Broadway Butchery (Memento Mori #3)

Title: Broadway Butchery (Memento Mori #3)

Author: CS Poe

Publisher: Emporium Press

Release Date: June 22, 2023

Genre(s): M/M Crime Procedural

Page Count: 311

Rating: 5+ stars out of 5 

Read book blurb here

I have to admit I struggled a bit with this book. No, no, no .... I loved "Broadway Butchery" (I'm not an idiot) but it was hard to decide if I wanted to devour it in a frenzied stay-up-all-night, sob in my pillow marathon .... or savor every page, every nuance of the flowering relationship between Larkin and Doyle, set my Kindle aside for a few moments, gently wipe away my tears of joy, and just bask in the wonderfulness of this book. So, yeah, I definitely basked. 

 Also, I went back and browsed the first two books in this series because, yeah, this series is all sorts of wonderful, but also because I had to refresh my memory about the earlier murders, as well as the slow and careful way Larkin and Doyle's relationship begins. And in Broadway Butchery, CS Poe really ramps it all up by revealing (some of) the layers of her intricately crafted underlying plot, and laser-focusing on Ira and Everett. 

As always, each character - no matter how minor - is beautifully fleshed-out. My new favorite is Dr. Baxter in the office of the chief medical examiner:

"Oh, I do love a man with a sense of justice." "You love any man!" one of the other pathologists shouted from behind Baxter. He said, without missing a beat, "It gets lonely down here."

And, of course, there are countless moments between Ira and Everett that I bookmarked, but here's just one:

It was like a bubble had formed around them just then, encapsulating them in an untouchable privacy lasting one a heart, a breath, long enough for Doyle to say in his quiet, smoky voice, "I'll do anything for you."

The words hit Larkin square in the chest and repeated over and over like an echo trapped in a cave.

I'll do anything for you.

Anything for you.

For you.

Damn. 5+ stars for "Broadway Butchery." 

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