Broadway Butchery

Memento Mori, Book 3

By: C.S. Poe

Narrated by: Kale Williams

Length: 8 hrs and 10 mins

Publisher's summary

The Cold Case Squad of the NYPD is overworked, understaffed, but receiving great press due to star detective Everett Larkin. His uncanny memory and Holmesian-like skills of deduction have already led to the capture of one serial killer. Now he’s identified a second predator and brought an end to their 20-plus-year reign of terror.

Routine construction at a Broadway souvenir shop leads to the discovery of a mummified woman in the wall. And when Larkin receives a mysterious VHS tape that same night, he knows it’s no coincidence. Expecting a Victorian mourning artifact to surface in this new mystery, Larkin wastes no time turning to boyfriend Ira Doyle of the Forensic Artists Unit for help.

A web of nameless victims, countless suspects, and endless lies drag Larkin and Doyle deep into the gritty past of Times Square, reopening painful wounds and testing the fortitude of their relationship. And all the while, someone is watching, biding their time until they can make Everett Larkin nothing…but a memory.

©2023 C.S. Poe (P)2023 C.S. Poe

With Each Installment, It Gets Better

I don’t want to just rehash my review I wrote for the e-book (and I adored it – 5 stars), so this will concentrate more on the audio version.
I thought Kale Williams did a fabulous job bring all the characters to life. In particular, he really nailed the two main characters. The C.S. Poe notes that Everett speaks in a monotone, flat voice, Kale is so great at sprinkling tiny, but significant inflections to give Everett that extra…. umph. When Williams does Ira voice, I can feel the texture of Ira’s gentleness, patience with Everett and peaks into his own wounded soul. I hold my breath every time Everett and Ira have meaningful moments – like their ice cream moment – “Just two cops sitting in the park, enjoying an ice cream cone.” ….sigh for that whole scene…..
The New York accents are spot on and make me miss being in NYC. A great mystery, the lovely coaxing of a deep relationship and great secondary characters. I can’t wait for the next installment.

Great author, didn’t exactly love it

I love this author and I think the characters in this series are good. The narration of the male, English first characters is great, the female characters are rough and the Spanish accents are a crime. Now for the story line: first the story is just getting too tangled to the point of being too unbelievable for a book that is otherwise firmly rooted in reality. And the gay male characters act in sexually harassing ways at work which if it was a male to female would NOT be ok, so also not ok with male to male. Finally, Doyle is just too perfect. He is becoming less and less realistic as a human as the series progresses. Lots to love about the story and characters, excellent research on NYC and tons of amusing exchanges. But let’s stop with the tropes of brilliant cops that don’t get backup when it’s stupid not to get backup and people getting hit on the head and being unconscious for more than 5 minutes without it causing brain damage. Please.

SO GOOD!

I love everything about this series, and this book did not disappoint. this was a genuinely good mystery to listen to and the characters are all distinct and fun.

Perfection

This is absolutely one of the best series and best narrator to be in literature and audio

Spectacular addition to this amazing series!

AUDIOBOOK- March 2024: I liked this better the second time around on audiobook!

AUDIOBOOK - October 2023: Great narration to a spectacular series. NOT a standalone! Thanks to the author for the audiobook!

EBOOK - June 2023
Wow! A hell of a lot happens in this book; so much so that I felt a little lost at times. Poe, however gave me time to play catch up and I got there in the end.

It’s hard to talk about this book without revealing spoilers, but I’ll try.

A mummified body takes us back to NYC’s Times Square in the 1980’s. More mysterious notes and mementos come for Larkin. More cold cases that all seem to be connected.

Meanwhile, Larkin is slowly detoxing from his Xanax addiction. Doyle is as patient as ever, but dropping more hints about his past—all of which Larkin expertly stitches together.

This is definitely not a standalone & you wouldn’t go wrong reading the first two books again for a refresher.

This novel had more internal dialogue than past ones & we got to see more of how Larkin pieces clues together.

We are left in a cliffhanger & have to wait to see what outfit Larkin wears to the next murder scene. Can’t wait for the next one!

Thanks to the author for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

Gets better and better

I’m hooked. I’ve reread and relistened to this series so many times. Doyle and Larkin are basically my comfort couple. Kale Williams does such an incredible job with these characters, literally no one else but him could be Ira or Evie.

Fantastic!

Book Review: There are so many things to love about C.S. Poe's writing but the one thing that always sticks out to me is the amount of research she has to do to put one of these stories together. There is so much history in these stories, but they are included in a way that brings the story together without feeling like you are back in school. She teaches us so much! But what's better is that not only is there history to share, but there is also a great murder mystery to solve. And of course, trying to figure out who done it is never easy. Which only makes for a more enthralling read. And then lastly, but definitely not least, is the character development. Larkin and Doyle are just so swoon worthy. Their characters continue to develop throughout this series and their relationship continues to build without being so quick you would think it's unrealistic. I just love the dynamic between the two of them plus the budding relationship. I can't wait for what comes next!!

Audible: Kale Williams does this book proud. The ability to relay such a pointed story and bring the right inflections - or lack thereof - when it comes to delivering Larkin's voice, is just truly amazing. I love the softness that you feel when listening to Doyle as well. Kale helps make you stick to this story and not get sidetracked. He truly helps you stay engrossed. I have thoroughly enjoyed listening to this story as much as I enjoyed reading it. Big winner

Fantastic!

Another brilliant installment to the ongoing Larkin & Doyle saga. A well written mystery as always, and the threads keep tangling and intrigue the mind.

Such a great MM pairing. I love the vulnerability and sweet romance blended in with the drama & touches of well placed humor.

As always, kudos to the amazing Kale Williams Gor yet another amazing performance.

Love C.S. Poe

Unsurprisingly, this series is phenomenal. Everything by this author is phenomenal. The writing and the narrator hit it out of the park. Larkin and Doyle keep me rapt from start to finish. I can't wait for #4.

Complex, satisfying

Everett Larkin and Ira Doyle are a reimagining of the partner trope of Holmes and Watson, and beautifully written by C.S. Poe. These are complex, troubled, and noble main characters. The unexpected flashes of humor are like the pops of color favored by Larkin in his wardrobe choices. Kale Williams does an incredible job portraying the strengths and vulnerabilities of the characters. The story shines from the burnishing given by Williams' performance. Highly recommend this series.