Hidden Scars by de Castrique and Pulse by Francis - Mysteries

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! 

PULSE by Felix Francis continues Dick Francis’ tradition of writing mysteries set primarily in the British racing world. They are always fun escapism, full of surprises. My favorites are the stories around Kit Fielding and Sid Halley, both of whom struggled with personal issues as well as trying to solve murders.  Here, the younger Francis introduces a female protagonist, Chris Rankin. As senior physician in the A & E Department at Cheltenham General Hospital, she begins investigating a death related to the famous race course while also coping with her own panic attacks and anxiety.  She keeps asking questions and that leads to some dangerous threats.  Booklist gives PULSE and its cliff-hanger chapters a starred review.

The Singularity Race by Mark de Castrique

I have been writing lately about new books dealing with artificial intelligence, one was non-fiction and one had a sci-fi/dystopian bent.  The Singularity Race by Mark de Castrique also explores machine intelligence, but is set in the very near future and as such involves more of a mystery/thriller feel.  Secret Service Agent Rusty Mullins saves Chinese scientist Lisa Li from a potential assassination and continues to act as protector for her and Peter, her nephew, while she begins work for Cumulus Cognitive Connections.  That company is headed by Robert Brentwood and its chief aim is to create Apollo, a sentient being reminiscent of computer HAL. Others, however, want to win the race to singularity and the President, FBI, and Naval Intelligence all become involved in this political thriller full of double crosses.  

I enjoy de Castrique’s Sam Blackman mysteries and with new characters in The Singularity Race he has once again written a complex, fascinating mystery, enhanced by the dangers posed from technological advances.   

A Specter of Justice by Mark de Castrique

One of my favorite mystery series is written by Mark de Castrique, beginning with Blackman’s Coffin. The fifth and latest title, A Specter of Justice, explores innocence and evil and was just released this week.

Featuring private investigator Sam Blackman and his partner Nakayla Robertson, A Specter of Justice begins with a dramatic courtroom scene and soon evolves into a quest to solve two murders related to a ghost walk fundraiser.  But there are more “ghosts” from the past as suspicion centers on their friend and local defense attorney, Hewitt Donaldson. Several pieces of incriminating evidence, plus plenty of twists and other possible suspects keep appearing, contributing to the suspense of this well-written series.

Sam and Nakayla live in Asheville, North Carolina which only adds to the appeal by giving de Castrique the opportunity to set scenes at famous historic locales like the Biltmore Estate or the Grove Park Inn. Each book also features a literary (e.g., Thomas Wolfe, Carl Sandburg), artistic or historic theme and so provides some interesting detail while presenting a puzzling murder to solve.