesfully builds the tension all the way to the end. While the primary plot is attention grabbing, the enduring tension is artfully developed by an underlying, highly erotic, pcychological exchange of power between Nora and M. The author has masterfully used sadism and masachism as a method of playing with human emotions and exchanging physical and mental control between the two main characters. The result is a gripping novel. The erotic scenes are explicit and may be offensive to some readers. Most involve S&M, but all of them are integrel to the story and changing the lives of the characters. They are not merely thrown in to tease or shock the reader. This is a serious novel with good character development and a devilish plot that could be real. My only disappointment was with some of the author's over-use of description of the physical environment. Some of the description was lengthy, unnecessary, and unrelated to the plot. This is a thrilling, very readable first novel. It is also one of the very few legitimate, quality novels that successfully includes explicit erotic scenes that are integral to a very real story. I hope the subject matter does not hinder the author's opportunity for future success.
Rating: 
Summary: GREAT book
Review: Great book, excellent suspence! Hard to put down. Great look into the world of S&M.
Rating:
Summary: Just skip to the dirty parts.
Review: I read about 1/3 of it and then just started skipping to the sex scenes, some of which were really hot. But the book became long winded and the revelation of the murderer was a bit of a letdown. I had hoped for more - what with all the ecstatic reviews. If you are truly a mystery lover I think you will be disappointed. If you want to read about getting spanked, well that's something else.
Rating: 
Summary: ENGROSSING AND EROTIC
Review: From the first chapter I was hooked. The author has managed to meld mystery with a touch of erotica like I've never read before. Well written, believable, interesting characters. Be warned however that the graphic nature of the erotica borders on pornographic at times.
Rating:
Summary: Don't bother-
Review: I really didn't find this book all that enjoyable. It's not really all that erotic and it's rather long-winded. Definitely not the five stars I've been seeing. If you want true erotica to get your juices flowing, look elsewhere.
Rating:
Summary: A few surprises along the way.
Review: This book in an interesting read if for no other reason, than the killer is not easily identified. I disagree with the reviewer who felt that the last 20 pages were like having a rabbit pulled out of a hat. I wasn't buying the way the story was going. My biggest problem with the book is that while its obvious that Nora needed theraphy herself, what kind of person would continue a sexual relationship with a man who was into child porn and sex with animals. I can buy the bondage and domination and all of that but the other stuff, just made me want to vomit.
Rating:
Summary: Unusual and interesting mix of genres
Review: Laura Reese's "Topping from Below" is an interesting mix of mystery writing and BDSM fiction. Although some mystery novels occasionally throw in a little kink for interests sake (for example, "Kiss the Girls") and some BDSM novels maintain some elements of mystery, Topping from Below actually succeeds as both. Successful and attractive Nora Tibbs is shocked to discover that her shy, vulnerable sister was carrying on a sadomasochistic affair with a mysterious professor before she was killed. Determined to bring the monster that murdered her sister to justice, Nora descends into his world of domination and submission, first to seduce him and then betray him to the law. Well written, with interesting characters, numerous plot turns and sensual dialog, this book is sure to interest anyone attracted to the darker side of sex.
| 
