Winner
Crime Fiction Category
The prequel to Solo Act, In Solo Time will be published in September 2017.
What people are saying about In Solo Time . . .
“Atmospheric and dark, In Solo Time by Richard J. Cass rivets you with live jazz, memorable characters, and a series of murders that point to Big Politics played by the best — Boston’s cut-throat wealthy. From police work to tangled love affairs, this killer of a reading ride will entertain and haunt you.” — Gayle Lynds, New York Times bestselling author of The Assassins and The Book of Spies
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“Richard Cass writes the kind of mysteries I first fell in love with—clever, twisty, and brimming with characters as colorful as they are well-drawn. In Solo Time is as inviting as a heavy pour of single malt, and twice as dangerous. So long as Elder Darrow is slinging drinks at the Esposito, he can count me a regular.” – Chris Holm, Anthony Award-winning author of The Killing Kind
“Dick Cass's version of noir Boston is dark and beautiful as a back alley after a morning rain. In Solo Time offers another few hours inside the head of Elder Darrow, who may be one of the most interesting bar owners you'll have the pleasure of meeting. I half-expected Spenser and Hawk to wander into the shadowy reaches of the Esposito, just looking for answers to a few questions. A good story and graceful writing make for a compelling trip through Boston's back streets.”— Gerry Boyle, author of the Jack Mcmorrow and Brandon Blake mysteries
“In Solo Time is a compelling read, providing insight into troubled hero Elder Darrow’s journey from a privileged childhood through years of blackout drinking to tenuous sobriety. Elder’s efforts to transform a dive bar into a respectable jazz club has its challenges, including a blind guitar player who turns up dead after playing a gig at the Esposito and a persistent detective who never pays for his drinks. Richard J. Cass’s In Solo Time is peopled with memorable characters from the dark edges of Boston’s music scene, and his prose is as smooth as the jazz the book celebrates.” — Brenda Buchanan, author of the Joe Gale Mystery Series.
“A dark bluesy mystery steeped in Bostonian tradition and prose. In the prequel to Solo Act Cass delivers the goods.”— Bruce Robert Coffin, bestselling author of the Detective Byron mystery series