Overview

"2018 Thomas Wolfe Memorial Literary Award nominee ""With its strong sense of place, depiction of racial tension that still lingers in the new South, and appealing sleuths, de Castrique's well-plotted mystery is a winner."" -Library Journal When Asheville, NC, private eyes Sam Blackman and Nakayla Robertson are asked by an eighty-year-old client to investigate the suspicious death of her brother, they warn her there is little chance of success. Paul Weaver died nearly seventy years earlier. The only documentation she has is the sole surviving copy of a coroner's report stating his death was caused by an accidental fall while hiking. There's a red flag- local son Weaver knew every inch of the mountain trails. The returning World War II veteran had enrolled at Black Mountain College, a liberal local school with an international reputation for innovation, thanks to its stellar faculty and advisers like Buckminster Fuller and Albert Einstein. The college of the 1940s is currently being portrayed in a film being shot on the site of its former location. The plot is based on a book by a local author. The research behind both may provide a lead in the Weaver case. One is drawn from movie crew member Harlan Beale, an octogenarian mountaineer who knew Weaver. In a late-night voice message, Beale tells Sam he's found something to show him. Then Beale is discovered dead in the Black Mountain College Museum. His murder turns the cold case white hot. When a second killing follows, the question becomes how to separate dark doings in the present from dark days and hidden scars of the post-war past. In typical de Castrique fashion, the answers aren't what you expect. No-nonsense Nakayla and veteran Sam with his prosthetic leg love their investigations which always carry a thread from the past, and love each other. An interracial couple in the South, even the new South around Asheville, they've surrounded themselves with a terrific support team including an unorthodox lawyer and a veteran cop, and use humor both to bind them all together and to deflect insults. Plus, it helps deal with the tragedies their work uncovers."

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9781464208966

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Reviews

This fascinating mystery, merging past and present, brings some little-known history to light and shows that laws change much faster than attitudes, as Sam and Nakayla, an interracial couple themselves, discover.--Barbara Bibel -Booklist, for Murder in Passing, Sam Blackman Mystery #4 -

With its strong sense of place, depiction of racial tension that still lingers in the new South, and appealing sleuths, de Castrique's well-plotted mystery is a winner. --Library Journal Known for his effortless storytelling, de Castrique once again delivers a compelling tale blending fact and fiction, this one involving racial tension, the aftermath of war, and the authentication of manuscripts. (starred review)--Library Journal for The Sandburg Connection, Sam Blackman Mystery #3 .. .superior sixth mystery...De Castrique combines an examination of the South's troubled racial history with a smart probe of current political-financial shenanigans. --Publishers Weekly De Castrique's sixth delivers a vivid gallery of suspects, lively dialogue, and an attractive pair of sleuths. --Kirkus Reviews A wealth of historical detail, an exciting treasure hunt and credible characters distinguish this fresh, adventurous read. (starred review)--Publishers Weekly for Blackman's Coffin, Sam Blackman Mystery #1 .. .intriguing historical mystery... --Don Crinklaw Booklist This fascinating mystery, merging past and present, brings some little-known history to light and shows that laws change much faster than attitudes, as Sam and Nakayla, an interracial couple themselves, discover. --Barbara Bibel Booklist for Murder in Passing, Sam Blackman Mystery #4 Hidden Scars is packed with engaging and colorful characters, including mysterious men in suits, modern FBI agents and cops, a tweed-jacketed, elbow-patched hack author, and a shotgun-toting old recluse whose pet raccoon sports a rhinestone collar. The complicated plot twists from past to present and back again, keep the reader intrigued. Building slowly at first, the novel moves toward an action-packed conclusion that leaves no loose ends. Hidden Scars creates a satisfying and enjoyable counterpoint between the secrets of the past and the crimes of the present. --Jean Gazis Mystery Scene Magazine

This fascinating mystery, merging past and present, brings some little-known history to light and shows that laws change much faster than attitudes, as Sam and Nakayla, an interracial couple themselves, discover.--Barbara Bibel Booklist, for Murder in Passing, Sam Blackman Mystery #4 This fascinating mystery, merging past and present, brings some little-known history to light and shows that laws change much faster than attitudes, as Sam and Nakayla, an interracial couple themselves, discover.--Barbara Bibel Booklist for Murder in Passing, Sam Blackman Mystery #4

Author Information

Mark de Castrique grew up in the mountains of western North Carolina where many of his novels are set. He's a veteran of the television and film production industry, has served as an adjunct professor at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte teaching The American Mystery, and he's a frequent speaker and workshop leader. He and his wife, Linda, live in Charlotte, North Carolina. www.markdecastrique.com

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