Fatal Scores

Sam Blackman #8

by Mark de Castrique

A river gives up its dead, but not its secrets...

Sam Blackman and Nakayla Robertson, partners in a private investigation agency in Asheville, North Carolina, are hired by the widow of an environmentalist who died while monitoring water quality in the nearby Pigeon River. No soil or water samples were found near the deceased, and his widow doesn't believe his death was an accident.

Sam had, in fact, witnessed a public altercation between the man and local mill heir Luke Kirkpatrick just two days prior. Both Luke and his father, Ted, are prime suspects because of the threat that contamination poses to their proposed business expansion. Meanwhile, preparations for a local festival suffer some violent setbacks. Are the events related? And can Sam and Nakayla identify the killer and serve justice before Asheville is threatened once again?

Genres: Mystery

257 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 2, 2021

About the author

Mark de Castrique is an author, playwright, public speaker, and television producer living in Charlotte.

Through his company MARK et al., he writes, shoots, and edits projects for a variety of clients.

His work has earned CLIO, TELLY, and EMMY awards.

Mark has scripted stories aired on PBS and commercial network affiliates, as well as created video presentations for major corporations.

Reviews

[Ivonne Rovira · Rating 5 out of 5]

The title refers to the kind of scores that you settle. A hint, not a spoiler. As there are so many folks with unsettled scores.

In this eighth (and, thus far, last) novel, an environmental activist is murdered as he was taking water and soil samples from a river downstream from a paper mill. The pieces of the puzzle don’t seem to fit together for one-legged veteran Sam Blackman and his partner in work and love, Nakayla Robertson.

Is author Mark de Castrique going to leave us hanging. This novel was released in 2021, and since then he’s gone all in on a different (and equally wonderful) series that begins with Secret Lives. Please, please! We need more Sam and Nakayla! What are their next adventures? Do they get married? Does Shirley Lee find an alien? Inquiring minds want to know!

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have only read one other book by this author and I enjoyed it very much. After reading this series addition I think I will go back and pick up some more. A good story line, believable characters and a great location. Perfect for those who enjoy their mysteries with depth.

[Aly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have not read any other book in this series. This book was an interesting mystery and I really enjoy the books that have me think. It, for me, had some turns and twists and I enjoyed the plot very much. I was glad to get a chance to read this book and try a different author I have not read before. I will look into more books from this author. In my opinion, this book did well for me to follow since I have not read the rest of the books in this series. I did not feel lost. *This book was given to me for free at my request from NetGalley and I provided this voluntary review.*

[Ryan P Hoffman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mark De Castrique’s Fatal Scores delivers another tightly woven mystery in the Blackman Agency series, blending environmental concerns, small-town politics, and the personal stakes of justice.

🌿 Plot & Setting
The novel situates readers in Asheville, North Carolina, where private investigators Sam Blackman and Nakayla Robertson are drawn into the suspicious death of an environmentalist monitoring the Pigeon River. The absence of soil and water samples at the scene immediately raises questions, and the widow’s insistence that her husband’s death was no accident sets the tone for a layered investigation.

De Castrique skillfully intertwines the murder mystery with broader community tensions: the looming expansion plans of the Kirkpatrick family’s mill, the environmental risks posed by contamination, and the disruption of a local festival by violent incidents. These threads create a narrative that feels both urgent and socially relevant.

👥 Characters
- Sam Blackman: Steady, principled, and observant, Sam anchors the investigation with his sharp instincts and moral compass.
- Nakayla Robertson: A strong partner whose intelligence and resilience balance Sam’s perspective, making their dynamic one of the series’ greatest strengths.
- Luke & Ted Kirkpatrick: As suspects, they embody the clash between economic ambition and environmental responsibility, adding depth to the conflict.

The widow’s grief and determination also provide emotional weight, reminding readers that behind every case lies human loss.

🎭 Themes
- Environmental justice vs. corporate interests: The novel raises timely questions about the cost of progress and the responsibility of industry to protect natural resources.
- Community resilience: The festival subplot underscores how violence and corruption ripple through civic life, threatening traditions and unity.
- Partnership & trust: Sam and Nakayla’s relationship highlights the importance of collaboration in uncovering truth.

✍️ Writing Style
De Castrique’s prose is crisp and accessible, with a knack for pacing that keeps the reader engaged. The balance between investigative detail and character-driven storytelling ensures the mystery unfolds with both suspense and heart.

⭐ Verdict
Fatal Scores is a compelling addition to the Blackman Agency series, offering a mystery that is as much about human motives and community values as it is about solving a crime. Readers who enjoy regional mysteries with social relevance will find this installment satisfying and thought-provoking.

[Ed · Rating 4 out of 5]

#8 in the Sam Blackman series. This 2021 series entry by Mark de Castrique is a winner. The action takes place around the fictional 2020 Asheville Luminaries Festival to celebrate actual historical figures who figured in Asheville history - from baseball great Babe Ruth, to composer Béla Bartók, inventor Robert Moog, and environmentalist/human rights activist Wilma Dykeman. The plot revolves around a murder apparently connected to monitoring the Pigeon River for toxic runoff related to a paper mill. In an aside, the author states that river purity has steadily improved until environmental standards were eased under the Trump Administration. Absorbing regional mystery with the flavor of the North Carolina/Eastern Tennessee mountains.

During opening day at the local baseball stadium, PI Sam Blackman and Nakayla Robertson, his no-nonsense partner in love and detective work, hear an argument between Ken Stokes, a volunteer environmental activist, and Luke Kirkpatrick, son of the CEO of a paper mill, whose toxic runoff in the 1950s fouled a nearby river and caused cancer deaths. Stokes calls for public recognition of real-life environmentalist Wilma Dykeman in the 2020 Asheville Luminaries Festival, a move Kirkpatrick opposes. When Stokes is found dead near a water-sample collection site, it's unclear whether it's an accident or a murder. The subsequent killing of prime suspect Kirkpatrick leads Sam and Nakayla into investigating infidelity, embezzlement, fraudulent sports memorabilia, and even musical rivalries.

[Homerun2 · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's always a pleasure to see another entry in this entertaining and intelligent series. Featuring ex-military Sam Blackman and his business and personal life partner Nakayla Robertson as private investigators. Their personal relationship is equitable and blessedly angst free and their business skills and working style complement each other.

This time out, a young contractor who is working on Nakayla's house is found dead by a river. The victim is also an outspoken critic of the paper company polluters who despoiled the river a generation earlier and was in a confrontation earlier with the son of the plant owner.

Meanwhile, the local community is also hosting an event to honor some of the famous people who lived and worked there, including composer Bela Bartok, baseball player Babe Ruth, and the inventor of the Moog synthesizer.

The more Sam and Nakayla investigate the death to try and discover if it was murder or an accident, the more hidden past ties they find between the cast of characters. These books are well plotted with lots of interesting historical information about the North Carolina setting. An enjoyable read. Thanks to the publisher and to Net Galley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not only is Ken the contractor who's working on Nakalya's house, but he's also a convinced conservationist. So when his pregnant wife calls saying he hasn't come home, Sam and his partner Nakalya think they'll find him along the river he loves, collecting water samples. But Ken is dead, and Sam is sure that it's murder. Even the sheriff doesn't believe the accident theory. Two of the suspects are the owner of the local paper mill and his arrogant son, but there are a lot of questions about motive. The paper mill is also the lead sponsor of an arts festival that has brought one of Ken's high school friends, now a famous composer, back to town. Is he still in love with Ken's wife? This lacks the literary plotline that is a feature in so many of the Sam Blackman books, but it doesn't suffer because of that.

[J. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sam and his partner, Nakayla , are the Blackman private detective agency. Sam, a vet with a prosthetic leg, become involved in an investigation when Nakayla’s contractor is killed. The death revolves around past pollution by paper mills in the area and the deaths that resulted. Growing up in a mill town (though in a different part of the country), this was very realistic. The rich owners are not without their own troubles, and the emotional scars of the poorer people who lost loved ones to the pollution run deep. Is the mill polluting once again? Or are they being framed? This is one of my favorite series, set in a beautiful part of the country, with interesting characters and a complex mystery.

[Chuck McGrady · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another whodunit involving the death of an environmentalist doing water quality work on the Pigeon River related to paper mills. There turn out to be a lot more connections between the characters than one might expect, and the author keeps the reader guessing as to whom the murderer is. [but I would have gotten it right had I guessed about 2/3's the way through the book.]

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good twisty who-dun-it with plenty of bodies and possible suspects. I was glad to see the author came up with a stronger motive than eco-terrorism. I watch enough Dateline to know I don’t truly understand what leads people (and therefore characters) to commit murder, but I think the author made this one plausible.

[Loy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great book on the Blackman and Robertson series.

Read them all and have enjoyed each one

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second Mark de Castrique mystery that I've read, and he's quickly becoming one of my favorite authors.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am truly sad that I have reached the end of this series. I have thoroughly enjoyed it!

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoy this series.

I have visited this area and love the descriptions of it.

Interesting plot with an environmental message.

I bought a copy.

[Darlis Turner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good book

[Cathy Cole · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is another one of my favorite series, and it reminds me of two others. One I'll talk about right now. When I recently reviewed Ellen Crosby's latest Wine Country mystery The French Paradox, I talked about how intelligent Crosby's books are. Well, Mark de Castrique's Blackman Agency books are also a feast for the intelligent, curious reader. This series is filled with strong characters, intriguing mysteries, history, art, literature, and vivid settings. If I thought reading Ellen Crosby's books was akin to spending time with a kindred spirit, then Mark de Castrique is a kindred spirit, too.

I never realized how rich Asheville, North Carolina's cultural heritage is until I began reading these books. Although the Asheville Luminaries Festival is fictitious, I would love to attend it due to the wealth of luminaries in the humanities who've spent time there. In Fatal Scores, de Castrique introduces us to three more: Dr. Robert Moog, creator of the Moog synthesizer, composer Béla Bartók, and environmentalist and social activist Wilma Dykeman. Although I was familiar with Moog and Bartók and their work, I'd never heard of Wilma Dykeman, and after reading Fatal Scores, I definitely wanted to correct my oversight. (It is Dykeman who said, "As we have misused our richest land, we have misused ourselves; as we have wasted our bountiful water, we have wasted ourselves; as we have diminished the lives of one whole segment of our people, we have diminished ourselves.")

It is Dykeman who ties in most closely to the mystery in this book, and this allows the author to touch upon a period of horrendous water pollution: the Pigeon River in western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee was once known as the "Dead River" and Hartford, Tennessee as "Widowville" due to the deaths caused by deadly chemicals being dumped by paper mills.

One of the things I love most about this series is that these historical personages and events are woven carefully and skillfully into the narratives; I never feel as though I've been dumped in a classroom where I'll soon be tested on a bunch of dates and facts.

The mystery is a good one in Fatal Scores, as is all the fascinating information, but the main thing that brings me back time after time is the characters. Sam Blackman is a former military investigator who lost his leg in Iraq. There's a serious side to the loss of his leg, but Sam isn't above poking a little fun at it as when he tells Nakayla, "Next time you try to stop me from saying something stupid, please step on my real foot, not my prosthesis." Nakayla Robertson is Sam's partner both romantically and professionally. She's also one strong, intelligent Black woman who's more than capable of holding her own in any situation. And here is where I'm reminded of another favorite series, Todd Borg's Owen McKenna series set in Lake Tahoe. Like Owen, Sam loves a strong, independent woman, and he's willing to take her on her own terms. You gotta love a man like that.

If you're an insatiably curious reader who loves to partner with nuanced, strong characters to solve intriguing mysteries while learning all sorts of fascinating things along the way, you can't go wrong with a Blackman Agency mystery by Mark de Castrique. Fatal Scores can be read as a standalone, but I'd suggest starting at the beginning with Blackman's Coffin.

[Diane Hernandez · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ready for some down home Southern country charm? The setting of Asheville NC seems almost like a character in the latest Blackman Agency mystery, Fatal Scores.

The Blackman Agency is composed of two private detectives, Sam and Nakayla, who also live together. When a young paper mill heir, Luke, is found dead. The Agency is hired to find the killer. Could it be local contractor and budding environmentalist, Ken? Ken did have a physical altercation with Luke a day before Luke’s death in front of dozens of witnesses. Or could it have been Luke’s own father, Ted?

The small town setting, atmosphere, and real historic facts brought this book to life for me. Who knew so many famous people could be born or visit such a small town?

While I loved the history, following the twists and turns of the PIs’ thoughts regarding who committed the crime was a challenge. Sam and Nakayla seemed to pick every possible person at some point. They would have a suspect in their sights and then they would suddenly run off after another shiny new suspect they saw on the horizon. Other than that, Fatal Scores was very satisfying. 3 stars.

Thanks to Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

[Kathleen Gray · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sam Blackman and Nakalya Robertson find themselves draw into a murder case that circles around poisoning of the environment in this latest installment in a series which is both accessible and enjoyable as a standalone. They overhear an argument between Ken Stokes, an activist, and Luke Kirkgate, wh0se father runs the paper mill, and, when Stokes is murdered, find themselves investigating. Kirkgate is the main suspect, given their disagreement, but then he's killed as well. There's all sorts of threads here, some of which are obviously red herrings which helped to raise this above the usual murder mystery involving the environment. I liked the interaction between Sam and Nakalya as well as the setting. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

[joyce w. laudon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This title is the eighth in De Castrique’s series featuring Sam Blackburn. In this entry he and his P.I. agency partner, Nakayla Robertson are dealing with a case that may involve industrial pollution. An environmentalist has died and his widow seeks the pair’s help. Was his murder related to the paper mill’s owners or to something else?

This title is set in North Carolina where the author grew up. The setting is almost a character in its own right here.

Readers of this series will, no doubt, be excited about this latest title. It can also be read by those who have not read the other entries in the series (yet).

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this title. All opinions are my own.

[Sally Ashmore · Rating 5 out of 5]

I may read some of the other books about Sam and Nakalya's cases.

[Brenda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good but a bit confusing to follow