William G. Tapply Nervous Water

Nervous Water

William G. Tapply

St. Martin's, Sep 2005, $23.95

ISBN: 0312337442

Maine lobsterman Moze Crandall has called his estranged niece Cassie, who he raised with his late wife, several times to attempt reconciliation before he dies from cancer. However, though his calls turn increasingly frantic, Cassie has not returned any. He knows she may just simply not want to speak to him since he objected to the man she eventually married, but his gut tells him otherwise.

He asks his nephew Brady Coyne to talk to Cassie. Brady learns from Cassie's belligerent husband, dentist Richard Hurley that she has vanished though he tells him little else. Brady soon learns that Hurley's two previous wives mysteriously died. However, the simple missing person's case turns bizarre when an assailant assaults Moze, who suffers a heart attack, and someone murders Cassie's former lover, Professor Grantham Webster.

NERVOUS WATER showcases why the Coyne novels are one of the best regional mystery series on the market today though there are over twenty books published. The story line is obviously personal as Brady searches for his missing cousin. Readers will ponder why getting cooperation from her spouse is like pulling teeth though he might be cautious thinking strike three and your out or hiding that he did something nasty to Cassie. Though how Cassie serves as the central magnet of several ugly even deadly incidents is never explained, fans will appreciate Coyne's thrilling caper.

Harriet Klausner