The Mystery of the Bones

Snow & Winter, Book 4

De: C.S. Poe

Narrado por: Wyatt Baker

It’s been a full year since the mystery that brought together antique shop owner and part-time amateur sleuth Sebastian Snow with homicide detective Calvin Winter. Patience, sanity, and their very lives have been put to the test, but love has persevered. Although Sebastian is now New York City’s best-known busybody, he’s finished with crime solving and wants nothing more than to plan a romantic budget wedding.

Then Snow’s Antique Emporium receives a decapitated human head in the mail and the holidays are gory once again. Sebastian patently disregards the mystery of a lifetime because he is done with death and danger — but the killer escalates. Before Sebastian knows it, his closest friends and family are dragged into a series of horrific murders with antiquated clues hinting to the infamous Victorian American Bones Wars.

The clock is ticking to recover a long-lost artifact linked to paleontologist Edward Drinker Cope and to capture a murderer. But it’s not Sebastian who may become the next target — it’s Calvin.

©2020 C.S. Poe (P)2020 C.S. Poe

More, please

I absolutely need more of this series, and lo and behold, a fifth book is in the works, to be released (on kindle) at the end of this month, and I'm champing at the bit to get my hands on it. I hope it's released on audio relatively soon, and Wyatt Baker has grown on me as Sebastian enough that I'd love to hear him narrate it.

This book is structured a little differently than the other books in the series, which is both good and bad. Calvin is in peril for a good two thirds of it, which I don't think is a spoiler because it's mentioned in the blurb. This lends a sense of urgency and tension to it that is missing from the other books. Unfortunately that sort of takes away from the cozy feeling that I get from the others. The excellent writing and characterization is still here, though, and I can't even describe how much I love the series-long redemption arc a certain character has gone through in the past four books. His increased presence in this book doesn't QUITE make up for the lack of Calvin, but it does help.

I'd give this book an easy five stars because I've grown to love the series and its characters, but for a couple reasons this is my least favorite of the series. The aforementioned non-cozy feeling and the fact that Calvin is out of commission for most of the book I've already mentioned, but in addition to this, I think Sebastian is a bit of a jerk at some points, particularly to Calvin's brother, and WAY oversteps his bounds where Calvin's family is concerned. I still love it and I wouldn't skip it in a re-listen to the entire series, but I'm VERY happy there will be a fifth book so the series doesn't end with this one.

A Definite Winner

This is an amazing series with complex mysteries, and a great group of characters. I am still adjusting to the narrator, but he improves each time.

So good!

Good Lord, I loved this. When this book first was published I began it with some trepidation because it was the end of a series that I've loved from the very beginning and I wanted a proper send-off for one of my favourite couples.

I shouldn't have worried because of course it's great. And now, revisiting it as an audiobook, I only can reafirm what I said before: it's the best in a series of extremely good stories.

Seeing Seb working against time to save Calvin, seeing Neil risking his job to help him; Calvin's partner, Quinn and Max doing their best to help, too... it was simply wonderful. Hell, even Pop helped =D

The mystery had me baffled until Seb explains his reasoning, and as I usually have at least a hint of what's going on, that was also a high selling point.

I will miss these characters, but at least I now have Interlude to look forward :P

Oh, and Wyatt Baker's narration was simply gorgeous ♥

Narrator had a better performance for this one.

Narrator was improved with this book compared to the previous book. No angry shouting. If you passed up this book based on the last book, it's worth taking a chance on this one.

Sluth Seb is at it again

Super Sluth Sebastian is at it again. This time the reward is much higher. It is up to Sebastian to save Calvin. This book is just as awesome as the rest of them.