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Brady Coyne Books in Order

Part ofWilliam G Tapply Books in Order

See the Brady Coyne books by William G Tapply in order, with short summaries, series background, and tips on where to start with this Boston sleuth.

Last updated: July 5, 2026

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Brady Coyne books in publication order

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25 books

1

Death at Charity's Point

by William G Tapply

1984

Brady Coyne's first case begins when a wealthy client refuses to believe her son's death at a seaside cliff was suicide. Digging into the victim's polished prep-school life, Brady finds grief, class, and dangerous secrets.

2

The Dutch Blue Error

by William G Tapply

1984

A rare stamp worth a fortune should have made for a simple pickup job. Instead the collector holding it is murdered, the stamp vanishes, and Brady is left chasing greed, obsession, and a killer with everything to gain.

3

Follow the Sharks

by William G Tapply

1985

Former Red Sox pitcher Eddie Donagan's son is kidnapped, and Brady is drawn into the search. What starts as a desperate family crisis becomes a tense investigation full of bluff, pressure, and hidden motives.

4

The Marine Corpse / A Rodent of Doubt

by William G Tapply

1986

A man found frozen on a Boston street looks like another anonymous vagrant, until Brady recognizes him as a wealthy writer researching homelessness. To solve the murder, he has to move through a far colder world than his clients usually see.

5

Dead Meat

by William G Tapply

1987

A killing on land tied up in development, money, and questions of Native claim pulls Brady into one of his most politically charged cases. The more he learns, the clearer it becomes that powerful people want the truth buried.

6

The Vulgar Boatman

by William G Tapply

1987

A trip out West turns into far more than a routine errand for Brady Coyne. Far from Boston, he finds murder, shifting loyalties, and a case that proves trouble travels just as well as he does.

7

A Void in Hearts

by William G Tapply

1988

When a small-time private investigator dies after dabbling in blackmail, Brady suspects it was no accident. His search opens onto money laundering, organized crime, and a case that tangles danger with messy human loyalties.

8

Dead Winter

by William G Tapply

1989

A retired minister's troubled son becomes the prime suspect when his wife is found murdered on the family boat. Brady tries to help, but old disappearances, family damage, and more killings make the case far murkier than it first seems.

9

Client Privilege

by William G Tapply

1990

Brady meets a blackmailer on behalf of his closest friend, a judge headed for federal appointment, and refuses to pay. When the blackmailer is killed that same night, Brady is trapped between loyalty, suspicion, and truths he may not want.

10

The Spotted Cats

by William G Tapply

1991

Brady visits an embittered former big-game hunter on Cape Cod just as priceless gold jaguar figurines are stolen in a brutal robbery. With his client near death, Brady heads west to recover the treasure and find the thieves.

11

Tight Lines

by William G Tapply

1992

Dying Brahmin Susan Ames asks Brady to find the daughter who vanished from her life years ago. When the daughter is found dead instead, Brady must sort through old lovers, damaged family ties, and a sadness that runs deep.

12

The Snake Eater

by William G Tapply

1993

A Vietnam veteran's memoir stirs up old loyalties, buried violence, and the kind of history people would rather leave alone. As Brady investigates, he finds that the past is not finished with any of them.

13

The Seventh Enemy

by William G Tapply

1995

Brady's old friend Walt Kinnick comes to Boston to testify on gun control and promptly lands on an extremist enemies list. When Walt is shot, Brady has to untangle politics, fear, and a case where he has become a target too.

14

Close to the Bone

by William G Tapply

1996

Brady recommends his friend Paul Cizek, a star defense lawyer, for a difficult case, then watches Paul disappear after winning it. With an empty boat, a troubled marriage, and dangerous clients, the trail gets personal fast.

15

Cutter's Run

by William G Tapply

1998

While visiting Maine, Brady gives a ride to Charlotte Gillespie, whose dog has been poisoned and whose property has been marked with swastikas. When she disappears, he finds himself facing racism, secrecy, and murder in a small town.

16

Muscle Memory

by William G Tapply

1999

Former basketball star Mick Fallon hires Brady for a divorce he hopes can still be stopped. When Mick's wife is murdered and Mick vanishes, Brady has to sort out gambling debts, lies, and a case that keeps turning sharper.

17

Scar Tissue

by William G Tapply

2000

A friend's teenage son vanishes after a car crash that kills his girlfriend, and the police want the whole thing wrapped up fast. Brady cannot shake the feeling that the accident scene makes no sense, and he is right.

18

Past Tense

by William G Tapply

2001

After Evie Banyon's stalker is murdered, she disappears before Brady can reach her. His search through a small town and an old family tragedy uncovers a chain of deaths that makes the case painfully personal.

19

A Fine Line

by William G Tapply

2002

Brady is delivering valuable historical letters for an old friend when the friend turns up dead and his teenage son vanishes. Soon Brady is caught between the FBI, an arsonist, and a case where every clue seems to burn.

20

Shadow of Death

by William G Tapply

2003

Asked to quietly look into the husband of a Massachusetts political candidate, Brady hires a private investigator and expects a domestic mess. Instead he gets a staged death, a New Hampshire cabin, and a secret buried for decades.

21

Nervous Water

by William G Tapply

2005

A dying uncle asks Brady to find his estranged daughter before it is too late. The search pulls him deep into Maine family history, an old unsolved murder, and a present-day case that turns steadily more dangerous.

22

Out Cold

by William G Tapply

2006

Brady lets his dog out on a snowy morning and finds a dead teenage girl in his backyard, carrying his address. To learn who she was and how she got there, he has to follow a trail of fear, lies, and exploitation.

23

One-Way Ticket

by William G Tapply

2007

An old law-school friend asks Brady for help after mob muscle roughs him up over gambling debts. Soon a judge's grandson is kidnapped, the Boston mob is circling, and Brady is stuck carrying a ransom into very dangerous territory.

24

Hell Bent

by William G Tapply

2008

Brady agrees to represent Gus Shaw, a troubled Iraq War veteran facing divorce and unraveling fast. When Gus's apparent suicide looks wrong, Brady digs into PTSD, family strain, and a murder someone wants left alone.

25

Outwitting Trolls

by William G Tapply

2010

When former neighbor Ken Nichols is found stabbed in a hotel room, Brady Coyne steps in to help the dead man's fragile ex-wife. The case leads into family secrets, bad debts, and the kind of quiet damage that lingers for years.

Brady Coyne books in chronological order

  1. Book cover for "Death at Charity's Point"

    Death at Charity's Point

    by William G Tapply

    1984Brady Coyne, Book 1
  2. Book cover for "The Dutch Blue Error"

    The Dutch Blue Error

    by William G Tapply

    1984Brady Coyne, Book 2
  3. Book cover for "Follow the Sharks"

    Follow the Sharks

    by William G Tapply

    1985Brady Coyne, Book 3
  4. Book cover for "The Marine Corpse / A Rodent of Doubt"

    The Marine Corpse / A Rodent of Doubt

    by William G Tapply

    1986Brady Coyne, Book 4
  5. Book cover for "Dead Meat"

    Dead Meat

    by William G Tapply

    1987Brady Coyne, Book 5
  6. Book cover for "The Vulgar Boatman"

    The Vulgar Boatman

    by William G Tapply

    1987Brady Coyne, Book 6
  7. Book cover for "A Void in Hearts"

    A Void in Hearts

    by William G Tapply

    1988Brady Coyne, Book 7
  8. Book cover for "Dead Winter"

    Dead Winter

    by William G Tapply

    1989Brady Coyne, Book 8
  9. Book cover for "Client Privilege"

    Client Privilege

    by William G Tapply

    1990Brady Coyne, Book 9
  10. Book cover for "The Spotted Cats"

    The Spotted Cats

    by William G Tapply

    1991Brady Coyne, Book 10
  11. Book cover for "Tight Lines"

    Tight Lines

    by William G Tapply

    1992Brady Coyne, Book 11
  12. Book cover for "The Snake Eater"

    The Snake Eater

    by William G Tapply

    1993Brady Coyne, Book 12
  13. Book cover for "The Seventh Enemy"

    The Seventh Enemy

    by William G Tapply

    1995Brady Coyne, Book 13
  14. Book cover for "Close to the Bone"

    Close to the Bone

    by William G Tapply

    1996Brady Coyne, Book 14
  15. Book cover for "Cutter's Run"

    Cutter's Run

    by William G Tapply

    1998Brady Coyne, Book 15
  16. Book cover for "Muscle Memory"

    Muscle Memory

    by William G Tapply

    1999Brady Coyne, Book 16
  17. Book cover for "Scar Tissue"

    Scar Tissue

    by William G Tapply

    2000Brady Coyne, Book 17
  18. Book cover for "Past Tense"

    Past Tense

    by William G Tapply

    2001Brady Coyne, Book 18
  19. Book cover for "A Fine Line"

    A Fine Line

    by William G Tapply

    2002Brady Coyne, Book 19
  20. Book cover for "Shadow of Death"

    Shadow of Death

    by William G Tapply

    2003Brady Coyne, Book 20
  21. Book cover for "Nervous Water"

    Nervous Water

    by William G Tapply

    2005Brady Coyne, Book 21
  22. Book cover for "Out Cold"

    Out Cold

    by William G Tapply

    2006Brady Coyne, Book 22
  23. Book cover for "One-Way Ticket"

    One-Way Ticket

    by William G Tapply

    2007Brady Coyne, Book 23
  24. Book cover for "Hell Bent"

    Hell Bent

    by William G Tapply

    2008Brady Coyne, Book 24
  25. Book cover for "Outwitting Trolls"

    Outwitting Trolls

    by William G Tapply

    2010Brady Coyne, Book 25

Series background & context

The Brady Coyne books follow a Boston lawyer who spends far more time untangling other people's trouble than arguing in court. Brady runs a small practice, handles wills, divorces, trusts, and other quiet legal business, and has built his career on discretion. His clients are often wealthy New England families who want problems solved without police sirens, newspaper stories, or public embarrassment.

That setup gives the series its shape. A client comes in with what sounds like a legal nuisance, a missing relative, a blackmailer, a suspicious accident, a son in trouble, and Brady gradually realizes he is standing at the edge of something much darker. Murder shows up often, but usually by degrees. These are not books built on noise. They are built on pressure, loyalty, and the slow uncovering of things people hoped would stay buried.

Brady is not a courtroom shark.

He is thoughtful, decent, divorced, and a little wary of chaos, which is funny because chaos keeps finding him. He likes fly-fishing, dogs, and the rare stretch of peace. That fishing life matters here. It gives the books their unhurried rhythm and their habit of stopping to notice weather, water, and the feel of a place. Even when a case gets dangerous, the storytelling keeps a steady hand.

New England does a lot of work in these novels too. Boston is central, but the series roams through Cape Cod, the North Shore, Maine, New Hampshire, and small towns where class, memory, and reputation carry real weight. Old money families, complicated marriages, troubled adult children, political careers, outdoor traditions, and local resentments all feed into the mysteries. Books like Client Privilege, Close to the Bone, and Out Cold show how comfortably Tapply could move from city streets to back roads and waterfronts.

These are thinking mysteries.

There is no giant fantasy-style master arc tying every book together, but reading in order still pays off. You watch Brady age, fall in and out of relationships, reconnect with pieces of his family life, and slowly change without ever turning into a different person. That continuity is part of the appeal. So is the way the books balance plot with temperament. Brady solves crimes, yes, but he also listens, doubts, worries, gets things wrong, and keeps going.

If you want mysteries with a strong sense of place, a humane lead, and trouble that usually begins in private life before spilling into crime, this series is a very good fit. Start early with Death at Charity's Point if you want to watch Brady from the beginning. Or jump into one of the middle books if you mostly want the mood, the voice, and the company.

Edited by

Richard Reis

Software engineer whose passion for tracking book recommendations from podcasts inspired the creation of MRB.

Anurag Ramdasan

Lead investor at 3one4 Capital whose startup expertise and love for books helped shaped MRB and its growth.

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