Review: Southernmost Murder by C.S. Poe

Title: Southernmost Murder

Author: C.S. Poe

Publisher: DSP Publications

Length: 200 Pages

Category: Mystery/Suspense

At a Glance: I was really entertained by the plot and characters, and I get the feeling that readers will just adore Aubrey and Jun, and beg for more.

Reviewed By: Maryann

Blurb: Aubrey Grant lives in the tropical paradise of Old Town, Key West, has a cute cottage, a sweet moped, and a great job managing the historical property of a former sea captain. With his soon-to-be-boyfriend, hotshot FBI agent Jun Tanaka, visiting for a little R&R, not even Aubrey’s narcolepsy can put a damper on their vacation plans.

But a skeleton in a closet of the Smith Family Historical Home throws a wrench into the works. Despite Aubrey and Jun’s attempts to enjoy some time together, the skeleton’s identity drags them into a mystery with origins over a century in the past. They uncover a tale of long-lost treasure, the pirate king it belonged to, and a modern-day murderer who will stop at nothing to find the hidden riches. If a killer on the loose isn’t enough to keep Aubrey out of the mess, it seems even the restless spirit of Captain Smith is warning him away.

The unlikely partnership of a special agent and historian may be exactly what it takes to crack this mystery wide-open and finally put an old Key West tragedy to rest. But while Aubrey tracks down the X that marks the spot, one wrong move could be his last.

Review: Aubrey Grant is not like his best friend, antique collecting sleuth, Sebastian Snow, who loves to jump head-first into trouble. Or, is he?

A disappearing skeleton, a ghost, a dead body, pirates and treasure! What more can happen to Aubrey? Besides forgetting to pick up his potential boyfriend, Jun Tanaka, who Aubrey’s had a long-distance Skype relationship with for two years.

Jun is a cool, calm, silent but deadly FBI agent, and just plain smooth in situations where the law is concerned. He finally has a chance to spend some serious time with Aubrey, but it seems trouble is abounding, and it just keeps interfering with this new love—his time with Aubrey is running out when it’s consumed by a crime that pulls him and Aubrey deeper into danger.

Southernmost Murder has humor, suspense and a little bit of the eerie. Once again C.S. Poe brings history to the forefront, from the high seas of Key West, Florida, with the wreckers, pirates, sunken ships with treasure, and a secret love affair. Along with the mystery also comes all the questions with the start of their one-on-one relationship. The storyline gives a good look into Aubrey Grant. He tells the story from his POV, so I’m hoping there will be a sequel where Jun gets his turn.

Aubrey is just a bubbling, handful of hyper who deals with cataplexy, a symptom of narcolepsy, and can fall asleep at the drop of a hat. But, he’s also talented in many ways, and certainly has a way of taking historical facts and coming up with conclusions. Jun puts a lot of thought into what he says and does, and always has a controlled presence. But, he seems to not have a problem letting Aubrey take control with their developing personal relationship. Jun is also very understanding and has somewhat of a hidden concern about Aubrey’s cataplexy.

I was really entertained by the plot and characters, and I get the feeling that readers will just adore Aubrey and Jun, and beg for more. I have my fingers crossed that C.S. Poe will bring us a sequel. I also have to give praise to Reese Dante; the cover art sets the tone for the storyline and gives a true portrait of Jun and Aubrey.

You can buy Southernmost Murder here:
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