Blackman's Coffin: A Sam Blackman Mystery (Sam Blackman Series)

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.
Blackman’s Coffin starts a new series by Mark de Castrique, author of the Buryin'’ Barry Mysteries.