Blackman's
Coffin
A
Sam
Blackman Mystery
Mark
de Castrique
Poisoned
Pen Press (Hardcover)
ISBN-10: 1-59058-517-8 (1590585178)
ISBN-13: 978-1-59058-517-7 (9781590585177)
Publication Date: June 2008
List Price: $24.95
Synopsis (from
the publisher): Sam Blackman is an angry man. A Chief Warrant Officer
in the Criminal Investigation Detachment of the U.S. military, he lost
a leg in Iraq. His outspoken criticism of his medical treatment
resulted in his transfer to the Veteran’s Hospital in
Asheville,
NC. Then an ex-marine and fellow amputee named Tikima Robertson walks
into his hospital room.
Tikima hints that she has an opportunity for Sam to use his
investigative skills--if he can stop feeling sorry for himself. But
before she can return, Tikima is murdered, her body found floating in
the river.
Tikima’s sister, Nakayla, brings Sam a journal she finds in
Tikima’s apartment. The volume dates to 1919 and contains the
entries of a twelve-year-old boy who accompanies his father, a white
funeral director, as they help a black man, Elijah Robertson, transport
his deceased relative to a small family plot in Georgia. Nearly ninety
years ago, Elijah’s body was found in the French Broad River,
a
crime foreshadowing his great-great granddaughter Tikima’s
death.
Sam and Nakayla must delve into Asheville’s rich history--the
legacy of the Vanderbilts at the Biltmore estate and of author Thomas
Wolfe--to uncover the murderous truth.
Review:
Mark de
Castrique, author of the so-called "Buryin' Barry" mysteries, takes a
risk starting a new series featuring Iraqi war veteran Sam Blackman
with a plot that easily could have featured his other series character,
family undertaker Barry Clayton, inevitably inviting comparison between
the two. Yet the risk pays of handsomely; the outstanding Blackman's Coffin
will certainly be
remembered as one of the best mysteries of the year.
Sam Blackman lost part of his leg in Iraq. Fitted with a prosthetic,
he's alternately bitter that his future activities may be limited and
hopeful he'll be able to successfully adapt. While recuperating in the
hospital, he's visited by another veteran who's also lost a limb, in
this case an arm. Tikima Robertson has a no-nonsense attitude that Sam
admires. Upon leaving, she says she'll see him in a few weeks. Those
weeks pass and Sam's disappointed that Tikima never returned. But for
good reason: she's been murdered. Sam meets Tikima's sister Nakayla and
together, with a mysterious journal found in the dead woman's
apartment, they set out to find out not only who killed Tikima, but why.
The author takes another risk in the first chapter of Blackman's Coffin
by creating a
uniquely memorable character then promptly killing her off. Yet she
maintains a constant presence, and even a powerful influence,
throughout the book. In his eulogy for Tikima, Sam says, "But I had to
come [to the funeral service], not because I knew Tikima for ten years
or even ten months, but because I knew her for only ten minutes. That
was long enough for her to make an impression upon me. An impression
that for those ten minutes my health and attitude were the most
important things in her life. She challenged me." She'll do the same
for the reader.
The murder investigation is related to an old journal purportedly
written nearly 100 years ago by a young boy who, coincidentally, had
lost his leg in a hunting accident. In a number of astonishingly clever
plot twists, Sam and Nakayla learn how the past meets the present and
that they're really investigating two murders: that of Tikima and her
(and Nakayla's) great-great-grandfather. It's not too much of a stretch
to guess how the murders are related and fortunately Sam, too, quickly
makes the connection. It isn't long before they're setting a trap to
nab the killer.
Blackman's
Coffin is a
terrific mystery embedded in a well-crafted tale with a fascinating
historical background, and is populated with richly drawn, interesting
characters that readers will want to see again in future stories.
Special thanks to Poisoned Pen Press for providing an ARC of Blackman's Coffin for this review.
Review Copyright © 2008 — Hidden Staircase Mystery Books — All Rights Reserved
Have you read Blackman's Coffin? How would you rate it?
Mysteries in this series ...
Blackman's Coffin
Poisoned Pen Press (Hardcover), June 2008
ISBN-10: 1-59058-517-8 (1590585178)
ISBN-13: 978-1-59058-517-7 (9781590585177)
The Fitzgerald Ruse
Poisoned Pen Press (Hardcover), August 2009
ISBN-10: 1-59058-629-8 (1590586298)
ISBN-13: 978-1-59058-629-7 (9781590586297)
Omnimystery
keywords for Blackman's Coffin
...
Location(s) referenced: Asheville, North
Carolina.
