Rating: 3 stars

Author Mark De Castrique takes you on a journey through the green hills of North Carolina and the home of Carl Sandburg. His protagonist, Private Investigator Sam Blackman, has been hired to follow Professor Janice Wainwright, who’s suing a surgeon for a botched procedure on her back.

The trail leads them up a treacherous slope. Suddenly Janice falls into the rocky bottom. Sam didn't expect to witness Wainwright's death. Is she a victim of a slip and fall or has someone decided her law suit should end here and now?

Released by Poisoned Pen Press, this story mixes history and mystery in a compelling way. Sam and his beguiling partner, Nakayla Robertson, have been hired by the surgeon's insurance company to track Janice Wainwright. Before the investigation progresses too far, they find the body of their leading suspect and now the P.I.s have two mysteries to solve.

The police aren't very helpful and the first victim's teenage daughter is defiant and threatens Sam. Nakayla befriends the girl and soon they find themselves babysitting a pregnant goat while the daughter attends her mother's funeral.

Poetry, music, and nanny goats? Not Carl Sandburg style, but De Castrique is a fanciful author whose plot, prose, and pacing takes on its own refreshing hues. You'll get a dose of Sandburg's writing and a glimpse of the Glassy Mountain range as you traverse the pages. An interesting read, this may prove to be the beginning of some very good stories from De Castrique—if he makes us root for Sam and Nakayla to continue PI-ing together.
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Paperback: 250 pages
Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press (October 4, 2011)
ISBN-13: 978-1590589434