Reviewed by Larissa

TITLE:  Madison Square Murders

SERIES: Memento Mori, Book 1

AUTHOR:  C.S. Poe

NARRATOR:  Kale Williams

PUBLISHER:  Emporium Press

LENGTH:  7 hours and 33 minutes

RELEASE DATE:  December 14, 2021

BLURB:

Everett Larkin works for the Cold Case Squad: an elite – if understaffed and overworked – group of detectives who solve the forgotten deaths of New York City. Larkin is different from others, but his deduction skills are unmatched and his memory for minute details is unparalleled. 

So when a spring thunderstorm uproots a tree in Madison Square Park, unearthing a crate with human remains inside, the best Cold Case detective is assigned the job. And when a death mask, like those prominent during the Victorian era, is found with the body, Larkin requests assistance from the Forensic Artists Unit and receives it in the form of Detective Ira Doyle, his polar opposite in every way. 

Factual reasoning and facial reconstruction put Larkin and Doyle on a trail of old homicide cases and a murderer obsessed with casting his victims’ likeness in death. Include some unapologetic flirting from Doyle, and this case just may end up killing Everett Larkin.

REVIEW: 

Imagine having the exceptionally rare ability to spontaneously recall in detail with great accuracy personal events or experiences and their associated dates.  Imagine being constantly, unconsciously, triggered to link dates with events, including news stories or minute details like sounds made, clothes worn or foods eaten. Imagine not just replaying, but reliving those events with all of their attendant emotions. Not surprisingly, anxiety and depression are constant companions for individuals with this rare ability, and frustration at forgetting important present events and details because of the unavoidable dwelling on the past chips away at self-esteem.

The protagonist of C.S. Poe’s inspired, engrossing mystery romance Madison Square Murders, the first book in Poe’s Memento Mori series, is Everett Larkin, one of those rare gifted/cursed individuals with total recall.  His natural intelligence and analytical abilities paired with his superior memory make him a formidable, exceptional cold case detective. It also makes him “other” – considered “weird” or “a freak”, his eccentric, unusual tendencies keep him apart from society and fray what few relationships he is able to establish.  

This series features a continuing storyline following Everett and his partner, forensic artist Ira Doyle, as they seek to unravel the brutal murders perpetrated by a serial killer who creates a memento mori – an object that is a remembrance of death – of his victims.  At the same time, Everett and Doyle grapple with the non-platonic feelings arising from the developing bond between them.  Neither the storyline nor the relationship are given closure at the end of Madison Square Murders.  While there are no cliffhangers, there is a plot that builds so you’ll need to read the series books in order. 

Everett is perhaps the most unlikely hero you’ll encounter.  He’s a hero because he remembers all of the victims.  Because he remembers, they existed, and their deaths have meaning. But the toll it takes on Everett is staggering. Through deeply moving, heart-wrenching scenes of his psychological suffering, Poe depicts how Everett’s “gift” of never forgetting is killing him.  Everett’s flat affect, lack of social skills, and seeming lack of feeling belie an exceptionally caring, empathetic individual.  

Doyle is the first person Everett has met who understands the importance of memories.  More importantly, he understands loss and living with horror.  He is the perfect counterpart to Everett, knowing what he feels almost like a mind-reader and knowing without being told how to help him.  Everett desperately wants to be known, but no one wants to know.  They don’t want to know how he is, what he thinks, how he is dying …  He’s very much alone in every aspect of his life, including his crumbling marriage.  But, Doyle sees him and wants to know him.  With Doyle at his side, Everett is not alone.

Poe enraptures us in this profoundly complex, superbly written story full of emotionally charged chemistry and attraction between two fascinating men.  It is a superbly crafted, riveting mystery romance.  But even more remarkable is the astounding vocal performance of Kale Williams on the Madison Square Murders audiobook.  

I am a huge fan of Williams. His talent is evident, and his performances are superb across-the-board.  However, this is the first time I’ve heard him perform a tense, tightly woven story with deep emotional exploration and a conspicuous absence of humor, lightness and sexy physical scenes.  Madison Square Murders contains raw, gritty, dark content centered on a dysfunctional, idiosyncratic main character as the story’s linchpin.  It’s a departure from what I’m used to hearing from Williams, so his astounding performance on this audiobook is enlightening, although not surprising. 

Williams’ audio portrayal of Poe’s gripping story is devastating in its execution.  He fully inhabits these characters and it’s obvious that he “gets” them.  The linchpin in this story is Everett and Williams becomes him.  His voice is smoky and enveloping with a roundness to the tone that has depth and pulls you in.  He faithfully delivers Everett’s flat, toneless voice with a consistent lack of intonation, except in the scant few places where Everett is so affected by something that it causes him to inflect his voice. Then Williams modulates his voice to match.  

Williams is able to convey Everett’s struggle, and his pain becomes ours.  Conveying attitude, reaction, and depth of emotion is no easy task when there’s no variation in the tone of voice, yet Williams gives a master class in how it’s done.  Most notable here is Williams’ use of pacing to convey Poe’s intent.  When Everett begins to spiral as he falls into an association that triggers reliving an unwelcome memory, his words start to run together, increasing in speed like a snowball going downhill.  Williams engages with that pacing as he accelerates his delivery, dropping pauses and punctuation, and instead, running the lines together to reflect Everett’s increasingly manic thought process.  Williams also infuses dynamics like increased emphasis or volume as Everett becomes more frantic and desperate, yet always maintaining Everett’s flat affect.

Williams’ performance is intuitive, expressive, and completely plugged-in to the characters and their journeys relative to each other and as part of Poe’s greater complex, twisty turny mystery.  This is an unforgettable Kale Williams vocal coup de maître. Madison Square Murders is one of the best audiobooks I’ve listened to, and hands-down the best I’ve heard this year. I give it my highest recommendation.

RATING: 

BUY LINKS: 

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