Bitch Creek

Reviewed by Ellen Hogan for Reader Views (7/06) Stonewall Jackson Calhoun is a man without a past. He has no recollection of anything that happened in his life before he woke up in a Virginia Hospital. He was told things like where he was born and who his parents were and that he was divorced. But none of that told Stoney what kind of man he was and what he did to make a living. When Stoney left the hospital he was pulled to Maine, something told him that was the place for him to be. He had money in his pocket and more was deposited in an account for him every month, where the money came from he did not know. Stoney heads out to Maine and ends up in a little town called Dublin. He finds the perfect piece of land and decides to build a house on it. One day as he was working a young man came up and introduced himself as Lyle McMahan. Stoney hired him to help him build his house, when they were not working they were fishing. Lyle knew all kinds of good out of the way places. The two became very good friends. Around this time Stoney also met Kate Balaban. She owned a bait and tackle shop and hired Stoney to work for her. They decided to also offer guided fishing trips, when Kate was looking for another guide Stoney told her about Lyle and she hired him. Five years later Stoney was working in the shop when an older gentleman came in and wanted a fishing guide. Stoney did not care for him and called Lyle to come and take the man out. But, the next day Lyle had not shown up at home or his girlfriends and Stoney got worried. With a feeling of dread Stoney started investigating what happened to Lyle. After several days he found Lyle's body in a pond, he had drowned. There was no sign of the man he took fishing. Stoney decides it is his fault that Lyle is dead, since he should have taken the man instead. He throws himself into finding out the truth about what happened that day. During this time he gets the feeling that he must have been in law enforcement of some kind. Stoney questions many people and starts putting pieces of the puzzle together. With Kate's help they catch the men who killed Lyle and learn why they did it. Of course there is much more to the story but you will have to read the book to find out what. Mr. Tapply did a great job with descriptions and dialogue, it is a book that does not want to be put down. It draws you into the story and you just have to keep going to find out what will happen next. Even though a lot of the book talks about fly fishing and different flies, it would still be interesting to anyone. I really enjoyed this book very much and would look for more of Mr. Tapply's books. "Bitch Creek" is a laid back mystery that grabs you and won't let go.

Tapply, the author of the excellent Brady Coyne series is back with a new character. An interesting twist is that the character, Stoney Jackson has almost no memory because of being hit by lightening. Only an author of the caliber of Tapply could bring of this rather bizarre, interesting premise. His memory has not completely disappeared and there are many hints of his previous occupation that will provide more plots in the future, I expect. Stoney has built himself a house in the woods, is finding happiness in his involvement with his boss, Kate, another interesting character. Kate is married to a man with MS and brings greater depth to the story. Tapply capitalizes on his love and knowledge of fishing, the outdoors, animals and Maine to bring a real sense of place to the story. Life is getting better for him when a fellow worker and friend is murdered and Stoney suspects that he was the intended victim. The plotting and pace carries this book along and it is a page turner. One small caveat is that the final solution/reason for the murder seems a bit forced but one does not feel this until the book is completed. A good read and recommended.

Tapply, author of the popular Brady Coyne novels, kicks off a new series featuring Stoney Calhoun, a loner whose past is a mystery even to himself. Five years earlier (than when, we're not sure - there are no cell phones in this story), he arrived in western York County, Maine, after 18 months in a hospital recovering from a lightning strike. Or so he's been told. Stoney remembers nothing of his former life and "the Man in the Suit" comes around periodically to make sure he doesn't, Stoney assumes. Stoney's present is deliberately quiet: a job in a Portland bait shop tying flies and guiding fishermen; a discreet affair with the boss; a good dog; and a house in the woods along Bitch Creek, a fine place to contemplate the mysteries of trout and life. Then he passes a repellent client off to friend and fellow guide, Lyle McMahan, a college student and avid naturalist, and Lyle disappears. Stoney himself finds the body, face down in a pond, murdered. And Stoney, who has flashes of memory he keeps to himself and discovers new abilities when the need for them arises, finds he has a knack for investigating. Which melds perfectly with his photographic memory and his hunter's instincts. This character-driven novel with its tantalizing, sinister hints about the past and Stoney's complex, nuanced reflections and discoveries, has a laconic, atmospheric prose style. Tapply fleshes out the absorbing plot with crucial bits of local history, like the 1947 forest fire that burned out so many hardscrabble farmers. Readers may deduce the murderer before Stoney does, but not the why, and the ending gives Stoney a chance to use all his talents.

Stonewall Jackson Calhoun lives a quiet and nearly idyllic life in a cabin he built next to Bitch Creek in southern Maine. He spends time fishing, reading, hanging out with his dog Ralph Waldo, and working in Kate's Bait and Tackle Shop. The first mystery is: Who is Stoney, really? He knows he was released by a veteran's hospital in Virginia five years ago. Severe amnesia prevents him -- and us -- from knowing the rest of his history. Occasional deja-vu moments and dreams provide fleeting glimpses of people and circumstances from "before." Sometimes Stoney finds himself doing things he didn't know he could do, and he struggles to piece together an imagined identity based on his newly-rediscovered talents. What a gift to the reader! We get to learn more about Stoney just as he is learning about himself. Not many books honor us in that manner. As intriguing as *that* mystery may be, a second one quickly emerges. Stoney's friend Lyle is missing, along with the Florida tourist that he took on a fishing outing. When Stoney later finds Lyle's body, he feels obligated to begin his own investigation of the murder. Thus does this second mystery hinge on the first, for Stoney's methodical strategy indicates to him (and to us) that his past might have included police or military experience. Even the local sheriff senses that Stoney is not crazy and knows what he's doing, and he welcomes the extra help in solving the case. While a satisfying conclusion eventually brings the murder mystery to a close, we're still left with questions about Stoney Calhoun's identity. Should we believe the struck-by-lightning story the officials gave him? Who is the Man in the Suit who shows up from time to time? What source is sending money to Stoney? Will he ever remember his past, and will he ever know the real cause of his hospital stay? And if he remembers, what will become of his relationship with Kate? Mr. Tapply is a worthy angler who has tied an intricate fly, sure to successfully lure all of us hungry mystery-devourers into the current of a new character-driven series. Here's hoping we will have an opportunity to spend additional time on the banks of Bitch Creek, getting to know Stoney Calhoun!

Struck by lightening, Stoney Calhoun had his memory erased. Well, mostly erased. There are images that come back once in a while. Some of these images drew him to Maine where he is working in a fishing tackle shop and doing a bit of guiding. Then there's the murder. Stoney begins looking into the murder, surprising himself by discovering he's a trained investigator. And for any more than that you have to read the book. I will say a few things more about the book. It's excellent. It's the thirty-something book from this author, twenty one of which have featured the character Brady Coyne. As you finish this book, you can only hope that this is not the end of Stoney Calhoun, his girl friend Kate and the Maine fishing business.