Title: The Mystery of Nevermore (Snow & Winter: Book One)
Author: C.S. Poe
Narrator: Derrick McClain
Publisher: DSP Publications
Run Time: 7 hours and 58 minutes
Category: Mystery/Suspense
At a Glance: This story was a strong start to this new series from a writer I’ve been watching. I can’t wait to listen to the next book to see what happens with Sebastian and Calvin.
Reviewed By: Sadonna
Blurb: It’s Christmas, and all antique dealer Sebastian Snow wants is for his business to make money and to save his floundering relationship with closeted CSU detective Neil Millett. 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 stories 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 falling hard for the lead detective on 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.
Review: Sebastian Snow is a very curious antique dealer. When he finds a heart under the floorboards of his emporium—thanks to the awful odor it’s emitting—things start to get a little weird. But when other strange happenings occur, including the murder of a “colleague” and several others, Seb finds himself drawn into the investigations. Because, of course, he can’t just ignore them! Never mind that his boyfriend, Neil, who happens to be a CSU detective, tells him to stay away. Never mind that the investigating homicide detective, Calvin Winter, is also imploring him to keep his distance from all the strange “coincidences” that seem to be happening with his cases that may or may not have a bizarre connection.
If you are a fan of Edgar Allen Poe, you will enjoy this story even more. There are a number of literary references throughout the book, and they play into the rather bizarre murders that seem to center around Sebastian and his shop. There are a couple of red herrings in the mix, and I enjoyed trying to solve the mystery of the murderer, along with Sebastian. But, the most interesting part of the story was the budding relationship between Seb and Calvin. Seb is very much out and Calvin is very much not. Seb has already put up with this from one NYPD officer, he sure isn’t wanting to do it again, but there is just something about Calvin.
As the story moves along and it becomes pretty clear that someone has his/her sights set on Sebastian, Calvin isn’t really able to just leave things alone. He cares too much for Sebastian to just treat this like any case. The more involved he gets, however, the more he risks exposure—and this is dangerous for him in a lot of ways. But at the climax of the story, Calvin and Sebastian definitely show that they are there for each other.
This story was a strong start to this new series from a writer I’ve been watching. Sebastian and Calvin are such opposite characters, yet they seem to fit together so well. I’ll be interested to see how their relationship changes as the series moves forward, especially with Calvin’s job and his reluctance to come out of the closet. I love the literary aspects of the story; they really tied the whole piece together. I also really liked Derrick McClain’s narration. This is the first audiobook by him that I’ve listened to, and I enjoyed his voice characterization choices for this book. I can’t wait to listen to the next book to see what happens with Sebastian and Calvin.
You can buy The Mystery of Nevermore here:
[zilla_button url=”http://adbl.co/2vFXaWn” style=”blue” size=”medium” type=”round” target=”_blank”] Audible [/zilla_button][zilla_button url=”http://apple.co/2vFRaNk” style=”blue” size=”medium” type=”round” target=”_blank”] iTunes [/zilla_button][zilla_button url=”http://authl.it/B06XX26J1W?d” style=”blue” size=”medium” type=”round” target=”_blank”] Amazon [/zilla_button]