The Dutch Blue Error

Brady Coyne #2

by William G. Tapply

To protect the value of his million-dollar stamp, Oliver Weston arranges to have Brady Coyne secretly buy its duplicate, but the simple transaction turns to murder, with Brady's secretary as the prime suspect

Genres: Mystery, Crime, Fiction, Legal

224 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1984

About the author

William 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.

Reviews

[James Thane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Boston attorney Brady Coyne has a small, one-man practice and a short list of very wealthy and mostly elderly clients. They generally need advice about their taxes, wills and estate planning and so Brady's life is generally pretty sedate. Occasionally he's asked to do something a bit out of the ordinary, and such is the case when one of his clients, Oliver H. P. Weston, consults Brady about a stamp.

The item in question is the Dutch Blue Error, one of the most valuable stamps in the world. Weston owns the stamp but has received a letter from someone claiming to have another. If, in fact, a second stamp exists, the value of Weston's stamp would drop dramatically and, perhaps even worse, he would no longer be able to brag about owning the only copy of the stamp in the world.

Weston wants Brady to represent him and buy the second copy of the stamp. This will involve getting the stamp verified and setting up the exchange with the seller who prefers to remain anonymous. Brady and the mysterious seller come to an agreement, but then a killer enters the picture, seriously complicating matters. Before long, this whole business becomes very deadly and Brady finds himself on the firing line. Suddenly his practice is not that sedate at all.

This is the second book in this series and it's very well done. These are sort of medium-boiled books and Brady Coyne is a very good protagonist--a guy you'd like to have a drink with, or go fishing with, or just spend a relaxing evening with, reading about one of his cases. These are not legal thrillers--we almost never see Brady Coyne in a courtroom--but as traditional mystery series go, this is a pretty good one.

[Eric_W · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rare stamps, lawyers, collectors, and experts. I thought I might have wandering into a Lawrence Block novel. Block, as we know, is a philatelist as is Keller, one of his characters. Tapply must be, too. I've always liked Tapply's books. They are often intricately plotted and populated with interesting characters. Eventually, I'll read all of them.

[Fred Forbes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Downloaded to my kindle thanx to a review by a Goodreads friend. Interesting story and characters, fun plot twists and well plotted mystery. Brady Coyne is a divorced attorney working for the rich so he is not the type to exert himself excessively beyond his romantic entanglements. The book had some appeal to me since I enjoyed the description of Boston and environs, a location I lived in while attending grad school in the 70's. Interesting anachronisms of the time - he smokes a ton of Winstons and most other folks in the story are smokers, frequent use of pay phones, typewriters, etc. An enjoyable book to pass the time.

[Dosha (Bluestocking7) Beard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another good one in this series. I look forward to book three.

[Nikki · Rating 3 out of 5]

The reader embarking on a project of reading a mystery set in every state of the union plus our nation's capital can expect two kinds of experiences. On the one hand, the armchair traveller will visit locations she has never seen in person, using the author's descriptions and her own imagination to inhabit Alaska, Hawaii or Delaware for a few hours. On the other hand, reading a book set in a familiar location, the reader compares her own impressions and memories with those of the author -- did he "get it right?" Such was the case as I was reading William G. Tapply's second Brady Coyne novel, The Dutch Blue Error, set in Boston and environs, where I spent my college years. I can report that Tapply "got it right" -- not just the physical geography, but perhaps more importantly, the social geography as well.

I usually like to begin with the first book in a series, but Death at Charity's Point was not on the shelf at my library. I was happy to begin with The Dutch Blue Error, though, because I have a resident philatelist who often reads the books I bring home. My in-house authority approved Mr. Tapply's writing about stamps, too.

Protagonist Brady Coyne is a successful Boston attorney with a downtown office. He's probably around 40 in 1984, when the book was published, so his law school years were in the late sixties and he had planned to become a crusading civil rights lawyer. Instead, case by case and client by client, he ended up as a personal attorney for a number of very rich people. One of them, Oliver Hazard Perry Weston, calls Brady in to assist in a stamp transaction -- all very hush-hush. Weston had thought he owned the only existing "Dutch Blue Error" stamp (the error? it should have been orange), but now has been given the opportunity to purchase another. But since Weston is confined to a wheelchair, he wants Brady to meet with the seller, have the stamp authenticated and make the exchange of cash for stamp. All seems to be going smoothly until the seller fails to show up for the final transaction. As he had used a false name, it's a few days later when Brady's interim secretary, African-American law school grad Xerxes Garrett, spots the man's photo in the Globe's obituary column. Attending the visitation, Brady learns that the would-be stamp seller was murdered in what police believe was a burglary attempt.

From there on, numerous complications arise. When Brady discovers another murder and is himself attacked, Cambridge police immediately suspect Xerxes, who rightly is offended. Brady is attracted to the first victim's daughter. And who has the stamp now? The plot twists and turns before arriving at a surprising and ironic conclusion.

There were many things I liked about the character of Brady Coyne; not least was that, unlike some fictional attorney-sleuths, he takes his duties as an officer of the court seriously. In this book at least, he seems to live in a man's world -- since his secretary is on maternity leave, the only women in the book are Deborah, the stamp-seller's daughter, and a few waitresses. Otherwise it's all golf, dinners at Jacob Wirth's with an old law-school buddy, brandy and cigars, talk of fly-fishing....I fully intend to read more of Mr. Tapply's work and will be interested to see whether that continues to be the case.

[Joe O'Connor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very Good; Continuing character: Brady Coyne; a duplicate of a rare stamp is on the market, and the original's owner hires Coyne to work out the purchase, until many of those involved start getting murdered.

[Mike · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a solid old style mystery which as #2 in the Brady Coyne series is still introducing our hero. The Dutch Blue is a rare stamp and so maybe this book has a little TMI on philately but an easy read regardless.

[Bernard Norcott-mahany · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoy going back to Boston, even if only on fictional trips lately. The Coyne series are quite good as somewhat edgier cross between a cozy and hard-boiled. Might consider calling this Spenser-light.

[Kathie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loving this series. Easy to read and follow. Intersting story line.

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rated 4 stars. Another good one, book #2. Light,fun reading.

[Alfred New · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very nice twists to the plot

[Jerry B · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Dutch Blue” is Tapply’s quick-reading sophomore outing (our third sampling) of Bostonian lawyer to the wealthy, nice-guy Brady Coyne. It’s hard not to like this protagonist, who is sort of a laid-back version of the original Perry Mason – except that Brady does his sleuthing outside the courtroom (into which so far he has not yet stepped!).

This novel was a little extra fun as like probably many readers of our (advanced) age, we were amateur stamp collectors in our youth, and have rarely read a story where a valuable stamp is the centerfold of the tale. For sure the plot takes some devious, and before too long, deadly turns before a very surprising conclusion reveals Brady’s smart unraveling of who did what. However, we do believe there is one glaring inconsistency concerning the authenticity of the two stamps in question -- when the expert that analyzes them with sophisticated testing and under a microscope, concludes (if not proves) they originally appeared side-by-side on the original sheet.

That said, we suspect this entire series of 28 books will more than please our reading tastes – we just hope we can physically locate more of these entries, with most of the set bordering on 25-30+ years old. Meanwhile, sometimes it’s entertaining to read “old-fashioned” mysteries before the likes of DNA, cellphones, and personal computers! {3.5}

[Sharon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Brady Coyne, Boston lawyer whose practice includes servicing pretty wealthy clients, no court time required, babysit and bill, that's about it. It's a good life. When Brady is hired by Oliver Weston for highly unorthodox task, he hesitates but the adventure grabs him, something out of the ordinary indeed. Mr Weston owns a stamp known as Dutch Blue Error, an error in colour, and he owns the only one which makes his stamp worth over a million dollars. Weston's been contacted by an anonymous source who assures him there is another copy and he's prepared to sell it for a quarter of a million dollars, what a deal. The uniqueness of the stamp is it's value, so what choice does he have? Brady becomes his bag man who meets the seller at Harvard's Peabody Museum in order to authenticate the stamp. Authentication complete, the seller disappears as does the stamp. Brady's left holding the bag, literally. He's got all the money but no stamp.

Then it gets complicated, Brady starts a questionable romance, bodies begin surfacing at an alarming rate and a surprising number of double crosses as well. More information about philately than I knew I didn't know. Fascinating wrinkles and entertaining as well. For a lawyer he sure gets around.

[Robert · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm of two minds about this series so far. On the one hand, the mystery in the first two books was intriguing and the narrative kept me interested. On the other, Coyne is so prone to getting knocked out and almost killed that I worry that his mental capacity will decline by book 4 or 5.

In this book, I did figure out the killer, but not the motivation or the "twist" at the end. Also, Coyne's luck with the ladies is about as good as his ability to avoid bodily harm in his investigations.

Still, the atmospherics in these Boston-based stories is quite enjoyable. So, on to book 3, Follow the sharks.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting look into rare stamp collecting and the motivation behind owning a unique stamp. The subsequent twists and turns of the plot are interesting. The author's style is very readable and worth trying another Brady Coyne mystery.

[Margaret L. · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Not really a page turner, but as a former resident of the Boston area, I enjoy this series for the detailed --and accurate--descriptions of the area, especially as it was when I first lived there in the 1970s-1990s. Will keep reading (and recommend to Boston friends).

[David Highton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Second in the series and Brady gets drawn into a mystery about rare and unique stamps - the plot starts to get dangerous quite quickly. Good story, decent pace of narrative, and Brady is a good lead character.

[John R. Goyer · Rating 2 out of 5]

meh... didn't care for any of the characters, and the ending was lazy and not intriguing at all. And don't get me started on the "love" story part of this. I'll try one more from this author but this didn't bode well for me reading the series.

[Jerry King · Rating 3 out of 5]

1984

[Brian O'Leary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Classic Coyne

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

Boston and 'The. COD' circa the '80s'. Stamp collecting Memories.

[Ktbird · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the Boston setting and semi-dated nature of this mystery. It made me nostalgic for the 80s and 90s. A fun read.

[Janel · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a thrilling story! It kept me enthralled!

[Bill · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.4

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too many echoes of the first book, but interesting and an easy read.

[Thad Allen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second book in the series and was very good.

[Ed · Rating 4 out of 5]

#2 in the Boston attorney Brady Coyne series.

Boston attorney Brady Coyne series - To solve a murder, Brady must find a copy of the world's rarest stamp. It is a small paper square with uneven edges, dark blue in color and bearing a smudged portrait of a long-dead king. It doesn't look like much to Brady Coyne, but the stamp known as the Dutch Blue Error is one of a kind -- a philatelic freak worth at least one million dollars. It is the prize possession of Ollie Weston, a wheelchair-bound Boston banker, and it is valuable enough that for its sake, several good men will die. A fellow collector contacts Weston, claiming to have found a second copy of the Error -- a claim that, if truthful, would destroy the stamp's value. Weston sends his attorney, kindhearted Boston lawyer Brady Coyne, to purchase the rogue stamp for two hundred fifty thousand dollars, but just before the hand-off, the collector is killed and the stamp disappears

[Forthbridge · Rating 5 out of 5]

What's not to like? Interesting plot involving the dark underbelly of stamp collecting. Great descriptions of the best and worst of New England and some great cameos.
The author paces his books so well and has colorful minor characters who do their bit but do not detract or distract.
This book is unlikely to change your world view but if you like well-crafted whodunnits, I think this author is hard to beat.

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

11/10 rec via pbs

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting information on stamp collecting.
I missed the female secretary.