Murder in Rat Alley

I never would have known how interesting a spot Asheville, North Carolina is if not for Mark de Castrique's Sam Blackman mysteries. de Castrique is a master at blending past and present into engrossing tales, and Murder in Rat Alley is certainly no exception.

Much of the action revolves around the Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute, a real place that monitored space programs during the Cold War and now plays a vital role in gathering weather and climate data. The dead man was a computer genius who worked there, and the dead woman was his fiancée. Everyone assumed that the dead man just got cold feet and disappeared one night, but the discovery of his body close to the Institute buildings tells Sam and Nakayla that something more show more sinister is afoot. The two begin teasing out clues to what happened with some hair-raising results. When the killer was revealed, I told myself that I should have known-- much, much earlier the character had said something that should have made my clue detector go TILT.

I really enjoy this series for what I learn about Asheville's history and for the mysteries that are always fun to solve, but the glue that holds everything together is the team of Sam and Nakayla, an interracial couple who are first-rate investigators. They also have a great sense of humor and a fantastic support group that includes an eccentric lawyer and a veteran cop-- and a coonhound named Blue who likes to sleep a lot.

Whenever I know there's a new Sam Blackman mystery, I start packing my bags for Asheville. If you like the perfect blend of mystery, history, humor, and characterization, you should join me. show less

Sam Blackman and his partner Nakayla Robertson investigate a death linked to the Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute near Asheville. The man's remains were found when equipment was brought in to help with current operations. He had been missing for decades. His former fiancee does not trust federal officials to get to the bottom of things because she thinks PAGI and other agencies covered up his disappearance. In the meantime someone burns Nakayla's home. Sam and Nakayla must work with several jurisdictional law enforcement agencies to get to the bottom of the case. I enjoy the series, but this installment did not hold my attention as much as some, likely because of some espionage elements. I learn odd bits of Western North Carolina show more history because of this series. The setting always delivers! This review is based on an advance review copy provided by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. show less

Mark de Castrique’s Blackman and Robertson novels invariably involve a cold case’s repercussions (usually involving murder) into the present. It may sound derivative, but I have loved every novel, and this seventh novel is no exception.

This latest book featuring one-legged veteran Sam Blackman and his partner in work and love, Nakayla Robertson, begins with the discovery of the body of Frank DeMille, a kindly NASA computer genius who disappeared in 1971. Someone clearly wanted DeMille’s murder to stay buried, and the murderer goes to great lengths to stop the investigation. I don’t want to reveal too much except to say to longtime readers that Frank’s niece is paralegal secretary Cory DeMille, a close, close friend of Sam and show more Nakayla’s, so the pair of detectives are into the investigation for the long haul. A teaser: The investigation veers off into a direction I would never have predicted. Highly, highly, highly recommended. show less

This latest installment in the Sam Blackman series was a good one. Like all the entries in this series, it's a little unusual. In the process of bulldozing an emergency fire break during a forest fire, the long-buried body of a long-missing computer scientist is found at a facility with past ties to the Apollo program. The family of the dead man -- one of whom is a friend of Sam and Nakayla's -- asks them to investigate. Is this in any way tied to the death of the dead man's brother, a military intelligence officer, in Vietnam? Both seem to have died at about the same time. This case proves to be dangerous, as other murders and a firebombing seem tied to Sam and Nakayla's investigation.

As always with this series, in the process of show more following the investigation, the reader is introduced to more interesting locations in the Asheville, North Carolina area. show less

In 1971, computer programmer Frank DeMille disappeared from Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute (PARI) in North Carolina, where he and co-workers were tracking the Apollo 12 mission. Nearly 50 years later, his body is uncovered when a construction crew creates a control line to stop a forest fire by the facility. Forensic evidence indicates DeMille was murdered. His niece enlists private detectives Sam Blackman and his partner/lover, Nakayla Robertson, to pursue a parallel investigation to that of the police. The initial suspects include the brothers of DeMille's fiancee who disapproved of DeMille. Additional suspects arise when Blackman learns that DeMille sent a letter to his brother-in-law, Eddie, an intelligence officer during show more the Vietnam War, seeking advice about anomalies at PARI. Eddie died several months after receiving DeMille's letter and pushing it up the ranks. Could these deaths, as well as recent murders, have something to do with military intelligence? Could this killing spree be related to something 50 years earlier?

This seventh Sam Blackman mystery (Hidden Scars) has the right amount of action, humor and intrigue. Fans of the Spenser series' humor and action with some North Carolina history thrown in would enjoy Blackman's relentless pursuit of the truth. show less