★★★★★
"Gripping writing with a brooding maritime tone."
Everything Zoomer
From the Amazon Best-Selling Author
C.S. Porter
Author, photographer, and filmmaker
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"
I like to think of my stories as Atlantic noir, in the vein of Nordic thrillers. They're not cozy, they're psychological pressure cookers that toy and blur the line of guilt and innocence. All are set near the ocean. I'm drawn to the mystery, power, beauty, brutality, and the pull of its secrets. Much like a crime novel. I'd say my stories are a bit feral, a bit like Detective Kes Morris.
— C.S. Porter
The next chapter in the Kes Morris series
Salt on Her Tongue
The thrilling next chapter in the award-winning Kes Morris series, which began with Beneath Her Skin, a literary mystery that kept readers "glued to the page until the very end" (The Globe and Mail).
Order★★★★★
"A fast-paced and thought-provoking novel… Detective Kes Morris is haunted but razor-sharp — a protagonist that gets under your skin."
The Miramichi Reader
★★★★★
"This is a tough, carefully constructed mystery. Morris is brilliantly written — weary, sharp, and human."
Murder in Common
★★★★★
"Porter doesn't waste words, and the plot moves briskly…"
Everything Zoomer
★★★★★
"From the opening scene, I was hooked. The mystery is layered and moody, and the writing is vivid without being flashy."
The Koala Mom
Crime Fiction by C.S. Porter
Novel
Beneath Her Skin
When a small east coast town falls prey to a series of shocking murders, city homicide detective Kes Morris is called in to lead the case, along with the aid of the local precinct.
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Novel
Salt on Her Tongue
In an instant the current changed, the sea flattened, the boat settled, and they were riding the tide. The village was behind them again. The moon ahead of them. And a corpse at Kes's feet.
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Winner 2026
Best Canadian Crime Novel
Salt on Her Tongue
Winner
Howard Engel Award
Beneath Her Skin
C.S. Porter is a writer, photographer, and filmmaker who lives near the sea and has passed on that love, fear, and awe to Detective Kes Morris. Their debut novel, Beneath Her Skin, won the Crime Writers of Canada Howard Engel Award.
Press
- Page-turning thrillers to keep the chills in your books.
- Diabolical murder and climaxes of Shakespearean proportions.
- A brilliant but damaged detective with a mysterious past.
- Most Anticipated: Our 2025 Spring Fiction Preview.
- A Canadian mystery that cuts to the bone.
- Maritime thriller a graphic, gripping debut.