{"product_id":"the-last-altruist-a-maine-mystery-paperback","title":"The Last Altruist: A Maine Mystery - Paperback","description":"\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp style=\"text-align: right;\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/reportcopyrightinfringement.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eReport copyright infringement\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eRichard J. Cass\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eEveryone has a past. Some are willing to kill to keep it buried.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eFormer Army CID investigator Ardmore Theberge returns to Portland, Maine, determined to start over after a violent incident ends his military career. His plan is simple: build a quiet business drawing hand-crafted maps and stay out of trouble. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cbr\u003eBut trouble finds him anyway. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cbr\u003eWhen a powerful real estate developer is murdered inside a small stationery shop owned by Ardmore's new friend Rebekah Horvath, suspicion falls on her developmentally disabled son, Robbie. Before Ardmore can prove the boy's innocence, Robbie vanishes--turning a local tragedy into something far more dangerous. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cbr\u003eAs Ardmore digs deeper, he uncovers a conspiracy reaching far beyond Portland. Two ambitious politicians are desperate to acquire Rebekah's properties, tied to a secret buried years earlier during her time in the Foreign Service overseas. And standing in Ardmore's way is Roger McGinty--the officer whose brutal actions in Iraq led to the confrontation that destroyed Ardmore's career. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cbr\u003eNow Ardmore must untangle a web of political corruption, old betrayals, and personal vendettas to find a missing boy and expose the truth--before his past catches up with him and another innocent life is lost.\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eRichard Cass\u003c\/b\u003e is the author of the seven-book Elder Darrow jazz mystery series. The first book in the series won the 2018 Maine Literary Award for Crime Fiction. The fifth, \u003ci\u003eSweetie Bogan's Sorrow, \u003c\/i\u003ewon the Nancy Pearl Librarian's Prize for Genre Fiction. His Maine-based Ardmore Therberge thriller series launched with \u003ci\u003eThe Last Altruist\u003c\/i\u003e, and he has also published a short story collection, \u003ci\u003eGleam of Bone.\u003c\/i\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eCass holds a graduate degree in writing from the University of New Hampshire, where he studied with Thomas Williams, Jr. and Joseph Monninger. His short fiction and nonfiction have appeared in \u003ci\u003ePlayboy, Gray's Sporting Journal, ZZYZVA, Tough, Shotgun Honey \u003c\/i\u003eand\u003ci\u003e Best Short Stores of the American West. \u003c\/i\u003eHe is a regular contributor to the Maine Crime Writers blog\u003ci\u003e.\u003c\/i\u003e He is a lecturer at OLLI, and he lives in Cape Elizabeth, Maine with his wife Anne.\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 284\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.8 x 8.6 x 5.5 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e September 01, 2026\u003c\/div\u003e\n            ","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51409406165215,"sku":"9781952143786","price":18.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0813\/8958\/4607\/files\/JCggE92LLN9781952143786.webp?v=1789617538","url":"https:\/\/blackandbarhe.com\/products\/the-last-altruist-a-maine-mystery-paperback","provider":"Black \u0026 Barhe Bookstore","version":"1.0","type":"link"}