"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
“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, author of the Jack McMorrow mystery series
"With a riveting setting and compelling central characters you can’t help but root for, Hard as a Headstone by Richard 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
“Dick Cass is back with another complex, layered mystery featuring former CID investigator Ardmore Theberge, a would-be lone wolf increasingly connected to a richly-realized network of friends and lovers. The pine-enclosed spaces and insular communities of Northern Maine are the setting for this ripped-from-the-headlines story of corruption, idealism, and betrayal. Cass's writing is as sparse and meticulous as Theberge's survey maps; revealing the side of Maine tourists never see in all its beauty and despair. A must-read.” —Julia Spencer-Fleming, NYTimes and USA Today Bestselling Author of At Midnight Comes the Cry
"Hard as a Headstone is a tour-de-force of unforgettable characters and a twisting plot that will keep you hooked late into the night. Truly, Richard Cass is a master of suspense. Long may he write!" —Gayle Lynds, NYTimes Bestselling Author of The Last Spymaster and co-founder of International Thriller Writers, Inc.
“Hard as a Headstone makes a thrilling case for placing Richard J. Cass in the pantheon of New England crime writers. Cass’s eye for detail, ear for dialogue, and knack for crafting diabolical mysteries are sharper than ever—and mapmaker Ardmore Theberge is a compelling, if reluctant, hero. Here’s hoping there are ten more where this came from.” —Chris Holm, Anthony Award-winning author of The Killing Kind
"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
