Author Archives: Richard Cass

About Richard Cass

Dick is the author of the Elder Darrow Jazz Mystery series, the story of an alcoholic who walks into a dive bar in Boston . . . and buys it. Solo Act was a Finalist for the Maine Literary Award in Crime Fiction in 2017 and In Solo Time won the award in 2018. The third book in the series, Burton's Solo, came out in 2018 and Last Call at the Esposito in 2019. Sweetie Bogan's Sorrow was published in 2020, to thunderous pandemic acclaim. The sixth book in the series, Mickey's Mayhem, will come out in 2021. Dick lives and writes in Cape Elizabeth.

Beginners’ Luck

Posted on October 4, 2019 by Richard Cass

For reasons that might best go unexamined, I recently signed up to take a drawing class, having some vague notion of being able to illustrate a book one day. I’ve always been impressed by people who could render a recognizable … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 4 Comments

What the Heck is Fiction Any More?

Posted on September 5, 2019 by Richard Cass

First, in the Shameless Commerce Department: Please join me for the launch of the fourth Elder Darrow mystery, Last Call at the Esposito, on Tuesday, September 24 at 7 PM at Longfellow Books. There will be cake, maybe pie, a … Continue reading →

Posted in Dick's Posts | 9 Comments

Less Being More

Posted on August 5, 2019 by Richard Cass

I’m still fan-boying over my trip to Erin French’s Lost Kitchen last month, a bit of serendipity that comes from having good friends and a flexible notion of how far to drive for a good meal. Beyond the beautiful setting … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 4 Comments

Yours, Mine, and Ours

Posted on July 4, 2019 by Richard Cass

It seems only fitting, since my date this month lands directly on Independence Day, that I get to meander a little bit about the nature of independence. Like almost everyone, I love a parade and I love even more the … Continue reading →

Posted in Dick's Posts, Uncategorized | 3 Comments

No Spectators

Posted on June 5, 2019 by Richard Cass

Since we’re getting close to Fathers’ Day, I’d like to move away from our usual topics of Maine and writing and give a little extra appreciation to the Old Man™. Though, in fact, he’s been as proud of me as … Continue reading →

Posted in Dick's Posts, Uncategorized | 4 Comments

Serendipity Rules

Posted on May 3, 2019 by Richard Cass

Many decades ago, as a young freshman at a small liberal arts college in Maine that shall go herein unnamed, I was cautioned by the then-president, named after a Confederate general, to practice the art of serendipity. His advice? Go … Continue reading →

Posted in Dick's Posts | 6 Comments

Fall Down Nine Times, Get Up Ten

Posted on April 2, 2019 by Richard Cass

Or, if as happened earlier this month on my second outdoor walk of the spring, fall down once on an icy patch in the shade on Charles Jordan Road, get up, and don’t fall down again. But falling down—failing—is so … Continue reading →

Posted in Dick's Posts, Uncategorized | 8 Comments

Where We’ve Been is Where We Are

Posted on March 4, 2019 by Richard Cass

I’ve been lucky enough to live in some beautiful places: the Oregon Coast, the Connecticut River Valley, the Rockies and the Cascades, and though I always knew I’d come back to New England eventually, I wasn’t always sure which part. … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 7 Comments

Hold My Mail!

Posted on February 4, 2019 by Richard Cass

I do wish the bhastids wouldn’t start sending them out in January. But I’ll get to that in a minute. We’ve had a slow month post-holidays chez Cass. I’ve been rehabbing from a hip injury and working my way through … Continue reading →

Posted in Dick's Posts, Uncategorized | 3 Comments

Crime Writing and the Grandmaster

Posted on January 4, 2019 by Richard Cass

Going to go a little inside baseball on this topic, but when something wakes me up in the middle of the night, I know it’s something I need to write about. And since I have no facility at all for … Continue reading →