Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hardball | 1989 | Barbara D’Amato | Buy |
| 2 | Hard Tack | 1991 | Barbara D’Amato | Buy |
| 3 | Hard Luck | 1992 | Barbara D’Amato | Buy |
| 4 | Hard Women | 1993 | Barbara D’Amato | Buy |
| 5 | Hard Case | 1994 | Barbara D’Amato | Buy |
| 6 | Hard Christmas | 1995 | Barbara D’Amato | Buy |
| 7 | Hard Bargain | 1997 | Barbara D’Amato | Buy |
| 8 | Hard Evidence | 1999 | Barbara D’Amato | Buy |
| 9 | Hard Road | 2001 | Barbara D’Amato | Buy |
The Cat Marsala Mystery series by Barbara D’Amato runs nine books from 1989 to 2001. Every title in the series carries the “Hard” prefix — Hardball, Hard Tack, Hard Luck, Hard Women, Hard Case, Hard Christmas, Hard Bargain, Hard Evidence, and Hard Road — giving the collection a consistent identity across its twelve-year run.
The series starts with Hardball in 1989 and moves through a new entry roughly every one to two years until Hard Road in 2001. Hard Christmas, the sixth book from 1995, is a notable entry given its seasonal setting within an otherwise straightforward mystery series.