Madison Square Murders (Memento Mori #1)


Title:
 Madison Square Murders (Memento Mori, Book #1)
Author: CS Poe
Publisher: Emporium Press
Release Date: September 28, 2021
Genre(s): M/M Crime Procedural
Page Count: 299
Rating:  5 stars out of 5   


As much as I love Poe's Snow & Winter series, this new series is just as good .... perhaps better.  And that is saying a lot

The Latin phrase Memento Mori -  "Remember that you must die" - is about the inevitability of death, but also the understanding it can help you cherish every moment and feel gratitude for what you have. 

Cold-case detective Everett Larkin is exceptional at what he does, aided (or hindered) by HSAM - Highly Superior Autobiographical Memory. He is neurodivergent and recalls everything that has happened since August 2, 2002 (and we learn as the story unfolds what happened that day) and he also recalls every emotion, so August 2, 2002 and its sorrow and heartache is just as fresh and horrible as it was the moment it happened. 

When a storm topples a tree and reveals a buried cage with 20+ year old body and a death mask , Larkin is tasked with learning who the victim is and solving the murder. He receives the assistance of Detective Ira Doyle, of the Forensic Artists Unit, an equally talented detective who carries a burden of his own, which slowly unfolds over the course of the story.

Larkin had acquaintances.
He had colleagues.
He had a husband.
But he had no friends.
He had no partnership - no day to compliment his night. 

Poe shows us just how perfect these two men are for one another, intellectually and emotionally.  And it's not so much a case that "neither were complete with the other. A partnership shouldn't fill missing pieces, but instead enhance what was already present."  The gradual way we learn how Ira and Larkin enhance and compliment each other is splendid, and although there is only a handful of kisses throughout the book, their emotional connection is off the chart. 

The murder / mystery is meticulously charted and researched and I especially love how Poe gives us strange and off-the-wall information that you don't even realize just how much you need to know. We also get a few glimpses of Neil Millett, Sebastian's ex in the Snow & Winter series, and here's hoping that Detective Calvin Winter makes an appearance in the Memento Mori series. 

Warning: The book ends with a huge cliffhanger (after thinking everything is neatly tied up);  I highly recommend this book, and cannot wait for the next book in this new series. 5 stars. 

I received an ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review.






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