New author on my list: William G. Tapply

Just finished reading "Outwitting Trolls" by William G. Tapply. Why am I just now discovering this great author? Loved the book. Sadly, Tapply died in 2009 according to the book jacket (which I just read). Outwitting Trolls was the last novel he completed before his death. I finished reading the book anticipating the next in the series which feature Brady Coyne as the main character. Now I'll never know if he makes it in his relationship, a side bar to the storyline, but a thread that would have continued in subsequent novels.

I am consoling myself with the fact that I'll be able to go back to the beginning and read forward to the end again. I'm sure I'll re-read Outwitting Trolls when I roll back around to it in the line.

I grabbed it simply because of the title. I "assumed" it had something to do with the kind of trolls people talk about on Facebook! Trolls on Facebook are typically those who just like to be friends or join groups so they can grouse, be offended or take potshots.

The book has nothing to do with Facebook or other similar trolls. It's a murder mystery with  Boston attorney Brady Coyne as the friendly, brilliant solver of great crimes. It's not a deep novel but it is engaging. It's another quick read, not one that requires a lot of brain power to keep up with. It had just the right smattering of humor, insights into human nature and mini-twists.

An old friend of Coyne's, Ken Nichols, comes into town and wants to meet for drinks. They meet, catch up on life and part. The next night Coyne get's a call from his friend's ex-wife saying she came to meet Nichols in his hotel room and discovered him dead. Life and death, family interactions, love and antagonism follow.

The characters were a little bit more sterile than I normally like. They didn't react emotionally in ways that I could connect with on a personal level, but I still enjoyed the book. I'm having a hard time trying to convey what I mean regarding the characters. It didn't take away from the book. I just found myself thinking off and on that I didn't know anyone who would react to similar situations in the same way. Shoot, you're just going to have to read the book to see what I mean. Let me know. Maybe you'll be able to better.

I will be heading back to the library to pick up past novels by Tapply. He also wrote a number of books on fishing and wildlife. I'll  stick to his fiction novels. According to the jacket he has written 'more than twenty critically acclaimed novels of crime fiction'. As said, I don't know how I missed reading his books. I am an avid crime fiction reader.