Black Mountain is the second novel in the [[Isaiah Coleridge Series]], dealing with the investigations of private detective [[Isaiah Coleridge]]. While the first entry in the series, [[Blood Standard]], is pretty much devoid of supernatural elements, Black Mountain introduces some occult elements and occasionally hints at the supernatural. Black Mountain was followed up by a third novel called [[Worse Angels]]. In the story, Isaiah Coleridge is searching for a mob hitman-for-hire and occult serial killer known only as the [[Croatoan]]: "The Croatoan represented a bogeyman, especially among East Coast mobsters. A mysterious freelancer, true identity known by a select few, who conducted wholesale slaughter on behalf of the Family (and other nefarious bidders) since the latter 1970s." (Black Mountain, p. ) The hitman is called Croatoan because he has a knack for making heaps of people disappear, not unlike the events surrounding the mystery of the Lost Colony. It's unlikely that the Croatoan of Black Mountain is connected to Mother or Croatoan as described in [[Old Virginia]], but at the very least it's an interesting recurring theme. #Story #Coleridge