The Mystery of Nevermore

Snow & Winter

By: C. S. Poe

Narrated by: Derrick McClain

Length: 7 hrs and 58 mins

Publisher's summary

It’s Christmas in New York City, and all antique shop owner Sebastian Snow wants is for his business to make money and to save his floundering relationship with closeted CSU detective, Neil Millett. But when Snow’s Antique Emporium is broken into and a heart is found under the floorboards, Sebastian can’t let the mystery rest.

He soon finds himself caught up in murder investigations that echo the macabre writings of Edgar Allan Poe. To make matters worse, Sebastian’s sleuthing is causing his relationship with Neil to crumble, while at the same time he’s crushing hard on the lead homicide detective of the case, Calvin Winter. Sebastian and Calvin must work together to unravel the mystery behind the killings, despite the mounting danger and sexual tension, before Sebastian becomes the next victim.

In the end, Sebastian only wants to get out of this mess alive and live happily ever after with Calvin.

©2016 C S Poe (P)2017 DSP Publications

Fantastic!

A brilliantly funny, marvelous mystery. Derrick McClain gives a masterful performance. A magical listening experience.

wonderful story!

loved this story! The narrator did such a great job on Sebastian, I could hear the smart alec voice. The story is intriguing and exciting to the end. Love it!

This should be a TV series

The first of the Snow and Winter series. I read the books and loved them so much I had to have the audiobook. Wonderfully written mystery enhanced by two engaging main characters. Well researched story that used the possibility of a lost work of Edgar Allen Poe as the basis for this mystery. Loved. Loved. Loved this story and the narrator Derrick McClain was spot on with the voices that were already in my head from reading the book. Wonderful!

Author has great potential, narrator was awful

I enjoyed this book and was fascinated by Poe’s idea to give the protagonist such an interesting disability. I like how Sebastian refuses to let his condition be a factor in his life decisions (e.g., he could have stayed with Neil, because he didn’t think he could do any better). Love Pops and Max. This is a great premise, and I want to stick with the series and see what happens.

Sadly, I’m not a fan of the narration. It just felt like Derrick McClain was trying too hard; that little “huff” before the first word in almost every sentence of Sebastian’s grated on my nerves. I get that we want distinctive accents for our characters, but there’s a fine line between character and caricature—sometimes less is more. I sampled the last three books in this series and breathed a sigh of relief at Wyatt Baker’s voice. Looking forward to listening to those.

Great mystery, great series opener, &its Xmas-YAY!

Audiobook Review November 2020:
I'm not going to say "I forgot how great the beginning of this series was" because I didn't forget, how could I? Sebastian Snow & Calvin Winter are so brilliant. Like I said, I didn't forget but it was still exciting and fun to go back and revisit the beginning of their journey. The fact that The Mystery of Nevermore is set at Christmastime is just icing on the cake . . . or better yet frosting on the Christmas cookie😉. Now that I discovered the audiobook version with the amazing narration of Derrick McClain, I think it's safe to say this may actually become an annual holiday tradition. With names like Snow & Winter, I can't think of a better or more fitting couple to help celebrate the season, even if their lives are filled with murder and mayhem😉😉.

Original Review September 2018:
When Sebastian Snow comes into his antique shop one morning he can smell something isn't right and when a heart is found under the floorboard, suddenly his life is changed. When Calvin Winter and his partner are sent to Snow’s Antique Emporium to investigate a heart under the floorboard he never expected to find his life changed. Will Snow and Winter find a connection beyond the murders straight out of Edgar Allan Poe and will they even survive?

I'm just going to jump out of the gate and say WOW!!! How this series has slipped my reader radar I have no idea but now that I found it I am loving it! I'll admit that Snow & Winter may not make my annual re-read list but I do know that I will pay them another visit down the road😉 They may not be at the top of my Top 10 Crime-Fighting Duo list but they certainly made the list and to be completely honest the notches between numbers 4, 5, & 6 are so small I would never want to place a bet on something so minute.

Edgar Allan Poe has been the basis for many book mysteries and I have yet to read any that aren't uniquely done. The books and stories the writers use may have been used before but there is so much room for interpretation with Poe's work that they are always originally done and CS Poe has put her own intriguing spin to it. That's all I'm going to say towards the mystery side of The Mystery of Nevermore except I will add that I was guessing all the way to the reveal and that alone makes this a keeper as I am rarely surprised right up to the end anymore because I have been reading/watching mysteries for nearly all of my 44 years on this earth.

As for Snow and Winter themselves, well what's not to love? Sebastian Snow is an antique dealer that has an unlikely(or not so unlikely in fictional settings) ability to find himself in the middle of trouble. Who knew antiquing could be so dangerous? I love his respect for history and his determination to discover what's going on. As for Calvin Winter, he may not be out of the closet yet but he knows that Seb is a special person even if he is a trouble magnate who doesn't exactly listen. Together they have the potential be extraordinary.

Darn it- missing just one thing.

Great narrator.
Interesting and different characters!
One facet just spoiled it for me- the MC is painfully dumb about things related to police work for someone that loves mysteries!!??

Brilliant Narration!

What made the experience of listening to The Mystery of Nevermore the most enjoyable?

I love amateur sleuth's stories.
There is a lot of potential, I'll wait for the second book.

What about Derrick McClain’s performance did you like?

Derrick McClain's narration is brilliant, I adored!

Well done Mystery

Book is interesting and factually important in expanding one's knowledge of Poe. Towards the end it does become somewhat predictable.

I love the snark!

This is a nice, tidy, little mystery with very likable characters. I adored Sebastian and his snarky mouth. I found his vision issues to be very interesting and plan to look up more info on that. I'm glad he doesn't let it define or limit him.
Although I liked Calvin, I didn't feel I got to know him as well. He holds part of himself back. I'm sure we'll get to know him better in the next book.
Because the relationship between Sebastian and Calvin is new, I feel the ending is a little more HFN instead of HEA. But anyway you look at it, it's a great listen or a great read.
I love Derrick's narration. He has a bit of a slow cadence to his speech like he may be from the south. But I increased the listening speed to 1.5 and it was perfect for me. I felt Derrick gave each character a distinct voice so I never had any doubt who was speaking. And the way he expressed Sebastian's snark was spot on.
I can't wait to listen to the next one!

Great start

I’ve read a few of C.S. Poe’s books and I love her work. I especially love how she immersed us into Sebastian Snow’s world with his medical condition called achromatopsia.
It’s a brilliant educational experience about Edgar Allen Poe, the New York Public Library and lots more.
The relationship building between Seb and Cal is off to a sizzling start and has definite potential to be off the charts as we continue through the rest of the series.