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Brady Coyne #4
The Marine Corpse
Brady investigates what appears to be the murder of a homeless man
The man is found on the icy streets of Boston, vomit in his beard, alcohol in his system, and ice in his veins. The police assume he is just another in the dozens of derelicts whom the urban winter claims each year, but Brady Coyne knows better. Attorney to New England’s upper crust, he was the dead man’s lawyer, and he knows that Stuart Carver was no bum: He was a senator’s nephew.
An author whose last book was so lousy that it became a bestseller, Carver was planning a serious novel, and was doing research on homelessness in the metropolis when he was killed. The icepick wound on his skull suggests he learned something that someone didn’t want to see in print. To find out who murdered his client, Brady will delve into an underworld that is even more cold, dark, and deadly than Boston in winter.
The man is found on the icy streets of Boston, vomit in his beard, alcohol in his system, and ice in his veins. The police assume he is just another in the dozens of derelicts whom the urban winter claims each year, but Brady Coyne knows better. Attorney to New England’s upper crust, he was the dead man’s lawyer, and he knows that Stuart Carver was no bum: He was a senator’s nephew.
An author whose last book was so lousy that it became a bestseller, Carver was planning a serious novel, and was doing research on homelessness in the metropolis when he was killed. The icepick wound on his skull suggests he learned something that someone didn’t want to see in print. To find out who murdered his client, Brady will delve into an underworld that is even more cold, dark, and deadly than Boston in winter.
240 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1986
78 people are currently reading
121 people want to read
About the author
William G. Tapply
79 books88 followersWilliam G. Tapply (1940–2009) was an American author best known for writing legal thrillers. A lifelong New Englander, he graduated from Amherst and Harvard before going on to teach social studies at Lexington High School. He published his first novel, Death at Charity’s Point, in 1984. A story of death and betrayal among Boston Brahmins, it introduced crusading lawyer Brady Coyne, a fishing enthusiast whom Tapply would follow through twenty-five more novels, including Follow the Sharks, The Vulgar Boatman, and the posthumously published Outwitting Trolls.
Besides writing regular columns for Field and Stream, Gray’s Sporting Journal, and American Angler, Tapply wrote numerous books on fishing, hunting, and life in the outdoors. He was also the author of The Elements of Mystery Fiction, a writer’s guide. He died in 2009, at his home in Hancock, New Hampshire.
Besides writing regular columns for Field and Stream, Gray’s Sporting Journal, and American Angler, Tapply wrote numerous books on fishing, hunting, and life in the outdoors. He was also the author of The Elements of Mystery Fiction, a writer’s guide. He died in 2009, at his home in Hancock, New Hampshire.
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
January 15, 2017
Published in 1987, this is the fourth novel in the series featuring Boston attorney, Brady Coyne. The most unusual thing about this series is that, in the twenty-eight books that constitute the series, we never once saw Brady Coyne in court. And, for that matter, there's very little legal argument in any of the books. Almost always, as in this case, one of Coyne's very wealthy clients asks for his assistance with a problem that has very little to do with legal matters.
In this instance, Senator Ben Woodhouse, a rare Massachusetts Republican, asks Brady to look into the death of his nephew, Stu Carver. Carver was found dead in an alley in freezing weather, dressed in the rags of a homeless man. There was no identification on the man and no apparent trauma to his body, and so the police are ready to dismiss the case as the accidental death of yet another bum who froze to death on a cold Boston night.
But then, the victim is identified and it turns out that he's the nephew of an important politician. So the cops decide to pay closer attention. They order up an autopsy, which they otherwise would not have done, and it turns out that Carver was stabbed to death by someone who stuck an icepick into his left ear. (Ouch!)
Even with this new evidence, the police are inclined to write off the case as an attack on a homeless man. It's too bad; regrettably, it happens all too often; they have no leads at all, and so they aren't inclined to do much about it. Thus the senator contacts Brady Coyne and asks him to look into the case.
Brady quickly learns that Stu Carver was not just your average homeless person. He was actually a successful author who was doing a book on the homeless. To thoroughly immerse himself in the problem, he actually became a homeless person. Digging deeper into the killing, Brady discovers that Carver may have discovered something that he shouldn't have. Perhaps even worse, he may have written about it in his notebooks. And this, in turn, may put a lot of other people in mortal danger, not least among them, his uncle's attorney.
This is another very good entry in the series. The book is a bit dated, of course, but it's fun to spend a few hours in the company of Brady Coyne. And once you're immersed in the story, it doesn't even occur to you that nobody has an i-Phone or a tablet, or even much of a computer. This series never achieved the prominence of, say, Robert B. Parker's Spenser series, which was also set in Boston, but nonetheless, most of the books in it, this one included, will appeal to a lot of crime fiction fans.
In this instance, Senator Ben Woodhouse, a rare Massachusetts Republican, asks Brady to look into the death of his nephew, Stu Carver. Carver was found dead in an alley in freezing weather, dressed in the rags of a homeless man. There was no identification on the man and no apparent trauma to his body, and so the police are ready to dismiss the case as the accidental death of yet another bum who froze to death on a cold Boston night.
But then, the victim is identified and it turns out that he's the nephew of an important politician. So the cops decide to pay closer attention. They order up an autopsy, which they otherwise would not have done, and it turns out that Carver was stabbed to death by someone who stuck an icepick into his left ear. (Ouch!)
Even with this new evidence, the police are inclined to write off the case as an attack on a homeless man. It's too bad; regrettably, it happens all too often; they have no leads at all, and so they aren't inclined to do much about it. Thus the senator contacts Brady Coyne and asks him to look into the case.
Brady quickly learns that Stu Carver was not just your average homeless person. He was actually a successful author who was doing a book on the homeless. To thoroughly immerse himself in the problem, he actually became a homeless person. Digging deeper into the killing, Brady discovers that Carver may have discovered something that he shouldn't have. Perhaps even worse, he may have written about it in his notebooks. And this, in turn, may put a lot of other people in mortal danger, not least among them, his uncle's attorney.
This is another very good entry in the series. The book is a bit dated, of course, but it's fun to spend a few hours in the company of Brady Coyne. And once you're immersed in the story, it doesn't even occur to you that nobody has an i-Phone or a tablet, or even much of a computer. This series never achieved the prominence of, say, Robert B. Parker's Spenser series, which was also set in Boston, but nonetheless, most of the books in it, this one included, will appeal to a lot of crime fiction fans.
October 3, 2020
“Corpse” is the fourth in Tapply’s likable Brady Coyne 28-book series of “classic” mysteries set mostly 25 years ago. Brady, attorney to Boston’s wealthy, often does odd jobs for his clients; in this current case, he is the book agent for his client’s nephew. When that man turns up dead as he posed as a homeless man researching his latest project, Brady is asked to explore his death as he also advises on the man’s estate probate. Turns out that the nephew was murdered by (presumably) an icepick into his left ear; and when his courier of book notes Brady has been keeping for him is killed in identical fashion, the plot heats up to say the least. That the nephew willed his condo to his female roommate has the family in a tizzy and a kerfuffle ensues, with Brady's falling romantically for the roommate really complicating things to an unfortunate ending.
We clearly now see the pattern in these quick-reading tales, as Brady alone is able to unravel clues apparently useless to the cops and then reveals all in a final chapter or two. The interplay between Brady and his “secretary” Julie in this novel only adds to the fun in these consistently entertaining and easy reading tales. {3.5}
We clearly now see the pattern in these quick-reading tales, as Brady alone is able to unravel clues apparently useless to the cops and then reveals all in a final chapter or two. The interplay between Brady and his “secretary” Julie in this novel only adds to the fun in these consistently entertaining and easy reading tales. {3.5}
September 25, 2017
(2 1/2). I am slowly but surely working my way through this series. Brady Coyne is about as engaging a protagonist as you will ever come across. Smart, funny, full of flaws and always thinking. This is not one of the best in the series so far but it certainly was a nice comfortable read. If you are looking for an old time mystery/thriller set of stories to take on these are a good choice.
December 21, 2007
Tapply writes a good mystery. His books are easy to read, well written, and always have a twist to them. I started with the first one and am working my way up the list. They only get better as he writes more.
June 5, 2019
Another episode in the life of Boston attorney Brady Coyne as he gets drawn into the life of the wayward son of one of his best clients, and drawn in further when the son gets murdered. I enjoy these books, now written more than 30 years ago.
September 28, 2020
When a bum is found frozen to death in Boston the police assume that it is a routine death. But the "bum" was a wealthy writer researching the plight of the homeless. Brady stalks a serial killer and learns truths about himself. This one is full of twists and turns.
August 11, 2017
Don't sleep with him, girls....LOL
April 10, 2020
AUTHOR Tapply, William G.
TITLE The Marine Corpse
DATE READ 04/10/20
RATING 4.5/B+
FIRST SENTENCE Felix Guerrero hunkered down into the beige windbreaker he had stolen from the big department store and wondered why the hell he had ever let Paulo talk him into leaving Miami.
GENRE/ PUB DATE/PUBLISHER / # OF Crime Fiction/1986/Ballantine/230 pgs
SERIES/STAND-ALONE #4 Brady Coyne
CHALLENGE Good Reads 2020 Reading Goal 60/120;
GROUP READ
TIME/PLACE 1986/MA
CHARACTERS Brady Coyne/attorney
COMMENTS Another series, I really like and am trying to catch up on. This was a better than average entry. Brady is an attorney and most of his clients are the elite of Boston. He works with the Woodhouse family, Ben is a senator and has a nephew, Stu Carver, who is a writer. Stu likes to write about topics that the Woodhouse family consider unsavory and really don't want their prized name attached to this type of book. Stu writes under a pseudonym. His latest story involves going undercover and living with the homeless population in Boston until he is found dead on the streets … just another drunken bum.
TITLE The Marine Corpse
DATE READ 04/10/20
RATING 4.5/B+
FIRST SENTENCE Felix Guerrero hunkered down into the beige windbreaker he had stolen from the big department store and wondered why the hell he had ever let Paulo talk him into leaving Miami.
GENRE/ PUB DATE/PUBLISHER / # OF Crime Fiction/1986/Ballantine/230 pgs
SERIES/STAND-ALONE #4 Brady Coyne
CHALLENGE Good Reads 2020 Reading Goal 60/120;
GROUP READ
TIME/PLACE 1986/MA
CHARACTERS Brady Coyne/attorney
COMMENTS Another series, I really like and am trying to catch up on. This was a better than average entry. Brady is an attorney and most of his clients are the elite of Boston. He works with the Woodhouse family, Ben is a senator and has a nephew, Stu Carver, who is a writer. Stu likes to write about topics that the Woodhouse family consider unsavory and really don't want their prized name attached to this type of book. Stu writes under a pseudonym. His latest story involves going undercover and living with the homeless population in Boston until he is found dead on the streets … just another drunken bum.
February 20, 2017
This is another solid entry in the Brady Coyne series, very readable with a complex but plausible storyline and, of course, the likable Brady.
February 6, 2016
#4 in the Boston attorney Brady Coyne series.
Boston attorney Brady Coyne series - Brady investigates what appears to be the murder of a homeless man The man is found on the icy streets of Boston, vomit in his beard, alcohol in his system, and ice in his veins. The police assume he is just another in the dozens of derelicts whom the urban winter claims each year, but Brady Coyne knows better. Attorney to New England's upper crust, he was the dead man's lawyer, and he knows that Stuart Carver was no bum: He was a senator's nephew. An author whose last book was so lousy that it became a bestseller, Carver was planning a serious novel, and was doing research on homelessness in the metropolis when he was killed. The icepick wound on his skull suggests he learned something that someone didn't want to see in print.
Boston attorney Brady Coyne series - Brady investigates what appears to be the murder of a homeless man The man is found on the icy streets of Boston, vomit in his beard, alcohol in his system, and ice in his veins. The police assume he is just another in the dozens of derelicts whom the urban winter claims each year, but Brady Coyne knows better. Attorney to New England's upper crust, he was the dead man's lawyer, and he knows that Stuart Carver was no bum: He was a senator's nephew. An author whose last book was so lousy that it became a bestseller, Carver was planning a serious novel, and was doing research on homelessness in the metropolis when he was killed. The icepick wound on his skull suggests he learned something that someone didn't want to see in print.
September 7, 2018
I really enjoy Tapply's mysteries. Brady Coyne is a lawyer to the wealthy, who mostly need hand-holding and pay generous retainers to have him on call. Of course, the work needed sometimes goes beyond hand-holding and somehow he finds himself investigating murder, getting in the way of and annoying law enforcement. He also sometimes finds himself at odds with a client. And sometimes he has to deal with his better self.
This entry in the series delves into the lives of some of the homeless of Boston, as well as the expectations of those at the opposite end of the wealth and power spectrum.
This entry in the series delves into the lives of some of the homeless of Boston, as well as the expectations of those at the opposite end of the wealth and power spectrum.
October 18, 2017
Of the first 4 Brady Coyne books it is the least rewarding, but still better than many other books of the genre
September 18, 2019
Sometimes I have no idea why a book has the title it does...
October 20, 2020
Very much dated but still fun to read.
July 24, 2025
the dated attitudes are pronounced in this one. could have done without the fourth death.
Read
December 22, 2025Not up to a story of murder and homelessness even if I have liked Coyne books before.
May 18, 2015
A friend of mine recommended this when I announced that I was in the mood for some good mysteries. This isn't an author I would typically pick out for myself, but I love to expand my reading horizons. I was surprised that I enjoyed this. I wasn't in love with it, but still enjoyable.
August 16, 2009
Very Good; Continuing character: Brady Coyne; man posing as bum to get info to write a book is killed; after a couple more killings, Coyne finds out these aren't random events and he may be next.
April 15, 2011
Love all the Brady Coyne books.
December 31, 2017
See previous comments.
February 8, 2015
Interesting but I didn't find it as riveting as the first three. Still a good read.
January 5, 2015
Another "fun read" from the late Mr. Tapply. Give it 4 stars.
March 18, 2015
Rated this book 3 stars. Light change of pace reading.
Want to read
September 17, 2018Synopsis: Brady investigates the death of a homeless man, but he knows he was a Senator's nephew.
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews