6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Benumbed, Bewildered Brady Broods About Bloody Bodies, November 27, 2000
If you are new to the Brady Coyne mystery series, you have a lot of worthwhile catching up to do. Brady is a Boston-based lawyer operating as a sole practitioner with a white shoe clientele normally needing simple advice at high rates. As a divorced father of two grown sons, Brady doesn't need the rat race and normally spends some time daily staring out the window, musing about life, or planning his next fishing trips and visits to Fenway Park.
The problem with this sort of practice, however, is that sometimes the white shoe clients step into a mess, and need someone to clean up after them. In a large practice, there's always one partner who does this. In a single-lawyer office, you have to do it yourself.
Brady gets one of those calls every lawyer hates to get. Jake Gold contacts Brady at the request of Jake's wife, Sharon. Their son, Brian, and his girl friend, Jenny, have been in a car accident. The car is in the river, and Jenny is dead. Brian is presumed dead, and divers are searching for the remains.
Brady asks Jake what he can do. Jake says nothing, and Brady asks if he can sit with them. Jake agrees, and Brady treks out to rural Reddington to be with his clients. After a decent interval, he leaves for his date with Evie, the new woman in his life.
But in typical Brady fashion, he starts looking around. Something seems to be out of focus. What really is the picture?
A few days later, Jake comes to the office unexpectedly. This visit leads to a series of dramatic developments and complications that test Brady in every possible way. Who can he trust? Whose secrets should he keep? How can he help? How can he protect himself? Who else is in danger?
The beauty of this story is that Brady is confronted with a series of moral dilemmas of the sort that most of us hope we will never face. Through the tale, the reader gets a chance to consider vicariously what she or he would do in the same situation. I think most people will find this consideration rewarding.
The weakness of the way these dilemmas are portrayed in the story is that nonlawyers will not quite get enough information from Mr. Tapply to understand what the full dimensions of the moral dilemmas are. Vague references to being "an officer of the court" won't mean much to most people. That's a pity, because these dilemmas are very nicely applied to a lawyer's situation.
The main weakness of the book is that it is unreasonably violent in its plot line. Few will find the story totally credible as a result. Even fewer will find the violence rewarding and appealing. Some will even argue that much of the violence is gratuitous. I tended to feel that way myself.
The plot is too transparent also. The good news is that the interesting moral questions redeem the story from that weakness.
If you are an experienced Tapply fan and like the Brady Coyne stories, I think you will probably agree that this is one of the weakest outings. Based on that standard, this is probably a three star Tapply. What Coyne fans will like about this book is that it develops the Coyne character through his adversity in ways that are rewarding to the reader. You come to see many new sides of Brady. As a result, you should read the book anyway. We have to hope that Tapply's next outing will be better, however. Character development and underdeveloped moral dilemmas are not enough to carry a series about a lawyer/sleuth.
Whether you are an experienced or a new Tapply reader, realize that this is a dark tale. Read it when you are in a good mood on a sunny day.
After you finish the book, I suggest you think back to the last time you had a duty to several different people at the same time and those duties were in conflict. How else might you have resolved this conflict? Are those solutions better than the one that you pursued? What are the lessons for the future?
Honor your duties and in so doing, honor yourself.
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5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Tight Lines and Rebel Yell, June 23, 2001
Not being adept at writing book reviews, two things come to mind as I set-out to write about this excellent mystery novel: first, to give an opinion about the book, and secondly not to give away the conclusion to the mystery. So as not to spoil the ending, I will avoid the latter concern and say a few words about the former. Here's my opinion: Simply stated, Scar Tissue by William G. Tapply is a gripping mystery in the Brady Coyne series. This was my introduction to Tapply's mystery writing, and I am eager to seek out other editions. I found Scar Tissue to be a fast-paced, intriguing story with some likable and not so likable characters. Tapply develops his characters with depth and sensitivity, Brady Coyne being the most magnetic. Coyne never misses a beat, even as he winds his way through the plot in a human and down to earth manner. For the reader who is looking for an engrossing mystery with a twisting, turning plot and unlikely outcome, this book is for you. I look forward to Brady Coyne's next adventure. Now, back to my fly-tying bench.
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