REVIEW for Outwitting Trolls

TITLE:                  Outwitting Trolls

AUTHOR:            William Tapply

GENRE:                Mystery

RATING:              5 Stars

I am a huge, huge fan of author William Tapply and I had been looking forward to reading Outwitting Trolls for the last year.

The thing about Tapply's books is that there is very little in the way of mayhem, car chases, sex, drugs and other "hooks" that can usually be found in mystery/thrillers.  Rather, Tapply has always relied on strong character development and an interesting "whodunnit" to propel his story ahead. 

In fact, lawyer Brady Coyne, who stars in most of Tapply's books (the Brady Coyne series anyway) is a wonderful, wonderful character that I have truly grown to love over the course of the years I have been reading Tapply's books.     In reality, Brady Coyne is featured in 25 books - so I have had plenty of time to discover more about him AND to savor and enjoy each moment.

Outwitting Trolls is another example of a wonderfully crafted story that felt all too short to me.  Brady is getting older, but is still a reflective, animal loving. calm force that I have discovered in previous books.  He solves problems with sense and words  - not with guns and violence. 

The whoddunit is about figuring things out - about thinking instead of running around like a maniac.  I had to admit that I did have the whole thing figured out by about halfway through the book but I just don't care - because a huge part of the fun for me is reading about Brady's life and how he seems to get himself into all kinds of weird situations.

If this review sounds a little bit gushy it is because I am very sad to say that Brady Coyne is no more.  Author William Tapply passed away last year and as it is clearly indicated on his website and on the jacket of this book - Outwitting Trolls is the last "completed" Brady Coyne novel that has been found by Tapply's family. Of course, I immediately have started wondering about what "incomplete" manuscripts might be floating around, but I think that the Tapply family (although i don't know this for a fact) is gently telling his fans that Brady has passed away - along with Tapply.

It is a sign of how much I loved this character, that I actually have a tear in my eye - I swear, it feels as though Coyne has actually died.....

I feel privileged to have been able to read Tapply's last Brady Coyne novel.  RIP William Tapply