Gray Ghost

Stoney Calhoun #2

by William G. Tapply

NEARLY PERFECT LARGE PRINT EDITION LIBRARY BINDING EX LIBRARY NEVER IN CIRCULATION ALL ORDERS SHIP SAME DAY WITH TRACKING NUMBER wr

Genres: Mystery, Mystery Thriller, Fiction, Crime, Thriller Suspense, Action, The United States Of America

447 pages, Hardcover

First published March 6, 2007

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

[Charlotte L. · Rating 5 out of 5]

J'adore les histoires de Stoney Calhoun ! Le premier roman de la série - découvert grâce à Exploratology - m'avait déjà totalement conquise, et cette suite est largement à la hauteur. Elle est peut-être encore meilleure ! Ce mélange de polar et de nature writing est fabuleux, j'ai été happée par l'intrigue et surtout, par cette quiétude incroyable qui se dégage du roman. C'est le roman parfait si on veut une bouffée d'air frais. Oui c'est un polar, mais c'est surtout une ode à la douceur de vivre et à la nature. Et c'est drôle aussi ! Bref, je suis FAN.

[Karine BZH · Rating 4 out of 5]

La suite des aventures de Stoney Calhoun, cet amnésique devenu guide de pêche. Et détective malgré lui. Dans un décor toujours aussi incroyable qui donne envie d'aller s'y ressourcer en pêchant.
Hâte de finir cette trilogie!
Au passage une très belle édition qui rend jolie dans une bibliothèque !

[Eric_W · Rating 4 out of 5]

William Tapply is the author of the wonderful Brady Coyne series of legal mysteries. Before his unfortunate early death he also produced a series about Stoney Calhoun who lives in the Maine woods, loves Kate, a woman who’s husband is slowly dying of MS, ties flies, is a popular fishing guide, and who is regularly visited by the “Man in the Suit,” who wants to know if Stoney has begun to regain his memory.

Stoney Calhoun was struck by lightning and lost his memory. He doesn’t know what he had been, but he has the skills of a cop. While taking a professor on a fishing trip, they stop at Quarantine Island where the tourist discovers a charred body. The professor is later killed on Stoney’s deck and Sheriff Dickman, against Stoney’s better judgment, wants to enlist his aid in finding the killer.

Gray Ghost, by the way, is a type of fishing fly (I know nothing about such things) and also nebulous ghosts that haunt Stoney as he discovers he has skills (like sophisticated basketball moves and martial arts abilities) for which he has no recollection.

A very enjoyable series, good character development and a very likable protagonist.

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nov 1, 2020. Ditto. Plus when a bartender was rude to the sheriff and Stoney inflicted some respect n his, later the sheriff asked if that was necessary and Stoney said: "I have a high tolerance for a lot of behavior, but purposeful rudeness just gets to me." Then Stoney - don't get into politics in 2020 ( or in 2016). I appreciated the term " purposeful rudeness" since if often appears in the election cycle and is a terrible role model..

Nov 2019 Still *****. I learned a new term: gibbous: adjective Astronomy. (of a heavenly body) convex at both edges, as the moon when more than half full. Tapply was quite descriptive when he wrote on page one: "The stars were bright up there beyond the pines, and clouds shaped like cigars were drifting over the face of the gibbous September moon. It was a few days shy of the full harvest moon." Thanks for introducing me to new vocabulary!!!!

January 2017 wonderful page turner. I gave it a 5 ***** because I liked it and I didn't compare it classically great literature - just a book I enjoyed, as I enjoyed the characters.

[Mathiwi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Je suis entrée dans une librairie qui présentait la nouvelle collection Totem de Gallmeister, et Casco Bay était là, à côté de Dérive Sanglante. Le livre fut promptement acheté le matin et fini le soir du même jour. J'ai trouvé cette suite meilleure que le premier livre, plus rythmée et présentant les défauts du premier tome de manière amoindrie. On retrouve les personnage avec plaisir, et l'auteur pose les bases pour une vraie saga. Positif aussi, on laisse le personnage féminin principal se débrouiller tout seul avec ses états d'âme sans drama, alléluïa.

[Aude - Sempiternelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Suivre Stoney Calhoun et Ralph dans leurs enquêtes est toujours aussi savoureux! J’adore l’atmosphère, les caractères des personnages et la place prépondérante de la nature dans ces polars!

[Victoria · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the characters and also the fact that this book has a dog in it… always keeps me interested.
Pretty good mystery story

[Owlsinger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stoney Calhoun still has no memory of the time before his lightning strike, but his life is just fine, for now. Until, that is, the love of his life changes their relationship - and the bodies start showing up. A reluctant Deputy Sheriff now, he uses his "where did that come from?" skills to try to set his world aright again.

[Alice · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mlle Alice, pouvez-vous nous raconter votre rencontre avec Casco Bay ?
"J'avais reçu le premier tome de cette série grâce à un bon cadeau chez Exploratology et je l'avais essentiellement choisi parce qu'il s'agit d'une édition Gallmeister et que je les trouve tous magnifiques. La rencontre avec Stoney Calhoun avait été agréable et je voulais connaître la suite de ses aventures."

Dites-nous en un peu plus sur son histoire...
"Stoney emmène un nouveau client pour une partie de pêche. Celui-là, il l'aime bien, il le sent tout de suite. Alors quand il insiste pour s'arrêter sur une des îles de la baie, le guide de pêche s'exécute et le dépose sur Quarantine Island. Il lui raconte même le sombre passé de ses bâtiments en ruine. Mais quand les deux hommes tombent sur un cadavre calciné, le passé ne semble plus si lointain..."

Mais que s'est-il exactement passé entre vous ?
"J'ai retrouvé avec plaisir les personnages principaux de l'histoire et l'ambiance particulière du roman. Pour autant, j'avoue que j'ai laissé traîner cette lecture. Une fois le roman reposé, je ne peux pas dire que son histoire me suivait partout. Puis finalement, je m'y suis remise, vraiment, en prenant le temps. Et je crois que c'est là tout le secret. C'est un roman à qui il faut laisser le temps, qu'il ne faut pas engloutir mais savourer. C'est un roman à lire au bord d'une rivière, en harmonie avec la nature. Je suis bien contente d'avoir persévéré finalement et j'ai apprécie l'évolution de Stoney, maintenant officiellement adjoint du shérif, et l'apport de nouveaux personnages interessants comme le médecin légiste par exemple. J'ai un peu de mal à voir comment tout va réussir à se démêler dans un seul et unique dernier tome mais finalement, j'ai hâte de le découvrir."

Et comment cela s'est-il fini ?
"J'ai vraiment aimé cette lecture, à n'en pas douter. En revanche, c'est vrai que je ne serais pas contre des meurtres plus simples, moins grandiloquents, en série et alambiqués, plus dans l'esprit du reste du livre. Mais c'est tout de même bien amené et bien résolu et cela reste l'essentiel."


http://booksaremywonderland.hautetfor...

[Patsy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Seven years ago, Stoney Calhoun woke up in a VA hospital with no memories. He still remembers nothing from before then, except that he has a few unexplained skills--a gift for angling, an ability to read French--and recently it's been made clear to him that it would be best if he never does.
Working as a guide on Casco Bay, Stoney is out with a client on an early morning fly fishing expedition when they find the charred remains of a recent corpse on a small, uninhabited island. A couple of days later, Calhoun's client turns up in the driveway of Stoney's cabin in the woods--shot dead in the front seat of his SUV.
In the midst of a couple of inexplicable murders, both of which clearly have something to do with Stoney, past or present, it's up to him find out the truth...or risk becoming the next victim.

[Russell Wolf · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nominal mystery story, Gray Ghost meanders through its plot and characters. We learn bits and pieces of each and, although the story resolves, I didn't feel that the characters had quite enough depth to them. Even when discussing their most important points of character interaction there was something not quite there about it. I've never fished but I viewed the book as I think fishing might be - a languid entertainment with occasional points of frenetic activity. Well, maybe not that frenetic.

[Léa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Après l'avoir rencontré dans "Dérive sanglante", je me faisais une joie de retrouver Stoney Clahoun dans ce nouvel opus. Je ne fut pas déçu d'un iota. Encore une fois l'enquête policière est secondaire même si elle fait tourner les pages à toute vitesse. C'est la beauté des paysage du Maine et le style "nature writing" de l'auteur qui ensorcellent et font des livres de William G. Tapply un pure moment de bonheur.

[Doris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting book, with a main character with a missing past.

The main complaint I had with the story was I realized "whodunnit" about the time the guilty party was introduced, although I read to the end just to verify.

Still it was interesting with a lot of local flavor, with information unfamiliar to me about Maine and it's many offshore rocks and islands. The various relationship details were interesting too.

[Helen Campbell · Rating 3 out of 5]

All of the Tapply books I've read so far have featured Brady Coyne but this is book 2 of the Stoney Calhoun series. This novel features interesting characters and setting but I prefer the Coyne series. Reading a Calhoun story is like reading an article in Field and Stream; full of hunting, fishing, and hound dog ambience.

[Electra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quel plaisir de retrouver Stoney ;-) J'ai dévoré le livre - impossible de résister.

[Dena Beck · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great Follow Up to Bitch Creek.
I don't think I'd recommend it as a stand alone.
Too many details would not make sense.

[Waggonerdebbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stoney Calhoun was struck by lightning and has no memory of who he really is. But he can sure solve a murder case.

[Laura AWVL · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was ok....entertaining. I liked the characters enough to go to the library and get the first book in this series, Bitch Creek. Nothing great, but an enjoyable read.

[Peggy Kralka · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read!!! Will look for more books by this author

[Val Heed · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would never have chosen this myself but it was recommended to me for the "fishing"
I enjoyed it more than I expected and I couldn't guess until just before the end who the murderer was.

[Carrie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too much fishing and it wrapped up so quickly, out of nowheres.

[Yves Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

8.5/10
Agréable, comme le premier opus, bien que le mystère soit peu engageant. Le héros est intéressant je lirai la fin avec plaisir.

[Maria Plapis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Couldn't stop reading it! Cover to cover.

[nolhan · Rating 3 out of 5]

2,5.

[Victoria · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading it, already knowing the characters. Good story and baffling mystery.
It was a fun book to read.

[Kat · Rating 5 out of 5]

i know i read this before....

stoney takes a prof fishing. they stop at a deserted island so the man can go to the bathroom. he finds a dead man burned to death. turned out there were more dead men on other islands all killed the same way. they were all sex offenders and stoney helped the sheriff figure out who did it. stoney didnt want to help but did anyway. kate is upset as she had to put her sick husband in a rest home. they both still love each other, her husband knows and approves. ralph the dog disappeared the day the man was killed on stoneys deck but he came back the next day

this is a great series, im sad the author passed away . i loved all his books.

[Erick · Rating 4 out of 5]

awesome series

[Kaarin · Rating 5 out of 5]

These Stoney Calhoun books are for manly men but I enjoyed them immensely. Stoney's name suits him. An outdoorsman, readers will enjoy the descriptions of his fishing trips and his appreciation of nature.

[LJ · Rating 3 out of 5]

GRAY GHOST (Mystery-Stoney Calhoun-Maine-Cont) – G
Tapply, William G., 2nd in series
St. Martin’s Minotaur, 2007, US Hardcover- ISBN: 9780312363031
First Sentence: The alarm in Stoney Calhoun’s head jangled at two fifty-five, five minutes before the redundant wind-up clock beside his bed was scheduled to go off. Calhoun’s internal alarm hadn’t failed him yet, but he still didn’t quite trust it.
*** Stoney Calhoun remembers nothing prior to seven years ago when he was apparently struck by lightening. However, he is content with his life living in a cabin on a creek in Maine, partners in a fishing shop, in love with his married partner, and conducting fishing trips. Things turn grim when he guides a fishing trip and, when they take a break on an uninhabited island, find the corpse of a man burned beyond recognition. After the man who hired him is found dead on Stoney’s porch, he is deputized to help find the killer.
*** I’ll admit I’m a sucker for books set in Maine and I even enjoy the fishing theme. Stoney is an interesting character who is constantly discovering skills he didn’t know he had. I do find it hard to believe that someone who’d lost their memory wouldn’t want to know about their past. As a plot device, the memory loss, the relationship with his married partner, and the character’s constant use of the word “ain’t” could become old if they go on too long. However, Tapply definitely knows how to create characters and sense of place. The story is well plotted and I couldn’t anticipate where it was going. I shall be interested to see where this series is going.

[Jack]

I bought a book at a recent library book sale solely because it was the same name as a character in Batman: The Animated Series, the Gray Ghost. Yes, I know there's no connection besides the name.

I hate fishing. I don't mind boating, but all my experiences with fishing as a lad were miserable. Lots of work, little to mostly no reward.

This book ”stars” a man named Stoney Calhoun. He was struck by lightning 7 years ago and has no conscious memory of anything before that incident, but apparently he has skills, some of which involve him being an expert fisherman, which is how he prefers to spend his days.

On one excursion, they stop at an island and discover a dead body, burned beyond recognition. A few days later, the man Stoney took out winds up shot to death on his porch,

What is the connection between the two dead men to each other and to Stoney?

Remember I said I hate fishing? I loved this story, fishing and all! The characters are very well realized, the mystery left me guessing the whole time. The descriptions were vivid, and the fishing was described so that I could feel the enjoyment people get from fishing.

This is the second in the Stoney Calhoun series. Now Ii want to read the first.