Reviewed by Annika
TITLE: Southernmost Murder
AUTHOR: C.S. Poe
NARRATOR: Wyatt Baker
PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press
RELEASE DATE: August 23, 2019
LENGTH: 7 hours, 13 minutes
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:
What’s not to love about this book? There is a treasure hunt, pirate legends, a vanishing skeleton and a romance wrapped in a murder mystery. This is easily the best book by Poe that I’ve read (or listened to). Granted I haven’t read that many, but the sentiment still holds true.
For the past few months Aubrey Grant and Jun Tanaka have had an online relationship. A relationship they hope to make real with Jun’s visit to Key West. Things don’t start off too good though, what with Aubrey forgetting to pick up his future boyfriend at the airport. Sure he had just found a skeleton in a closet – and not the figuratively kind, but an actual skeleton. The only problem was, when the police came to investigate, said skeleton had vanished into thin air and the police put it off as Aubrey’s hallucinations due to his narcolepsy. When Aubrey finds and actual body he fears this might not be the relaxing vacation for him and Jun as he hoped it would be.
I really enjoyed this book and the characters. The fact that Aubrey had narcolepsy was an interesting flavour to the book. It’s not something I’ve come across before in my books before – or real life for that matter. So while I can’t speak for its accuracy I loved how it was portrayed. It ruled Aubrey’s life – decided what he could or couldn’t do, what he could eat or drink, where he could go, yet at the same time he didn’t let it stop him from living his life. Sure he might take a nap at inopportune moments and places, but it wasn’t made into this huge deal. Just a fact and way of life. This I can relate to, how an illness or disorder or disability can basically rule every part of your life – yet not be the focus point of it. It just is. What I loved even more was Jun’s treatment of it – also like it wasn’t a big deal, and just a part of Aubrey. So big kudos for Ms. Poe, really nicely done!
The romance between Aubrey and Jun was a sweet one. It’s a relationship we are thrown into, one that has history – years of it. Well not the romantic kind –at least not between them. I kind of loved the fact they had so much history. It gave it, and them, depth. They had a strong bond from the beginning, but it was never one you questioned or felt was rushed. This too, just was.
As far as the mystery goes, it was a good one. I liked how the past was intertwined with the present – not in a flashback kind of way, just that the hunt for the legend and a treasure still had its ramifications in the present. Then again, greed will probably always exist in one form or another, no matter what time we live in.
Wyatt Baker did a wonderful performance of this book. I love the emotions he adds, his inflictions and how he varies his tone and intensity after the situation. He doesn’t distinguish much between characters, but I find I didn’t need it. It was easy to follow along anyway. I’m also a huge fan of his “special effects” and I don’t mean that in any OTT way with drums/music or other sound effects. In this case, I’m thinking of the way he makes the voice of the ghost sound so creepy. It really set the tone of the moment.
I had a great time with Aubrey and Jun, and it’s a book I recommend to anyone loving mysteries with their romances, spiced with pirate stories.
RATING: 
BUY LINKS:
[…] Read More » […]
[…] Read More » […]