This series includes 9 books.
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Book 1Hardball
by Barbara D'Amato
A bomb explodes, taking the life of Louise Sugarman and injuring reporter Cat Marsala. As a controversial advocate for the decriminalization of drugs and for treating addiction as a medical problem, Sugarman has many enemies. Outraged by the attack, Cat resolves to find the killer. The investigation forces Cat to confront the issue and the people on both sides of the debate. This Mystery Company edition restores to print the 1990 novel that marked the debut of the Cat Marsala series.
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Book 2Hard Tack
by Barbara D'Amato
Chicago journalist-sleuth Catherine "Cat" Marsala , who scored well her first time around (in Hardball ), proves her mettle in her second appearance. On assignment to "see how the other half lives," Cat, who's afraid of water and can't swim, is invited to cruise Lake Michigan on a 62-foot yacht owned and captained by gentlemanly furniture magnate Will Honeywell; others on board are his wife, son and their guests. What starts as smooth sailing, with gourmet food and stimulating companions , turns stormy, as gale winds blow up and two men fight over a society woman who has been toying with both of them. A tranquilizer pacifies one of the combatants, but Mother Nature is not so easily calmed. When morning reveals a murder victim, Cat knows the company must include the killer. Cat needs shrewdness and courage to solve the crime, and she has these in good measure. But her sense of humor and naturalness are what will win readers' hearts. Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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Book 3
Hard Luck
by Barbara D'Amato
Chicago journalist Cat Marsala decides to investigate the inception of a new Central States Lottery, and when the man she is about to interview falls from a high-rise window and lands at her feet, she suspects foul play.
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Book 4
Hard Women
by Barbara D'Amato
While investigating prostitution in the Windy City, Chicago journalist Cat Marsala befriends a young escort named Sandra, whose murder she must soon unravel.
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Book 5Hard Case
by Barbara D'Amato
In the fifth series title by the author of On My Honor, Chicago freelance journalist Cat Marsala is investigating teamwork at a hospital trauma center when Dr. Edith Crosstant, Director of Trauma Services, is murdered, possibly by a ""teammate.""
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Book 6Hard Christmas
by Barbara D'Amato
When journalist-turned-sleuth Cat Marsala finds shady dealings on the DeGraaf Christmas tree farm and a fresh corpse turns up, she is sure that the family closet is full of other skeletons and becomes determined to get to the bottom of it all. Reprint. AB. PW.
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Book 7Hard Bargain
by Barbara D'Amato
When a Chicago policewoman catches a fellow officer in the act of attacking his wife and shoots him, Chicago investigative reporter Cat Marsala tries to piece together the truth behind the event, which ignites a media frenzy. 17,500 first printing."
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Book 8Hard Evidence
by Barbara D'Amato
It starts with a soup bone. Chicago freelance journalist Cat Marsala, relaxing at home after a long week's work reporting on the city's best restaurants, looks forward to a quiet evening with her semi-significant other, Dr. Sam Davidian; her parrot, Long John Silver; and her temporary houseguest, a Dalmatian named Dapper. As a special treat, Cat buys Dapper his very own soup bone at Chicago's most elegant and exotic food emporium, Spenser and Angelotti. The Dalmatian is delighted with his bone, but his euphoria is short-lived when Sam, a trauma surgeon, snatches the bone away. One close look tells Sam that he and Cat will not enjoy the romantic evening they'd planned. The bone is human, probably part of a large male's leg, which suggests two immediate problems: a murder may have occurred at the Spenser and Angelotti store and a potential health hazard may exist in the store's butcher shop and meat cases. Cat's purchase was packaged in plastic, tucked in next to the beef, lamb, and pork. How much meat has been contaminated? How many other customers will face similar surprises? Cat gets on the phone to her longtime friend, Chicago's chief of detectives, Harold McCoo, who with the mayor, the medical examiner, and other officials, agrees to a deal. The store will do a five-times-your-money-back recall on its meat, and Cat and the cops will have twenty-four hours to find a killer before the story goes public and Spenser and Angelotti's reputation is trashed. Co-owner Bruno Angelotti, desperate to preserve his beloved store's reputation, brings in Cat to work undercover in catering. If she has a good reason to be in the store, she can ask questions more easily and observe the employees in unguarded moments. Is one of them a killer? When Cat's car windshield is broken as a warning, it's clear that somebody, at least, does not want Cat nosing around Spenser and Angelotti. And that's only the beginning in a dangerous case that takes Cat and the reader deep inside the intriguing worlds of specialty foods and funeral homes. Somebody will stop at nothing, even another murder, to obscure the evidence of one of the most bizarre crimes Cat has ever encountered. With all the ingredients that have made Barbara D'Amato's mysteries such favorites -- the puzzle, the research, the ensemble characters, the rich Chicago setting, the police detail -- Hard Evidence is powerful, page-turning entertainment from one of the very best of contemporary crime writers.
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Book 9Hard Road
by Barbara D'Amato
The Harry Potter of its time, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and the forty or so other books in the Oz series have become perennial sellers. There are Oz festivals, Oz fan clubs, Oz newsletters, and, of course, Oz Web sites and chat rooms. And now there's Hard Road, a Cat Marsala mystery in which author Barbara D'Amato shares her own love of Oz. D'Amato's father knew Oz author L. Frank Baum and as a child played with Baum's children. Five generations of D'Amato's family have been Oz aficionados, including her novelist son, Brian D'Amato, who in his essay gives us special insight into Baum's world. The story begins at a big centennial Oz festival in Chicago's Grant Park. Investigative reporter Cat Marsala rediscovers the wonderful world of Oz when she takes her six-year-old nephew Jeremy to meet Dorothy and the Tin Man and to explore the Yellow Brick Road, the Emerald City, and all the other Oz-inspired creations to be found at the summer festival celebrating a century of Oz books. It's opening day, and Cat is babysitting her brother Barry's young son while Barry, a professional events organizer, confers with dignitaries. But suddenly a day of pure delight turns into a scene of horror. Cat and Jeremy witness a murder, and the chief suspect is a man they both love -- Barry. He can't be the killer, but Cat also can't deny what she saw with her own eyes. Cat's first priority is to get Jeremy away from the devastation. They run to the merry-go-round, but as they circle on the brightly painted animals, a shot rings out. Someone is aiming at Cat, or perhaps at the boy. Could Barry be desperate enough to shoot at his own sister and child, the only witnesses to the killing? Desperate to save Jeremy, Cat grabs him and ducks into one of the tunnels that lead out to Michigan Avenue. As she and her nephew crawl for their lives, they know they are not in Kansas anymore. Someone far more evil than the Wicked Witch is in pursuit, and the magical world of Oz seems very far away. Anthony Award-winning author Barbara D'Amato combines a fine mystery plot with engaging insights into the ongoing appeal of the Oz books in this memorable addition to her acclaimed series. For mystery and Oz fans alike, Hard Road is a special treat. Includes: Twenty Questions in Oz: An Oz Quiz The Wooden Gargoyles: Evil in Oz by Brian D'Amato
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