Boston Attorney Brady Coyne Gets Tangled Up in a Small-Town Mystery

Scar Tissue is among the best of the books in William G. Tapply's series featuring Boston attorney Brady coyne, largely because it features one of the best plots that Tapply ever developed for the series. Coyne has a small, one-man practice, and focuses mostly on writing wills and doing other such mundane tasks for a small group of generally very wealthy clients. 

In line with the personal service he provides, Brady has become close friends with a number of his clients and, as a friend rather than as their lawyer, Brady rushes to the side of Jake and Sharon Gold when their son, Brian, is involved in a fatal traffic accident. Brian was riding in a car driven by his girlfriend, when the car veered off a slick highway in the middle of winter and plunged down the bank into an icy river. The girlfriend was killed immediately; Brian, who was not wearing his seatbelt, was apparently thrown from the car and and swept away.

The Golds live in the small town of Reddington, and hour or so away from Boston, and the accident occurred on the outskirts of town. Brady sits with the Golds while waiting for Brian's body to be recovered, but his curiosity gets the better of him and he decides to examine the site of the accident for himself. He also talks to the local police chief and gets the distinct impression that the chief does not want him to be interfering with the investigation.

Of course, as any reader knows, you should never tell the protagonist in a book like this to butt out of your business, and sure enough, Brady continues poking around. Almost immediately, the wheels start turning, and Brady had better be looking over his shoulder for the trouble that is about to rain down on him.

As I've said in earlier reviews, Brady Coyne is an engaging protagonist and this is a solid regional mystery series. In and around his investigation, Brady's personal life continues to develop, and no one who enjoys the series will want to miss this entry.