Reviewed by Larissa
TITLE: Broadway Butchery
SERIES: Memento Mori, Book 3
AUTHOR: C.S. Poe
NARRATOR: Kale Williams
PUBLISHER: Emporium Press
LENGTH: 8 hours and 10 minutes
RELEASE DATE: September 26, 2023
BLURB:
The Cold Case Squad of the NYPD is overworked, understaffed, but receiving great press due to star detective Everett Larkin. His uncanny memory and Holmesian-like skills of deduction have already led to the capture of one serial killer. Now he’s identified a second predator and brought an end to their 20-plus-year reign of terror.
Routine construction at a Broadway souvenir shop leads to the discovery of a mummified woman in the wall. And when Larkin receives a mysterious VHS tape that same night, he knows it’s no coincidence. Expecting a Victorian mourning artifact to surface in this new mystery, Larkin wastes no time turning to boyfriend Ira Doyle of the Forensic Artists Unit for help.
A web of nameless victims, countless suspects, and endless lies drag Larkin and Doyle deep into the gritty past of Times Square, reopening painful wounds and testing the fortitude of their relationship. And all the while, someone is watching, biding their time until they can make Everett Larkin nothing…but a memory.
REVIEW:
Broadway Butchery, the third book in C.S. Poe’s absolutely addictive Memento Mori series, picks up where the second book, Subway Slayings, left off. You must read these books in order, starting with Madison Square Murders. Each book has its own self-contained mystery, but the overarching memento mori storyline spans the series and the information builds on what’s come before.
Poe’s sharp writing, astounding world-building, and terrific banter make Broadway Butchery a page-turner that you will want to read in one sitting. However, take your time. No information is throw-away and you need to interpret and read between the lines. The plot will feel convoluted if you aren’t paying close attention, and that is particularly so because we learn about everything through the viewpoint of a savant – the fascinating, endearing Cold Case Detective Everett Larkin. Larkin’s brain-traumatized, HSAM mind delivers overwhelming amounts of facts and experiences, with inevitable, unstoppable connections that come at light speed. It’s hard for us mere mortals to keep up with such magnificence of mind, but that’s part of the experience of this story. Larkin is extraordinary at his job and even his de facto partner and now-boyfriend, the astute and talented forensic artist Ira Doyle, can’t keep up. We follow and try to figure it out, but it’s impossible to exceed Larkin’s mental observations, recollections, and deductions.
Professionally brilliant, truly the best there is at what he does and he doesn’t hesitate to say so – not to brag but simply as empirical fact. But Larkin struggles personally, where he experiences social and emotional problems that are debilitating. He’s highly intuitive and sensitive, despite his monotone, flat affect and complete inability to small-talk or pull his verbal punches. Still waters run deep but no one cares enough to try to learn or understand what lies beneath that hard exterior and blunt commentary except Doyle.
Poe effectively balances a captivating mystery with authentic relationship development between Larkin and Doyle. They are two broken men listening to each other, hearing and feeling what the other isn’t saying. Surrounding the entire story is Poe’s ode to New York City – the good, the bad, and the ugly, as well as all of its wonder and beauty. Her deep research allows her to provide a detailed history and fascinating facts about this fascinating city, yet she never makes us feel like we are reading a non-fiction, historical tome.
Broadway Butchery’s story is highly detailed, and the details matter. Poe’s writing is dense (in a good way) and thoughtful, and as such, it’s the nature of the beast that each installment requires greater reader investment. This is not a mindless read. But Kale Williams’ masterful narration helps illuminate the facts and make the connections. This entire series is told from Larkin’s point of view so the success of Williams’ vocal performance rises and falls on how well he understands and communicates Larkin’s character. I’ve unashamedly waxed on about Williams’ phenomenal, intuitive connection with Larkin in my reviews of Madison Square Murders and Subway Slayings, and as with those first two books, Williams delivers a tour de force here.
Larkin has a flat affect, almost universally monotone, seemingly emotionless. But this is not at all a true reflection of the very deep emotions Larkin feels, even if he struggles to express them in words. Williams takes seemingly simple, toneless, and unfeeling speech and packs every bit of Larkin’s pain and moments of happiness and love with Doyle into it. Williams is simply perfection in every way, shape, and form in his portrayal of Larkin. He truly becomes one with the character such that you will not be able to read Larkin in text without hearing Williams’ voice in your head.
And don’t even get me started on Williams’ smoky, velvety, “panty-melting” voice for Ira Doyle. Be still my heart. What I love best about Ira is his generosity, equanimity, and obvious love and dedication to Larkin without expectation of anything in return. Their love story rises from the small details and nuances. The things that aren’t said. The actions that are taken without Poe or Williams’ calling attention to them. For example: Larkin telling Ira he misses him via voicemail. This is a difficult thing for him – to express that feeling. Williams puts a slight pause before that declaration that says more than a thousand words could in that split second of air. Then Ira shows up in the middle of the night, having immediately left his conference early upon hearing Larkin’s message. Flying all night because he needed to see him and know he is okay. Heart-fluttering stuff that Williams delivers with aplomb.
There are many side characters in this story, and Williams does a terrific job with all of the male voices. They are consistently delivered with distinction, using timbre and inflections reflective of the character’s persona. Williams is less successful with the female voices in pitch and timbre as they typically tend towards masculine. But otherwise, he is spot-on with their attitude, psychology, and emotions, and he makes them into indelible characters in their own right.
In Broadway Butchery, contrary to its violent title and the dark, gritty content within, Poe delivers with scalpel-like precision a devastatingly subtle love story wrapped within a gripping murder mystery. I simply cannot get enough of Evie and Ira. They are right up there with my very favorite MM couples, and they come to life vividly through Williams’s exceptional performance. This is must-have listening.
RATING: 
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