A Sam Blackman Mystery

I didn't think I was going to like this at the beginning, but it improved remarkably as the story progressed. The setting, the Asheville and Flat Rock area were well depicted, and considering I have homes in both, I suppose I can judge thay pretty well. de Castrique tells me that he had one bad review, Booklist, in which the reviewer said that there was nothing to let the reader know this the setting is a southern mountain town. All I can say to that is that the reviewer knows nothing of the area. First of all, the Asheville & Hendersonville are as much unlike the expectations of a southern mountain towns as they are like; therefore, if the reviewer wanted a stereotypical mountain town, he needs to read a book not set in this area. The evolving relationships of the characters is well handled. Seems that I distressed the author by solving the who-dun-it angle of the story. I thought the mystery angle was not that mysterious, though there are enough questions about the nature of the mystery to keep the reader interested even if he figures out the who easily. That said, I was the only member of the group who did figure it out. Hmmm... The writing is generally good, though at times cliqued. For instance, I shouldn't be able to predict what a character is going to say, but often I could. Still fun reading and I will certainly read more by the author. ( )

I didn't think I was going to like this at the beginning, but it improved remarkably as the story progressed. The setting, the Asheville and Flat Rock area were well depicted, and considering I have homes in both, I suppose I can judge thay pretty well. de Castrique tells me that he had one bad review, Booklist, in which the reviewer said that there was nothing to let the reader know this the setting is a southern mountain town. All I can say to that is that the reviewer knows nothing of the area. First of all, the Asheville & Hendersonville are as much unlike the expectations of a southern mountain towns as they are like; therefore, if the reviewer wanted a stereotypical mountain town, he needs to read a book not set in this area. The evolving relationships of the characters is well handled. Seems that I distressed the author by solving the who-dun-it angle of the story. I thought the mystery angle was not that mysterious, though there are enough questions about the nature of the mystery to keep the reader interested even if he figures out the who easily. That said, I was the only member of the group who did figure it out. Hmmm... The writing is generally good, though at times cliqued. For instance, I shouldn't be able to predict what a character is going to say, but often I could. Still fun reading and I will certainly read more by the author. ( )

I didn't think I was going to like this at the beginning, but it improved remarkably as the story progressed. The setting, the Asheville and Flat Rock area were well depicted, and considering I have homes in both, I suppose I can judge thay pretty well. de Castrique tells me that he had one bad review, Booklist, in which the reviewer said that there was nothing to let the reader know this the setting is a southern mountain town. All I can say to that is that the reviewer knows nothing of the area. First of all, the Asheville & Hendersonville are as much unlike the expectations of a southern mountain towns as they are like; therefore, if the reviewer wanted a stereotypical mountain town, he needs to read a book not set in this area. The evolving relationships of the characters is well handled. Seems that I distressed the author by solving the who-dun-it angle of the story. I thought the mystery angle was not that mysterious, though there are enough questions about the nature of the mystery to keep the reader interested even if he figures out the who easily. That said, I was the only member of the group who did figure it out. Hmmm... The writing is generally good, though at times cliqued. For instance, I shouldn't be able to predict what a character is going to say, but often I could. Still fun reading and I will certainly read more by the author. ( )

Sam Blackman, of the Cadillac versus Land Rover prosthesis fame, and his partner, Nakayla Robertson, have taken on a case involving a university professor who may be trying to scam their employer, an insurance company, for millions by faking the severity of her injuries.

Janice Wainwright, the woman they were following, for some reason, had changed clothes and headed off to climb a very steep hill,where, out of sight of the detectives, they heard a scream, the word “no”, and discovered her body on some rocks below. An autopsy revealed higher than normal levels of pain killers and the immediate suspicion is that she became dizzy and fell to her death. Her backpack revealed only a change of clothes and the receipt for a book of Sandburg poems purchased the day before. Sam and his partner have reason to believe she has been murdered. They discover a connection to Carl Sandburg, a song from the past, a box hidden in an old house, and a man who was high in the Confederate government.

I really don’t know if one should read the series in order or not. This is the third in the series and if you like to know how characters got to where they are then perhaps that might be useful. I thought this book worked well as a stand-alone. There does seem to be a thread running through the series: books. Sam, at one point, discusses the assorted books that had appeared in their investigations e.g. The Fitzgerald Ruse. De Castrique has another series going (Barry Clayton) that I will also have to sample. As an added benefit, I developed more of an appreciation for Carl Sandburg.

Well written, good plot, nicely developed characters; what more could one want. Disclaimer: I received this book free as an advanced reader copy. That affected my view not one whit. ( )