Product Description

Walt Duffy spent his life traveling the world, documenting the beauty and wonder of nature through the lens of a camera. But there was nothing natural about the ugly way he died, his skull fractured by an unknown assailant, his broken body left sprawled right in his own backyard. The irony wasn't lost on Boston attorney Brady Coyne. He first met Duffy while handling his divorce a decade earlier, and their relationship evolved into a working friendship. He knew Duffy well, or so Brady thought. That belief is about to be put to the test when Coyne is brought in for questioning by both the local police and the FBI, who reveal Duffy's ties to a notorious ecoterrorist group that is currently setting fires to homes and offices around the Boston area. And when Brady begins to get mysterious calls in the middle of the night, warning of the next fire to be set, he knows that he has become an unwilling pawn in a chess game with the deadliest of consequences.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #423436 in Books
• Published on: 2004-06-24
• Original language: English
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• 304 pages

From Amazon.com
Walter Duffy was the world's leading bird photographer until an accident crippled him. So Boston lawyer Brady Coyne, an old friend, makes a point of visiting him in his bird-filled garden terrace--until the day Brady finds him lying next to his crutches, fatally bashed in the back of the head. Was it an accident or murder? Where is Walter's college-age son, who was also his much abused household helper? Who keeps calling Brady at odd hours, tipping him off to upcoming arson fires? And what's it all got to do with a packet of letters allegedly written by Meriwether Lewis?

This is Brady Coyne's 19th solo outing, and fans will find their hero just as likable, even-tempered, and incorruptible as ever. They'll also appreciate his growing relationship with companion Eve Banyon (who may be unrealistically gorgeous and devoted, but whose presence gives rise to one of the best sex-in-a-thunderstorm scenes you'll read this year). The suspense in A Fine Line is on the mild side, and the slightly disconnected plot concludes with a too-neat wrap-up. But you'll still enjoy reading Tapply for his fully fleshed people, his evocation of Boston, and his lean prose, which--as always--goes down as smoothly as 16-year-old single malt. --Nicholas H. Allison

From Publishers Weekly
Brady Coyne (Past Tense; Scar Tissue; etc.) has been around for almost two decades now, and the low-key, fly-fishing Boston lawyer with an overly developed need for self-reliance has never been in better form. Among Coyne's clients who are also personal friends is Walt Duffy, a nature photographer recently derailed by a paralyzing accident. Duffy asks Coyne to carry a packet of letters, purported to be from explorer Meriwether Lewis to ornithologist Alexander Wilson, to a noted book dealer for authentication. Soon thereafter, Duffy is dead from a suspicious accident; his son, Ethan, is missing; and Coyne is about to embark on a case that will once again test not only his ability to survive but his willingness to accept help and support from others. As the case escalates from accident to murder, an amorphous group of ecoterrorists, using arson as a primary weapon, begins to emerge as suspects. A deadly arsonist uses our hero as a pawn, forcing the attorney to comply with his demands or put others at deadly risk. At the same time police and FBI press Coyne to cooperate. Coyne's tendency to draw into himself and face the problem alone may be the wrong decision, especially since it threatens his deepening relationship with girlfriend Evie Banyon. Tapply consistently delivers well-written, well-constructed and thoroughly entertaining mysteries, and his latest is a fine addition to the series.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
This strong nineteenth entry in the Brady Coyne series finds the outdoorsy Boston lawyer looking into the death of old friend and client Walt Duffy, a renowned bird photographer embittered by a paralyzing fall. Duffy's long-suffering son goes missing after the bird expert takes another spill--this one fatal--and Coyne can't help but suspect patricide. As he wings his way through an investigation that pulls him into the world of ecoterrorism, the middle-aged attorney also wrestles with the notion of shacking up with girlfriend Evie. But how can he give up his freedom if even looking after Duffy's dog proves to be a constant hassle? Watching Coyne and Evie decide what they want to do with their lives is the most satisfying aspect of this well-told tale. With his unapologetic penchant for a life of leisure that includes Rebel Yell bourbon, fly-fishing, and one appealingly loose woman--coupled with a narrative voice as comfortable as a favorite sweatshirt--Coyne makes it difficult indeed to dislike lawyers. Frank Sennett
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Customer Reviews

A fine Brady Coyne novel
Every Tuesday, Boston lawyer Brady Coyne visits his friend Walt Duffy, once the foremost bird photographer in the country until he too had a bad fall and ended up a paraplegic. Now he lives in his Boston townhouse and spends much of his time bird watching in his garden. He lives with his college age son Ethan and their dog Henry. On Brady's latest visit, Walt asks him to get some letters appraised by antiquarian book dealer and fellow bird lover Ben Fyre.

The next day Walt asks Brady to visit him at his home but when the lawyer arrives he finds his friend/client dead with the police calling it a homicide. Ethan is nowhere to be found and Ben insists Brady take back the letters. When Ben is murdered too and Ethan remains missing, Brady finds himself in the middle of a FBI investigation involving eco-terrorists.

A Brady Coyne novel is always a treat and A FINE LINE is especially fine. It's cute watching Brady taking care of Nathan's dog Henry and decide whether or not he's brave enough to make a commitment to his girlfriend Eve. The plot is a clever adventure in misdirection and readers will find themselves caught up in the non-stop action of William G. Tapply's latest work.

Harriet Klausner