Richard Cass had me after the first paragraph. With Hard as a Headstone, Cass delivers a bingeworthy trip to the real Maine wilds, with ex-CID investigator Ardmore Theberge showing the way. Both protagonist and writer are sure-footed, and the story moves faster than a logging truck on the Airline. Clear the day before you pick up this second installment in Cass's latest series. You won't be going anywhere soon.

Gerry Boyle

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"Ardmore’s second improbable dive into rural Maine places the riddle of Janey’s identity front and center throughout one twist after another...unleash[ing] one final twist that’s worth the trip. Cass manages to find brawling, water rights, and racism beneath his cemetery and makes it all seem inevitable."

Kirkus Reviews

"With a riveting setting and compelling central characters you can’t help but root for, Hard as a Headstone by Dick Cass delivers a taut, twisty tale that proves small-town Maine is more than lobsters and lighthouses."

Barbara Ross, author of the Maine Clambake Mysteries

What Readers are Saying

Hard as a Headstone does what the best regional mysteries do — it makes you feel the place in your bones while keeping you guessing. The remote Maine setting is first-rate, and the motive behind the killing is one I didn't see coming.

Paul Doiron, author of Storm Tide