The Mystery of the Curiosities - Snow & Winter, Book Two

I love a good mystery, there’s no doubt about it – and author C.S. Poe knows how to write a really good mystery! Her first Snow & Winter mystery was so well-written and plotted, and so engaging and fun, that I figured it would be pretty difficult for her to beat that in the second book. But, I was wrong. Antique dealer Sebastian Snow and his partner, police detective Calvin Winter, are back in action, solving another series of murders that once again pull Snow right into the midst of them in an intricately-crafted scavenger hunt of sorts centering around P.T. Barnum and his love of curiosities.

The Mystery of the Curiosities is set just months after the events of the first book. Snow has settled back into life, now with Winter at his side – but the peace doesn’t last long. An antique brick thrown through the front window of his store gets the ball rolling, and in true Nancy Drew fashion, there is a note attached to the brick.  I know you like mysteries is all the note says, but it is clear that the message is meant for Snow.  The next day, Snow finds another brick outside of his store, along with a floor inside covered with the antique bricks.  When the surveillance cameras are checked, it seems someone used spray paint to black them out. And, of course, there is another note.  Curious?

Curiosity may have killed the cat, but that isn’t going to deter Snow from figuring out what is going on. Then he finds a body in his apartment. Then his apartment explodes, bringing down the entire building, nearly catching him and his neighbor inside. Oh, and there was yet another note, which leads Snow to one of his favorite museums – and another body.  Winter nearly has a breakdown as Snow gets deeper and deeper into this game of cat and mouse, with Snow following the clues from the notes, only to discover that each one eventually leads him to another body. The only connecting factor seems to be the curiosities associated with each location … curiosities specifically associated with P.T. Barnum and the fire that nearly destroyed his collection many years ago.

Poe keeps the reader guessing on the identity of the killer – twice I thought I had it figured out, but I was wrong in both cases.  The ending definitely creates some tension (and excitement!), and it ultimately provides resolution for not only the mystery itself, but also a couple of underlying subplots that were started in the first book.  Snow and Winter’s relationship develops more throughout the story, and it is nice seeing some of the supporting cast continue to be a part of their lives (such as Snow’s father, the owner of the neighboring book store, and Winter’s partner on the force).  Those kind of small continuing details help flesh out the characters and make their world all that more real.

I thoroughly enjoyed the treasure hunt (so to speak) as Snow is forced to follow up not only on each clue provided in the notes, but also in attempting to solve the cold cases that are connected to the murder victims found at the solution of each clue.  I also absolutely love Snow’s interaction with his assistant, Max, as the sarcasm and barbs that they throw at one another come across as natural and remind me very much of myself and my boss when we are at work!

As with so many gay mysteries, the only drawback for me are the explicit scenes with Snow and Winter.  For me, this type of explicitness is unnecessary to the story, as it does not add anything to the mystery, nor does it do anything for the character development.  To me, it is superfluous and unnecessary.  Thankfully, the rest of the story is so great, that I can overlook it here.

Now to pick up the third book in this series and read it!

RATING:  8 pairs of aviator shades out of 10 for piquing my curiosity enough to plow through this book to find out who was behind the murders!