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Shadow of Death by William G. TapplyShadow of Death

A Brady Coyne Mystery

William G. Tapply

St. Martin's Minotaur (Hardcover)

ISBN: 0-312-30377-7

Publication Date: November, 2003

List Price: $24.95

Synopsis (from the publisher): Suspicious that his candidate's husband might be having an affair, the campaign manager convinces Boston attorney Brady Coyne to hire a discreet private investigator to find out what is really going on before the campaign itself is derailed. Brady is normally reluctant to get involved in this kind of domestic situation but the candidate is an old friend who has asked for his help personally. Hopeful that any odd turn of behavior will be easily explained away, Brady hires a former undercover cop turn P.I. to tail the possibly-errant husband.

What appeared to be a simple situation quickly turns deadly when Brady first gets a cryptic call from the P.I. and then the P.I. is found murdered in a car crash clearly staged to make it appear to be an accident. Since Brady is barred by attorney/client privilege from speaking to the police-and his client has refused to relinquish privilege to allow him to do so-he takes it upon himself to find out what has happened to the still missing husband and the people responsible for the murder of his colleague.

From Boston's North End to the pastoral village of Southwick, New Hampshire, Brady's quest to uncover the truth leads him to face the deadly consequences of a decades-old tragedy.

Review: Brady Coyne returns in Shadow of Death, the twentieth mystery in this series by William G. Tapply.

There are several notable aspects to this book; unfortunately, the mystery isn't one of them. The dust jacket description provides the unifying key to the individually puzzling elements of Brady's case, allowing the reader to be far more clever in solving the mystery than Brady himself. That said, there are a one or two unexpected twists and turns that help keep the book from being a total disappointment.

The more interesting perspectives of the book have to do with Brady's relationship with Evie, his professional conflicts with his clients, and Tapply's devastating insights into the priorities of a political campaign.

Brady is clearly aging well. It's good for the series that a character changes with the passage of time, and doesn't get stale or, worse, predictable. Though Shadow of Death is far from among the best of this series, reading a Brady Coyne mystery is like meeting up with an old friend, comfortable and satisfying.

Review Copyright © 2003 Hidden Staircase Mystery Books

Other mysteries in this series by William G. Tapply:

Death at Charity's Point
A Brady Coyne Mystery

Scribner (1984)
ISBN: 0-684-18056-1

The Dutch Blue Error
A Brady Coyne Mystery

Scribner (1985)
ISBN: 0-684-18213-0 

Follow the Sharks
A Brady Coyne Mystery

Scribner (1985)
ISBN: 0-684-18446-X

The Marine Corpse
A Brady Coyne Mystery

Scribner (1986)
ISBN: 0-684-18681-0

Dead Meat
A Brady Coyne Mystery

Scribner (1987)
ISBN: 0-684-18682-9

The Vulgar Boatman
A Brady Coyne Mystery

Scribner (1987)
ISBN: 0-684-18792-2

A Void in Hearts
A Brady Coyne Mystery

Scribner (1988)
ISBN: 0-684-18793-0

Dead Winter
A Brady Coyne Mystery

Delacorte (1989)
ISBN: 0-385-29711-4

Client Privilege
A Brady Coyne Mystery

Delacorte (1989)
ISBN: 0-385-29903-6

The Spotted Cats
A Brady Coyne Mystery

Delacorte (1991)
ISBN: 0-385-30233-9

Tight Lines
A Brady Coyne Mystery

Delacorte (1992)
ISBN: 0-385-30234-7

The Snake Eater
A Brady Coyne Mystery

Otto Penzler Books (1993)
ISBN: 1-88340-204-2

The Seventh Enemy
A Brady Coyne Mystery

Otto Penzler Books (1995)
ISBN: 1-88340-299-9

Close to the Bone
A Brady Coyne Mystery

St. Martin's Press (1996)
ISBN: 0-312-14567-5

Cutter's Run
A Brady Coyne Mystery

St. Martin's Press (1998)
ISBN: 0-312-18561-8

Muscle Memory
A Brady Coyne Mystery

St. Martin's Press (1999)
ISBN: 0-312-20563-5

Scar Tissue
A Brady Coyne Mystery

St. Martin's Minotaur (2000)
ISBN: 0-312-26679-0

Past Tense
A Brady Coyne Mystery

St. Martin's Minotaur (2001)
ISBN: 0-312-28442-X

A Fine Line
A Brady Coyne Mystery

St. Martin's Minotaur (2002)
ISBN: 0-312-30352-1

Nervous Water
A Brady Coyne Mystery

St. Martin's Minotaur (2005)
ISBN: 0-312-33744-2

Out Cold
A Brady Coyne Mystery

St. Martin's Minotaur (2006)
ISBN: 0-312-33746-9

Omnimystery keyword(s) for Shadow of Death ...

Locations referenced:
Boston



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