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Sam Blackman #6
Hidden Scars: A Sam Blackman Mystery
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.
384 pages, Paperback
Published July 2, 2018
36 people are currently reading
139 people want to read
About the author
Mark de Castrique
29 books166 followersMark de Castrique is an author, playwright, public speaker, and television producer living in Charlotte.
Through his company MARK et al., he writes, shoots, and edits projects for a variety of clients.
His work has earned CLIO, TELLY, and EMMY awards.
Mark has scripted stories aired on PBS and commercial network affiliates, as well as created video presentations for major corporations.
Through his company MARK et al., he writes, shoots, and edits projects for a variety of clients.
His work has earned CLIO, TELLY, and EMMY awards.
Mark has scripted stories aired on PBS and commercial network affiliates, as well as created video presentations for major corporations.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews
December 6, 2024
What a wild ride! Every book in this series by author Mark de Castrique is clever and suspense, but this one really kept me riveted.
Do not start this novel, the sixth one in de Castrique’s series featuring one-legged veteran Sam Blackman and his partner in work and love, Nakayla Robertson, when you have a lot to do. Or close to bedtime. You will get nothing done; you will stay up too late. You have been warned!
An octogenarian suspects that her big brother’s death at age 23 in 1948 while at Black Mountain College was no accident, and she consults Sam and Nakayla. (Every Sam Blackman novel is an education: Black Mountain College really existed, really launching the careers of Buckminster Fuller, Merce Cunningham, Arthur Penn and many more.) Highly recommended.
Do not start this novel, the sixth one in de Castrique’s series featuring one-legged veteran Sam Blackman and his partner in work and love, Nakayla Robertson, when you have a lot to do. Or close to bedtime. You will get nothing done; you will stay up too late. You have been warned!
An octogenarian suspects that her big brother’s death at age 23 in 1948 while at Black Mountain College was no accident, and she consults Sam and Nakayla. (Every Sam Blackman novel is an education: Black Mountain College really existed, really launching the careers of Buckminster Fuller, Merce Cunningham, Arthur Penn and many more.) Highly recommended.
October 2, 2017
If you haven't read a Sam Blackman mystery yet, I highly recommend that you remedy your oversight. Mark de Castrique writes one of the best private investigator series going, and I always look forward to each new installment. Sam Blackman is a former Army Chief Warrant Officer who lost his leg in Iraq. He and Nakayla Robertson are partners in both their professional and personal lives; they're an interracial couple loaded with intelligence and humor and have a wonderful support team that includes a lawyer and a police officer there in Asheville, North Carolina.
These Sam Blackman mysteries always have something to do with Asheville's little-known yet fascinating history-- this time concerning Black Mountain College. The mystery not only involves the college, it also ties in present-day political shenanigans in the state's film industry as well as lingering racial tensions. The mystery in Hidden Scars moves smoothly and steadily to its conclusion, and I've found time and again that it's very easy to be seduced by de Castrique's story and forget to come up for air. And that humor I mentioned earlier? The humans don't have all the good scenes; Blue the coonhound and a rhinestone collar-wearing raccoon also have their parts to play.
I really enjoy this author's writing style. When I open one of his books, I feel as though I've stepped into his characters' lives. With each book's past woven into the present, de Castrique doesn't have to remind me of one of my favorite lines in literature: "So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past." Don't like The Great Gatsby? Don't let that keep you from getting acquainted with this excellent series.
These Sam Blackman mysteries always have something to do with Asheville's little-known yet fascinating history-- this time concerning Black Mountain College. The mystery not only involves the college, it also ties in present-day political shenanigans in the state's film industry as well as lingering racial tensions. The mystery in Hidden Scars moves smoothly and steadily to its conclusion, and I've found time and again that it's very easy to be seduced by de Castrique's story and forget to come up for air. And that humor I mentioned earlier? The humans don't have all the good scenes; Blue the coonhound and a rhinestone collar-wearing raccoon also have their parts to play.
I really enjoy this author's writing style. When I open one of his books, I feel as though I've stepped into his characters' lives. With each book's past woven into the present, de Castrique doesn't have to remind me of one of my favorite lines in literature: "So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past." Don't like The Great Gatsby? Don't let that keep you from getting acquainted with this excellent series.
January 1, 2025
Theirs installment of Sam and Nakayla’s story was as entertaining as all the rest. I’ve already downloaded #7 and look forward to reading it!
October 18, 2017
very enjoyable! I have read all of the Blackmann and Robinson books written by the author. Once again he weaves a current mystery was one from the Asheville area. We have good history and a interesting stories.
Read them all, they are very good
Read them all, they are very good
October 10, 2020
Black Mountain Campus/ inter racial relationships/ FBI bad guys/ Movie fraud
Sam Blackman's narrative voice once again takes the reader into a thorny puzzle involving a very cold case and a current tangled movie in development. In previous volumes in the series, Sam has formed very strong connections to members of a retirement community in Asheville. Now a new resident, Viola Baker, hopes Sam will be able to discover the facts behind her brother's death. Paul, a WWII veteran, and now a member of the experimental fine art school , Black Mountain College, was reported killed in a hiking accident. The investigation is hampered at first by missing paperwork surrounding his death.
Continuing his pattern of mixing contemporary issues with historical events, de Castrique brings a movie being filmed to North Carolina. The movie is based on a regional novel set in the same period as the death of Paul Baker. Black Mountain was an experimental college that focused on principles that stated the arts were fundamental to a liberal arts education. Many individuals famous in the latter 20th century attended Black Mountain including Merce Cunningham, John Cage and Buckminster Fuller. de Castrique creates Harlan Beale, a mountain man who serves as a living link to the college during Paul's life. When he is found buried in books,
Sam wonders if a cover up of Paul's death is factual, or if something more serious is occurring.
The interracial romance between Sam and Nakayla serves as a barometer on racial attitudes . Did the liberal attitudes towards race found in Black Mountain post WWII contribute to the mystery? de Castrique is willing to face Asheville's troubled racial history head on. This superior mystery is well worth the read.
Very highly recommended.
Sam Blackman's narrative voice once again takes the reader into a thorny puzzle involving a very cold case and a current tangled movie in development. In previous volumes in the series, Sam has formed very strong connections to members of a retirement community in Asheville. Now a new resident, Viola Baker, hopes Sam will be able to discover the facts behind her brother's death. Paul, a WWII veteran, and now a member of the experimental fine art school , Black Mountain College, was reported killed in a hiking accident. The investigation is hampered at first by missing paperwork surrounding his death.
Continuing his pattern of mixing contemporary issues with historical events, de Castrique brings a movie being filmed to North Carolina. The movie is based on a regional novel set in the same period as the death of Paul Baker. Black Mountain was an experimental college that focused on principles that stated the arts were fundamental to a liberal arts education. Many individuals famous in the latter 20th century attended Black Mountain including Merce Cunningham, John Cage and Buckminster Fuller. de Castrique creates Harlan Beale, a mountain man who serves as a living link to the college during Paul's life. When he is found buried in books,
Sam wonders if a cover up of Paul's death is factual, or if something more serious is occurring.
The interracial romance between Sam and Nakayla serves as a barometer on racial attitudes . Did the liberal attitudes towards race found in Black Mountain post WWII contribute to the mystery? de Castrique is willing to face Asheville's troubled racial history head on. This superior mystery is well worth the read.
Very highly recommended.
November 8, 2017
#6 in a really good series about a vet with a prosthetic leg and his detective partner/girlfriend. Love that there is usually some historical significance to each story.
"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."
"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."
November 12, 2017
#6 in the Sam Blackman mysteries. Author de Castrique has another winner in the 2017 entry in this series. He manages to explore a mystery related to the history of the Asheville, NC area and combine it with a current mystery. This time out he investigates a 1948 death at innovative Black Mountain college, which closed in 1957, and sabotage on a current day movie set at the college. The 80 year old consultant to the movie was a handyman at the college in 1948 and helped Buckminster Fuller build his famous geodesic dome. Also involved are inter-racial relationships in the south and the communist scare of the 1940's. Fascinating.
Sam Blackman series - 80-year-old Violet Baker asks Sam to look into the suspicious death of her brother, Paul Weaver, a WWII vet who was a student at nearby Black Mountain College when he took a suspicious fall into a ravine in 1948. With the aid of his partner, Nakayla Robertson, Sam investigates. Meanwhile, a movie that's being filmed on the Black Mountain campus, based on a romance novel set at the college around the time of Paul's death, is plagued by sabotage. The stakes rise when a member of the movie crew, octogenarian Harlan Beale, who knew Weaver and has some information to share with Sam, is murdered in a local museum.
Sam Blackman series - 80-year-old Violet Baker asks Sam to look into the suspicious death of her brother, Paul Weaver, a WWII vet who was a student at nearby Black Mountain College when he took a suspicious fall into a ravine in 1948. With the aid of his partner, Nakayla Robertson, Sam investigates. Meanwhile, a movie that's being filmed on the Black Mountain campus, based on a romance novel set at the college around the time of Paul's death, is plagued by sabotage. The stakes rise when a member of the movie crew, octogenarian Harlan Beale, who knew Weaver and has some information to share with Sam, is murdered in a local museum.
October 22, 2017
HIDDEN SCARS
by Mark de Castrique is another mystery in the Sam Blackman series. Set in or near Asheville, North Carolina, these contemporary puzzling stories involve Blackman, an amputee and former soldier, and his detective agency (and personal life) partner, Nakayla Robertson. Generally, the author chooses to focus on some aspect of local lore or history and
HIDDEN SCARS
is no exception as Sam and Nakayla try to solve a potential murder from roughly 70 years ago involving students at the now defunct Black Mountain College. I was enthralled to learn about this real school and the many famous people (e.g., Buckminster Fuller, Josef and Anni Albers, Willem de Kooning, Merce Cunningham) who studied and worked there. As always, de Castrique makes his readers think about ethics and morals, including some unexpected twists. I definitely recommend this series and am already looking forward to Sam and Nakayla's next adventure!
October 15, 2018
I am not a fan of the Sam Blackman series, but I had only read the first two novels. Hidden Scars happily changed my mind about Sam. The story surrounds the past events in a quiet North Carolina college during the years of civil unrest. A mountain man falls to his death while hiking in his “beloved” mountains, and seven decades later, his sister wants the truth about what happened. Sam and Nakayla investigate Paul Weaver’s death from the past and then become involved in several current deaths of a movie production. I appreciate novels that provide entertainment and education, and Hidden Scars pounded much knowledge into my head, plus the plot forced me to continue reading for fear of missing some interesting tidbit. After finishing this novel, I will need to continue my forage into the deeds and trials of Sam Blackman.
November 2, 2017
While I've liked the author's earlier books, this one just didn't hold together in the same way. I found it surprising that Blackman's stunt at the end was viewed so benignly by law enforcement. I found it unbelievable how things end up with Roland Cassidy and the movie. And there were a host of other things that just didn't ring true. I also hated a whole paragraph given over to a Sam Blackburn's dream. Finally, as a legislator, I question the author's understand of the film grants. He's about convinced me that the whole program should just go away. The author may be right though in what he put in the APD Officer's mouth: "Writers. I've never met one yet who was in touch with reality." p 154.
July 12, 2018
This fast-paced murder mystery comes with diversity, octogenarian suspects, and a loveable beagle.
The setting is Ashville, NC where a movie is about to be made when an eighty-year-old client asks Sam Blackburn and his partner Nakayla Robertson to investigate the death of her brother who died in 1948! The movie adds to the mixture of excitement as they are chronicling the college where the decedent had attended.
although the book is fiction, it is based on some historical facts which make it even more interesting.
A Hemmingway quote that keeps reappearing during the book and reflects the issues addressing the scars from the past: " So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past." is the best summary I can provide without giving anything away.
The setting is Ashville, NC where a movie is about to be made when an eighty-year-old client asks Sam Blackburn and his partner Nakayla Robertson to investigate the death of her brother who died in 1948! The movie adds to the mixture of excitement as they are chronicling the college where the decedent had attended.
although the book is fiction, it is based on some historical facts which make it even more interesting.
A Hemmingway quote that keeps reappearing during the book and reflects the issues addressing the scars from the past: " So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past." is the best summary I can provide without giving anything away.
March 24, 2018
A movie is being made set at now-defunct Black Mountain College, which is handy for detectives and romantic partners Sam Blackman and Nakayla Robertson, who've just been hired to look into a death of a college student--in 1948. The dead man's now-elderly sister has never understood what happened to him, and wants to find out before it's too late. The movie crew has brought together some of those with memories of the college, but now there is a death of the man who may help him. The college is, of course, historic, although as far as I know the deaths are not.
September 6, 2019
A couple of private eyes in Asheville, North Carolina, investigate the 1948 death of an army veteran who was studying at nearby Black Mountain College and become involved with a crew making a film about the college. Reasonably well written, with believable characters and a plot that centers on racial tensions as well as recent political decisions regarding subsidies for the North Carolina movie industry. For me, the connection to Black Mountain College – which counted among its faculty people like Buckminster Fuller and Merce Cunningham – is also a plus.
October 17, 2017
As good as they come!
I devoured this book in two days and was not disappointed. My only complaint is that I’ve read all of his books! Now I’ll have to wait for the next one or read them all again. Which I just might do. The characters and plots in every story of the series are so beautifully drawn that I can’t help getting lost in them. Another wonderful Blackman & Robertson story.
I devoured this book in two days and was not disappointed. My only complaint is that I’ve read all of his books! Now I’ll have to wait for the next one or read them all again. Which I just might do. The characters and plots in every story of the series are so beautifully drawn that I can’t help getting lost in them. Another wonderful Blackman & Robertson story.
August 14, 2020
This is another well written, well plotted mystery.
I was able to read it in one day so all of the details remained fresh in my mind.
These are very likeable characters and they show very human emotions.
In this story there is a movie location in town and an old death that ties in as well.
We get background on movie making, the Black Mountain College from post World War II, and the strength and integrity of 80 year old women.
I borrowed a copy from the public library.
I was able to read it in one day so all of the details remained fresh in my mind.
These are very likeable characters and they show very human emotions.
In this story there is a movie location in town and an old death that ties in as well.
We get background on movie making, the Black Mountain College from post World War II, and the strength and integrity of 80 year old women.
I borrowed a copy from the public library.
September 23, 2022
I enjoyed this book and will read more by this writer. The relationship between the protagonist and his investigator/life partner is one reason. Another is the backstory of Sam’s war service and injury. And I loved Blue! I hope he continues with the series. The writing is clear and concise. The plot is intriguing and I didn’t figure out the villain(s) until near the end. The story kept my interest. A good job all around
April 19, 2023
Past as prologue...
The burning need for answers to an octogenarian's brother's death more than 70 years ago, propel Sam and NaKayla into a nest of corruption and death. Which, of course, they can handle.
The fears that fueled the "witch hunts" of Joseph McCarthy and J Edgar Hoover, still hasn't our psyches today. Fear of the "other" drivers more violence than actual threats.
The burning need for answers to an octogenarian's brother's death more than 70 years ago, propel Sam and NaKayla into a nest of corruption and death. Which, of course, they can handle.
The fears that fueled the "witch hunts" of Joseph McCarthy and J Edgar Hoover, still hasn't our psyches today. Fear of the "other" drivers more violence than actual threats.
November 2, 2017
Another Sam & Nakayla mystery in a cut above average series. The two are investigative as well as life partners. Their current case is to trace back to WWII to clear up a mystery surrounding a young man's Death. This mystery is related to two recent Murders and a fraud scheme.
November 17, 2017
My wife and I disagree on this book. She loves North Carolina authors so she enjoyed this more than I did. I thought the plotting was slow and some of the characters were ordinary. But I will say that Mr. di Castrique does have some talent and I hope his next book will be better than this one.
February 4, 2018
I have read several other books by this author, and enjoyed them thoroughly. They take on an extra dimension for me because they are set in the area where I live, and I can visualize the book in 3-D, having been to most of the places in the story.
May 9, 2018
A pretty good read
A decent detective story, set in North Caroline. There are a couple of murders, a hound dog, and a movie set. Not a bad read, and interesting history of the Bauhaus movement.
A decent detective story, set in North Caroline. There are a couple of murders, a hound dog, and a movie set. Not a bad read, and interesting history of the Bauhaus movement.
May 29, 2018
The Past is Prologue, even in Dixie
Once again Ashville NC is the setting for a disabled vet turned PI to unearth long hidden shame and current greed which are spoiling the lives of ordinary people. A relaxing read!
Once again Ashville NC is the setting for a disabled vet turned PI to unearth long hidden shame and current greed which are spoiling the lives of ordinary people. A relaxing read!
July 25, 2025
It was a slow start but I’m glad I pushed through.The concept of investigating such an old case is interesting but ultimately was what made it feel slow at the start for me. Once the action started, it had me wanting to see how it played out.
September 24, 2017
Found the ARC unreadable. Sorry to abandon what sounded like a promising story set in a region we care about.
December 15, 2017
Very good plot and strong characters
February 6, 2018
Great book.
October 29, 2019
Another great mystery by Mark AND lots of local and historical references to locations in Asheville.
Read
June 6, 2021Good plot, characters, humor.
September 1, 2021
Hidden Scars is another entertaining story in the Sam Blackman series. Mark de Castrique is a master at using history to enrich plots and ground characters. I look forward to the next book.
January 22, 2025
Good book
Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews