by C. S. Poe
“What?” He looked at me, distracted.
“I told the jeweler you wanted matte like mine.” I held my hand up against the box. “I warned him I couldn’t see color.”
“No,” Calvin quickly answered. “This is perfect.” His Adam’s apple jumped a little as he tugged the wedding band free and put it on.
I shifted sideways to stare head-on at Calvin. “We have to be at the City Clerk’s Office tomorrow at 10:00 a.m.”
“I didn’t want to say anything negative about the wedding,” Calvin replied, looking at me with the sweetest, most easygoing smile I’d seen all month. “Because you were trying so hard. But I’m really glad we’re skipping the ceremony.”
“You and me both. I think our sort of romance runs in a different vein,” I replied.
He raised an eyebrow. “Yeah? How’s that?”
I leaned back on my hands. “Crimes, clues, my hunky husband telling me to stop, but secretly, he kind of enjoys my sleuthing…. It’s romantic.”
Calvin snorted and laughed. “That’s not romantic, baby.”
“No?”
“Absolutely not.”
“Correct me if I’m wrong.”
Calvin reached out, tugged my sweater to pull me back in, and kissed my mouth. “This is romantic,” Calvin whispered. “Us. Here. Merry Christmas, Sebastian.”
“Merry Christmas, Calvin.”
More from C.S. Poe
Snow & Winter: Book One
It’s Christmas, and all antique dealer Sebastian Snow wants is for his business to make money and to save his floundering relationship with closeted CSU detective Neil Millett. When Snow’s Antique Emporium is broken into and a heart is found under the floorboards, Sebastian can’t let the mystery rest.
He soon finds himself caught up in murder investigations that echo the macabre stories of Edgar Allan Poe. To make matters worse, Sebastian’s sleuthing is causing his relationship with Neil to crumble, while at the same time he’s falling hard for the lead detective on the case, Calvin Winter. Sebastian and Calvin must work together to unravel the mystery behind the killings, despite the mounting danger and sexual tension, before Sebastian becomes the next victim.
In the end, Sebastian only wants to get out of this mess alive and live happily ever after with Calvin.
Snow & Winter: Book Two
Life has been pretty great for Sebastian Snow. The Emporium is thriving and his relationship with NYPD homicide detective, Calvin Winter, is everything he’s ever wanted. With Valentine’s Day around the corner, Sebastian’s only cause for concern is whether Calvin should be taken on a romantic date. It’s only when an unknown assailant smashes the Emporium’s window and leaves a peculiar note behind that all plans get pushed aside in favor of another mystery.
Sebastian is quickly swept up in a series of grisly yet seemingly unrelated murders. The only connection tying the deaths together are curiosities from the lost museum of P.T. Barnum. Despite Calvin’s attempts to keep Sebastian out of the investigation, someone is forcing his hand, and it becomes apparent that the entire charade exists for Sebastian to solve. With each clue that brings him closer to the killer, he’s led deeper into Calvin’s official cases.
It’s more than just Sebastian’s livelihood and relationship on the line—it’s his very life.
Snow & Winter: Book Three
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.
Aubrey Grant lives in the tropical paradise of Old Town, Key West, has a cute cottage, a sweet moped, and a great job managing the historical property of a former sea captain. With his soon-to-be-boyfriend, hotshot FBI agent Jun Tanaka, visiting for a little R&R, not even Aubrey’s narcolepsy can put a damper on their vacation plans.
But a skeleton in a closet of the Smith Family Historical Home throws a wrench into the works. Despite Aubrey and Jun’s attempts to enjoy some time together, the skeleton’s identity drags them into a mystery with origins over a century in the past. They uncover a tale of long-lost treasure, the pirate king it belonged to, and a modern-day murderer who will stop at nothing to find the hidden riches. If a killer on the loose isn’t enough to keep Aubrey out of the mess, it seems even the restless spirit of Captain Smith is warning him away.
The unlikely partnership of a special agent and historian may be exactly what it takes to crack this mystery wide-open and finally put an old Key West tragedy to rest. But while Aubrey tracks down the X that marks the spot, one wrong move could be his last.
Readers love the Snow & Winter series by C.S. Poe
The Mystery of Nevermore
“This book has an embarrassment of riches—an engaging plot that will hold your interest to the final page, two intriguing main characters with a sizzling sexual chemistry, a top-notch mystery with plenty of red herrings…”
—Gay Book Reviews
“The romance was sweet and hot, the mystery was well thought out and researched, and the ending was quite satisfying.”
—Joyfully Jay
The Mystery of the Curiosities
“The attraction between Sebastian and Calvin sizzle off the pages. The author writes an interesting mystery and a wonderful love story…Pushes all my buttons…”
—Paranormal Romance Guild
“For mystery lovers, this is a must read full of action, suspense, danger, and a not-so-easy solving of the crimes. I’m really enjoying this series and my biggest curiosity is what historical subject matter C.S. Poe will come up with next.”
—The Novel Approach
The Mystery of the Moving Image
“Amateur sleuth Sebastian Snow and his quirkiness is fast taking a place among my favorite sleuths!”
—Bookwinked
“The series on the whole has my recommendation, and one can only hope that Poe has many more stories like this one waiting for us in the future.”
—Love Bytes
C.S. POE is a Lambda Literary and two-time EPIC award finalist, and a FAPA award-winning author of gay mystery, romance, and paranormal books.
She is a reluctant mover and has called many places home in her lifetime. C.S. has lived in New York City, Key West, and Ibaraki, Japan, to name a few. She misses the cleanliness, convenience, and limited-edition gachapon of Japan, but she was never very good at riding bikes to get around.
She has an affinity for all things cute and colorful and a major weakness for toys. C.S. is an avid fan of coffee, reading, and cats. She’s rescued two cats—Milo and Kasper do their best on a daily basis to distract her from work.
C.S. is a member of the International Thriller Writers organization.
Website: cspoe.com
By C.S. Poe
Devil Take Me Anthology
Southernmost Murder
SNOW & WINTER
The Mystery of Nevermore
The Mystery of the Curiosities
The Mystery of the Moving Image
The Mystery of the Bones
Published by DSP PUBLICATIONS
www.dsppublications.com
Published by
DSP PUBLICATI
ONS
5032 Capital Circle SW, Suite 2, PMB# 279, Tallahassee, FL 32305-7886 USA
www.dsppublications.com
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of author imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
The Mystery of the Bones
© 2019 C.S. Poe
Cover Art
© 2019 Reese Dante
http://www.reesedante.com
Cover content is for illustrative purposes only and any person depicted on the cover is a model.
All rights reserved. This book is licensed to the original purchaser only. Duplication or distribution via any means is illegal and a violation of international copyright law, subject to criminal prosecution and upon conviction, fines, and/or imprisonment. Any eBook format cannot be legally loaned or given to others. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the Publisher, except where permitted by law. To request permission and all other inquiries, contact DSP Publications, 5032 Capital Circle SW, Suite 2, PMB# 279, Tallahassee, FL 32305-7886, USA, or www.dsppublications.com.
Trade Paperback ISBN: 978-1-64108-207-5
Digital ISBN: 978-1-64405-324-9
Library of Congress Control Number: 2019901907
Digital published September 2019
v. 1.0
Printed in the United States of America
