Review: The Mystery of the Moving Image - C.S. Poe

The Mystery of the Moving Image Book Cover

Title: The Mystery of the Moving Image
Series: Snow & Winter Book 3
Author: C.S. Poe
Genre: M/M Paranormal Mystery
Publisher: DSP Publications
Release Date: September 11, 2018
Pages: 214

It’s summer in New York City, and antique shop owner Sebastian Snow is taking the next big step in his relationship with NYPD homicide detective, Calvin Winter: they’re moving in together. What should have been a wonderful week of playing house and celebrating Calvin’s birthday comes to an abrupt end when a mysterious package arrives at the Emporium.

Inside is a Thomas Edison Kinetoscope, a movie viewer from the nineteenth century, invented by the grandfather of modern cinema, W. K. L. Dickson. And along with it, footage of a murder that took place over a hundred years ago.

Sebastian resists the urge to start sleuthing, even if the culprit is long dead and there’s no apparent danger. But break-ins at the Emporium, a robbery, and dead bodies aren’t as easy to ignore, and Sebastian soon realizes that the century-old murder will lead him to a modern-day killer.

However, even with Sebastian’s vast knowledge of Victorian America and his unrelenting perseverance in the face of danger, this may be the one mystery he won’t survive.

Review by Gloria Lakritz

Sr Reviewer and Review Chair for the Paranormal Romance Guild

C.S. Poe has with this series made me a believer! When a new author crosses my path like Carroll had at a Dream spinner meeting in Florida; she had began talking about her new first book in this series. She talked about the setting, the idea…..I was a goner. She was speaking my reading language…pushing all my buttons.

Being a true born and raised New York reader, I knew I died and went to heaven starting Book #1. Besides the pictures in my head of the scenery of the city that she describes with each new book, I can actually ‘see’ these places in my mind. Her Snow and Winter Series, with the unique relationship of her two main characters make the words dance across the pages.

Sebastian and Calvin at this point in their relationship is where they are moving in together. Sebastian is the nerd extraordinaire. We all have a bit of him inside us somewhere. We like Calvin love him even more for it. I admire Seb’s fire, his not letting his eye impairment deter him; although he flounders on the minutia of finding he has the wrong color socks on, or his sweater is grey not green. But he staunchly will ride a subway rather than catch a cab…when this could result in more trouble than the wrong color sock…See he is adorable???? and Mr Tall, dark and handsome NYC Homicide Police Detective Calvin Winters agrees!

The yin and yang of this relationship is the essence of this series, as well as the wonderful plots this author has given us! Each story is a lesson in NY history. It works well, as it should with the antique shop Seb owns. Then their is Seb charming us at times with large amounts of mind numbing information he has acquired thru the years that he vomits out to Cal’s delight…

Again we are on another great mystery to solve, where danger again is high with murder and mayhem thru the streets of NY. Ms Poe I could read this series forever and never get tired of you wonderful writing….Start from the beginning folks Book #1 The Mystery of Nevermore.