[.ca] A Fine Line: A Brady Coyne Novel (ISBN 0312989784)

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

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