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A Fine Line
William G. Tapply Book Review

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Plot Summary of A Fine Line
"

St. Martin's, Nov 2002, 24.95, 320 pp.
ISBN 031284960

Every Tuesday, Boston lawyer Brady Coyne visits his friend Walt Duffy, once the foremost bird photographer in the country until he too had a bad fall and ended up a paraplegic. Now he lives in his Boston townhouse and spends much of his time bird watching in his garden. He lives with his college age son Ethan and their dog Henry. On Brady's latest visit, Walt asks him to get some letters appraised by antiquarian book dealer and fellow bird lover Ben Fyre.

The next day Walt asks Brady to visit him at his home but when the lawyer arrives he finds his friend/client dead with the police calling it a homicide. Ethan is nowhere to be found and Ben insists Brady take back the letters. When Ben is murdered too and Ethan remains missing, Brady finds himself in the middle of a FBI investigation involving eco-terrorists.

A Brady Coyne novel is always a treat and A FINE LINE is especially fine. It's cute watching Brady taking care of Nathan's dog Henry and decide whether or not he's brave enough to make a commitment to his girlfriend Eve. The plot is a clever adventure in misdirection and readers will find themselves caught up in the non-stop action of William G. Tapply's latest work.

Harriet Klausner
"

Harriet Klausner, Resident Scholar



Review Analysis of A Fine Line
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot

Composition of Book
descript. of violence and chases - 10%
Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 50%
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 30%
How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 10%




Tone of story - suspenseful (sophisticated fear)
How difficult to spot villain? - Very difficult--no foreshadowing/clues
Time/era of story: - present (2000-2010)
What % of story relates directly to the mystery, not the subplot? - 60%
Kind of investigator - skilled citizen investigator
Kid or adult book? - Adult or Young Adult Book
Any non-mystery subplot? - searching for missing person
Crime Thriller Yes
Murder Mystery (killer unknown) Yes

Main Character
Gender - Male
Profession/status: - a lawyer creature
Age: - 40's-50's
How much violence does he/she use? - a little
Ethnicity/Race - White/American
How sensitive is this character? - middling sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters
Physique - very athletic

Main Adversary
Identity: - Male
Age: - 40's-50's
Profession/status: - police/lawman
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in: - a moderate amount
Motive of antagonist - revenge
How sensitive is this character? - middling sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters
Physique - very athletic

Setting
United States Yes
The US: - Northeast

Style
Person - mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death? - generic/vague references to death/punishment
How many deaths? - 3-4
Amount of dialog - significantly more dialog than descript
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