Out Cold: A Brady Coyne Novel

I too have read and usually enjoyed all of Tapply's books. I am very fond of his character Brady Coyne, but most of all I appreciate Tapply's use of the language. He tells a good story in such a way that I can easily SEE the action in my mind. This book held my attention as it moved right along; I couldn't put it down. I'm not sure I was reading the same book some of the other reviewers read. And BTW, there was nothing, neither pro nor con, concerning the legalization of abortion.

one of the best Coyne books all of them are excellent couldnt put this one down. Fantastic

On a freezing morning in Boston's Back Bay, attorney Brady Coyne wakes up thinking about how he misses his "virtual spouse" Evie as he lets Henry their Brittany spaniel companion out the back door into four inches of snow. However, instead of taking care of business and getting back inside to warmth and breakfast, Henry growls and paws at the snow. Frustrated because Henry ignores his commands, Brady goes out side in the cold to retrieve his canine only to learn why the dog refused to come home. A teenage girl lies probably dead as EMT arrives to try to and save her. His secretary tells him the girl was rushed to Suffolk County Medical Center, but learns what really happened to her when Boston homicide cop Saundra Mendoza visits to question him. She tells him the girl was most likely dead before he found her from hypothermia and a loss of blood from a miscarriage, which Brady thinks means in this case amateur abortion. Brady needs to know who teenage Jane Doe was and why she crawled into his backyard to die. As he digs someone watches him just in case. Brady Coyne's latest investigation is a terrific cautionary story that is at its best when the lawyer is obsessed to learn the truth about the girl who died in his backyard because he feels some guilt though he logically knows he did everything he could for her. The story line loses some of its deepest meaning though retains the exhilaration when it veers into the culprit trying to insure he never learns the truth. OUT COLD is a fabulous mystery in which William G. Tapply warns that abolishing legal abortion will drive it into the back allies for the poor (and overseas for the middle and upper classes). Harriet Klausner

I rated this book as a 4 star because I am such a huge fan of Tapply and his character Brady Coyne. Had this been the very first Brady Coyne I had read, I would have rated a 3 stars. Why? Unfortunately, this one is very, very slow. While Tapply is not known for writing à la Patterson with car chases and extremely detailed accounts of the act of murder, he is ALWAYS capable of moving a storyline along at a good (great) pace. This book is the exception. While I am eternally grateful that Tapply has made very little detailed references to fishing in this book, the storyline of Coyne accidentally finding the body of a murdered girl is his back yard just does not have the bite that his other storylines usually have. Additionally, his intereaction with the people in his life such as Evie and Julie felt forced and almost like all the characters were not connecting. I did not feel my usual investment in the storyline. While Coyne was his usual fun, interesting character, this book just felt slightly off for me. I did manage to finish it and I will absolutely continue reading this series - I just was not devouring this book as I usually would with the other ones. However, because Tapply is such a strong author, I could not, in good conscience, rate him lower than a 4 star.