Reviewed by Sadonna
TITLE: Hudson River Homicides
SERIES: Memento Mori
AUTHOR: C.S. Poe
PUBLISHER: Emporium Press
LENGTH: 311 pages
RELEASE DATE: July 31, 2025
BLURB:
The Cold Case Squad has a problem: Someone won’t stop taunting Detective Everett Larkin. He’s been able to apprehend some of the worst criminals to ever stalk the streets of New York City, thanks in great part to forensic artist and boyfriend, Ira Doyle, but after their last case, events have taken a turn for the worse.
A body recovered from the Hudson River bears a message addressed to Larkin and another token from Victorian mourning culture. As nineteenth-century hair jewelry leads Larkin deeper into the growing tangle of interconnected crimes, it becomes evident that solving these mysteries will come at a profound cost. To be a good detective, Larkin will have to endure sleepless nights—lest the sender act on their threat against his partner—as well as put his relationship on the line when clues lead in the direction of Doyle’s past.
What began as a game of cat and mouse has turned into a fight for love and life itself.
REVIEW:
Note: This is the fourth book in this series and is NOT a standalone.
Once again, C.S. Poe takes us on a wild ride and it is a race to the end of this book! I was on the edge of my seat.
As with past books, the through thread on these stories are Larkin’s cold cases and the current murder that is directed once again to Larkin. The tale is super twisty-turny. I will admit I had NO IDEA where this would lead and it was shockingly intense. As usual, there are some quite dark moments here. The opening murder as well as some additional body discoveries, etc. were a bit gruesome. But it all makes sense as the story goes on 😉 Larkin’s specific set of skills are the key to solving all this thread.
Danger lurks around many corners in this episodes – and not just for Larkin and Doyle. There is a bit of a turnaround here in that Larkin is finally in a place to support Doyle – despite how tired and wrung out he is at the beginning. Doyle’s support helps him focus on the cases and their connections and also get some sleep! This is huge deal and leads to a new level of intimacy for these two (which I could have used more of).
This case arc is now bending in the direction of Ira’s past. Ira continues to punish himself and Larkin is there to show him that he is worthy of love and that Larkin will be there for him – no matter what. There are some pretty devastating discoveries here and Larkin and Doyle work together and race against time as they try to identify who the Sender is 🙂
Good news! This isn’t the last book of this series. I loved this one just like all the others. New York City is truly one of the best characters in this series. There is less Death culture here, but it does still help identify victims and tie these murders together. The details here make this story come alive. Larkin’s encyclopedic knowledge and recall are once again astounding and awe inspiring. There are new characters here that I enjoyed too – no spoilers! I would LOVE to see this series made into a Netflix series 😀 Brilliant work once again. Highly recommended.
RATING: 
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