In Solo Time

Elder Darrow Mystery #1

by Richard J. Cass

An alcoholic walks into a bar . . . and buys it. At the urging of his sometimes lover and sometimes drinking partner Jacquie Robillard, Elder Darrow uses the last of the money from the trust fund his mother left him to buy the Esposito, a bucket-of-blood bar in Boston that he plans to turn into a jazz nightclub. But before he can turn the place around, the body of Timmy McGuire, a jazz guitar player, shows up on the small stage at the Esposito, stabbed to death.
Dan Burton, a Boston Homicide detective, likes Jacquie for the murder. She had a contentious relationship with the guitar player (and a few other men along the way). But one of the other men Jacquie is involved with is the son of an old-line Boston landlord with political designs on the commonwealth’s governorship. Burton arrests Jacquie for Timmy McGuire’s murder but Elder is certain something darker and deeper than a lover’s quarrel is at stake.
Jacquie is released on bail. When she shows up dead, Elder is drawn into a conspiracy going back to Timmy’s childhood, an arson in the three-decker in Mattapan where he grew up, and the unraveling of a political conspiracy. Elder’s need to solve Timmy’s murder peaks when his jazz singer lady friend, Alison Somers, is kidnapped by the perpetrators. In the end, he has to solve the mystery and rescue Alison without the help of the police or anyone else.

Genres: Fiction

279 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 20, 2017

About the author

Richard Cass grew up in Boston, lived through the bussing years, and graduated from Boston Latin School, the oldest public school in the United States. He’s had the very good fortune to study with such superb writers and teachers as Thomas Williams Jr., Ernest Hebert, and Ursula K. LeGuin.
He is the author of Solo Act, the first novel in the Elder Darrow Boston jazz mystery series, which he pitched as “an alcoholic walks into a dive bar and decides to buy it.” Solo Act was published in January of 2016 and was a finalist for the 2017 Maine Literary Awards in the Crime Fiction category. The prequel to Solo Act, In Solo Time, was published in September, 2017. Burton’s Solo, Book 3, came out in 2018. Last Call at the Esposito, Book 4, was published in 2019, and Book 5, Sweetie Bogan’s Sorrow, appeared in 2020. Book 6, tentatively titled Mickey’s Monkey, is scheduled for publication in November 2021.
Dick serves on the board of Maine Writers and Publishers Alliance and lives in Cape Elizabeth, ME. Reach him at @DickCass on Twitter or through his web site rjcassbooks.com.

Reviews

[Vaughn · Rating 4 out of 5]

A drunk walks into a bar...and buys it. Definitely a unique concept. Enjoyable read

[L.C. Rooney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Since I purchased the first three Elder Darrow mysteries at once, I decided to begin with the prequel, In Solo Time, which was actually published in 2017. Those who started reading this series when it began would have started with Solo Act (published 2016). The choice is yours; your enjoyment of this series will not be affected either way.

Elder Darrow buys a dive known as The Esposito with dreams of turning it into a jazz club. The discovery of murdered jazz musician Timmy McGuire at the bar opens the action and drives relentlessly forward.

Darrow is a complex character, richly drawn, right from page one. Ditto the detective Burton, Elder's father Thomas, the piano player Cy, Darrow's love interest Alison--yeah, every secondary character present and accounted for. You'll be totally drawn into the goings on at The Esposito. In fact, you'll want to be there every night.

Start where you will, but start this series.

[Jeri Theriault · Rating 5 out of 5]

Elder Darrow is as good as ever in SOLO TIME. If you've read SOLO ACT, this prequel will fill in some of the background. If you're new to Cass's work, starting here is a good option. Either way, you'll love Elder, a complex and ultimately admirable character, a gritty and contemplative everyman. One of my favorite parts of IN SOLO TIME is the father/son dynamic. I also love the deft weave of musical allusion, especially the reference to Joni Mitchell. I can't wait for Darrow #3.

[Alice · Rating 4 out of 5]

This first book in the Elder Darrow, noir fiction series by Maine author, Richard J. Cass, kept me reading to find out whodunit! Set in nearby Boston, several of the characters travel into Maine near the end of the book.

[Joe Esposito · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great Murder Mystery

Good story and kept me going until the end. For readers of Solo Act, learn the background of the characters and more about the Esposito.

[Ed Lemire · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. Unfortunately, interruptions from life prevented me to have a good start to this book, but the more chances I got to read it, the more opportunities I looked for to continue. I am now excited to move on to book #2 in the Elder Darrow mysteries, Solo Act.

[Peggy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This murder mystery is set in Boston and mostly takes place in a barroom. The one complaint I had about the book was that three of the characters had names that began with the letter "T." Until I got into the story, the names confused me.

[Tony Sannicandro · Rating 4 out of 5]

👍

[Alice Persons · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wrote a review earlier and it has disappeared. ?

I highly recommend this book, a prequel in the series. Wonderful sense of Boston (with a side trip to Maine), interesting characters, enough plot to keep us guessing. Elder is a complex character, not too tough but not a wimp. We meet Burton the cop for the first time. This is rather dark and seedy, which is how I like mysteries, with layers. I think the series gets better and better as it goes along.

[Richard Cass]

This is the prequel to Solo Act.