Synopses & Reviews
Former Chief Warrant Officer Sam Blackman lost a leg in Iraq and emerged from the V.A. hospital in Asheville, NC, as a bitter civilian without a job or a future. But when he solved a series of local murders, Sam found new meaning for his life. Now he and his partner, Nakayla Robertson, are opening a detective agency. They have high hopes that the thriving mountain region will provide a steady stream of cases. Their first client, a quirky elderly woman in a retirement community, makes a strange request. She wants Sam to right a wrong she committed more than 70 years ago. Her victim: F. Scott Fitzgerald. Her crime: stealing a manuscript. Sam's task seems simple enough: retrieve the woman's lockbox and deliver the manuscript to Fitzgerald's heirs. But nothing is simple for Sam. The lockbox is sealed with a swastika, a symbol his client insists predates the Nazis and reflects a scene from The Great Gatsby. Then a security guard is killed and the lockbox disappears. Not only has this investigation triggered a murder, but Sam's final military case has followed him from Iraq and neither he nor anyone close to him is safe....Mark de Castrique is the author of the Sam Blackman series and Buryin' Barry series, both set in the mountains of North Carolina where he lives with his wife Linda. He has also written two mysteries for young adults. www.markdecastrique.com
Review
“Readers will hope to see a lot more of the book’s amiable characters, in particular, Sam and Nakayla, whose comfortable banter lends the story much of its charm.” –Publishers Weekly on The Fitzgerald Ruse “An excellent regional mystery, full of local color and historical detail.” Library Journal on The Fitzgerald Ruse STARRED REVIEW"A wealth of historical detail, an exciting treasure hunt and credible characters distinguish this fresh, adventurous read.” –Publishers Weekly on Blackman's Coffin
Synopsis
An excellent regional mystery, full of local color and historical detail. --Library Journal
Former Chief Warrant Officer Sam Blackman lost a leg in Iraq and emerged from the V.A. hospital in Asheville, NC, as a bitter civilian without a job or a future. But when he solved a series of local murders, Sam found new meaning for his life. Now he and his partner, Nakayla Robertson, are opening a detective agency. They have high hopes that the thriving mountain region will provide a steady stream of cases.
Their first client, a quirky elderly woman in a retirement community, makes a strange request. She wants Sam to right a wrong she committed more than 70 years ago. Her victim: F. Scott Fitzgerald. Her crime: stealing a manuscript. Sam's task seems simple enough: retrieve the woman's lockbox and deliver the manuscript to Fitzgerald's heirs.
But nothing is simple for Sam. The lockbox is sealed with a swastika, a symbol his client insists predates the Nazis and reflects a scene from The Great Gatsby. Then a security guard is killed and the lockbox disappears. Not only has this investigation triggered a murder, but Sam's final military case has followed him from Iraq and neither he nor anyone close to him is safe....
Synopsis
Former Chief Warrant Officer Sam Blackman, a disabled veteran, is opening a detective agency with his partner Nakayla Robertson. Their first client, a quirky elderly woman in a retirement community, makes a strange request. She wants Sam to right a wrong she committed over seventy years ago. Her victim--F. Scott Fitzgerald; her crime--stealing a manuscript when Fitzgerald resided in the stately Grove Park Inn. Sam’s task seems simple enough: retrieve the woman’s lockbox and deliver the manuscript to Fitzgerald’s heirs. Nothing is simple for Sam. The lockbox is sealed with a swastika, a symbol his client insists predates the Nazis and reflects a scene from The Great Gatsby. But when a security guard is killed and the lockbox disappears, Sam realizes this case is more than he bargained for.
Synopsis
Former Chief Warrant Officer Sam Blackman, a disabled veteran, is opening a detective agency with Nakayla Robertson. Their first client is a quirky elderly woman who wants Sam to right a wrong she committed over seventy years ago. She stole a manuscript from F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Sam is to retrieve her lockbox and deliver the manuscript to Fitzgerald’s heirs. The lockbox is sealed with a swastika, which his client insists predates the Nazis and reflects a scene from The Great Gatsby. Then a security guard is murdered and the lockbox disappears. This case is more than Sam bargained for.
About the Author
Mark de Castrique grew up in the mountains of western North Carolina where he sets his Barry Clayton mystery series. Mark is a veteran of the television and film production industry and he serves as an adjunct professor at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte