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Brady Coyne/J.W. Jackson #1
First Light
While visiting Martha's Vineyard to help a client write her will, Brady Coyne visits an old friend, J.W. Jackson. Brady quickly discovers that more than a few people are after the estate of his client. The two eventually join forces, and the case in this captivating book.
352 pages, Paperback
First published December 4, 2001
79 people are currently reading
252 people want to read
About the author
Philip R. Craig
27 books101 followersAuthor Philip R. Craig passed away on May 8, 2007 after a brief battle with cancer.
Phil left three completed novels, which have now all been published posthumously. Vineyard Stalker came out in June of 2007 just after Phil's death. Third Strike, co-written with Bill Tapply, came out in November of 2007. The final J.W. Jackson mystery, Vineyard Chill, is on the shelves now. Another J.W. book is partially written, and may someday be completed by his family per his instructions, so stay tuned. Delish, the cookbook co-written with Phil’s wife Shirley Prada Craig, is also still available.
The Philip R. Craig website will be maintained as a tribute to my father and his many fans. ~ Jamie Craig
Phil left three completed novels, which have now all been published posthumously. Vineyard Stalker came out in June of 2007 just after Phil's death. Third Strike, co-written with Bill Tapply, came out in November of 2007. The final J.W. Jackson mystery, Vineyard Chill, is on the shelves now. Another J.W. book is partially written, and may someday be completed by his family per his instructions, so stay tuned. Delish, the cookbook co-written with Phil’s wife Shirley Prada Craig, is also still available.
The Philip R. Craig website will be maintained as a tribute to my father and his many fans. ~ Jamie Craig
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews
May 14, 2018
Of the twenty-eight novels in the Brady Coyne series, this, the nineteenth, is for me the strangest and least successful of them all. It's a joint effort between William G. Tapply and Philip R. Craig, who writes a series set on Martha's Vineyard featuring an investigator named J. W. Jackson. They, or their publisher, apparently decided that it would be an excellent idea to bring Tapply's Boston lawyer and Craig's island detective together in a book that would be set on Martha's Vineyard.
Both Coyne and Jackson are avid fishermen, and the setup is that Coyne and Jackson are also old friends. Jackson has invited Brady to come visit for a week so that they can compete in a major fishing contest that is held a couple of times a year on the island. This is serendipitous because one of Brady's elderly clients, a woman named Sarah Fairchild, is dying of cancer. She has a large estate on the island and is trying to decide whether to sell it to a golf course development company or to a conservation group that would like to preserve the land as it is. She wants Brady to investigate the two proposals and advise her which would be best. Jackson, meanwhile, has been hired by a man to find his wife who has gone missing from the island.
The story is told in alternating chapters, one narrated by Jackson and the next by Coyne, but the collaboration did not work very well at all, at least for me. To begin with, it's an awkward construction. Each time the narrator changes, we have to take time to review what happened in the last chapter so that the current narrator is caught up on the action. So we get a lot of passages that go something like, "After Brady told me what he had learned from the police chief and what he had done at the liquor store, etc., etc., etc." As a result there's a lot of repetetive narrative here that you have to read from the POV of each character.
Another problem is that, for a mystery novel, there's way too much fishing going on. I've never read the Craig series, but readers of the Coyne series know that Brady loves to fish and there's always some discussion of fishing in each of the books. (The author, William G. Tapply, was an avid outdoorsman and a contributing editor to Field and Stream magazine.) But it doesn't ever get in the way of the story. Here it does, and in a big way. If you eliminated all the fishing scenes, you'd probably lose about a third of the book, and none of them really advances the story in any interesting or meaningful way. These scenes drain what little tension there is out of the story, and by the time I was halfway through the book, I was thinking, "Oh no; not another damned fishing scene!)
The last major problem with the book is that both Jackson and Coyne should both be sued for malpractice. Though he has a very worried client, Jackson spends very little time actually looking for the missing woman. In addition to all the time he wastes fishing, he also takes time out to build an elaborate three house for his kids!
Coyne's dereliction of duty may be even worse. He has a client at death's door who needs to make a quick decision about what to do with her property. She also has two greedy children and a grandson who are hoping that she dies before selling the property so that they can inherit it and do with it what they please. Brady's response is to take a couple of meetings in and around his fishing, and that's about the extent of his effort. He shows no sense of urgency at all.
There actually is a mystery buried in the middle of all this other activity, and it involves a number of women who seem to have gone missing from the island. Coyne and Jackson will both wind up working on the case, but only when it doesn't interfere with more important matters like fishing and building tree houses. And most readers will get to the solution a lot faster than Coyne and Jackson.
As I've suggested in my reviews of the previous eighteen books in this series, I really like the series and I really like the Brady Coyne character. But this one was a disappointment and I would strongly encourage anyone interested in dipping into the series to pick another entry. 2.5 stars, very generously rounded up to 3.
Both Coyne and Jackson are avid fishermen, and the setup is that Coyne and Jackson are also old friends. Jackson has invited Brady to come visit for a week so that they can compete in a major fishing contest that is held a couple of times a year on the island. This is serendipitous because one of Brady's elderly clients, a woman named Sarah Fairchild, is dying of cancer. She has a large estate on the island and is trying to decide whether to sell it to a golf course development company or to a conservation group that would like to preserve the land as it is. She wants Brady to investigate the two proposals and advise her which would be best. Jackson, meanwhile, has been hired by a man to find his wife who has gone missing from the island.
The story is told in alternating chapters, one narrated by Jackson and the next by Coyne, but the collaboration did not work very well at all, at least for me. To begin with, it's an awkward construction. Each time the narrator changes, we have to take time to review what happened in the last chapter so that the current narrator is caught up on the action. So we get a lot of passages that go something like, "After Brady told me what he had learned from the police chief and what he had done at the liquor store, etc., etc., etc." As a result there's a lot of repetetive narrative here that you have to read from the POV of each character.
Another problem is that, for a mystery novel, there's way too much fishing going on. I've never read the Craig series, but readers of the Coyne series know that Brady loves to fish and there's always some discussion of fishing in each of the books. (The author, William G. Tapply, was an avid outdoorsman and a contributing editor to Field and Stream magazine.) But it doesn't ever get in the way of the story. Here it does, and in a big way. If you eliminated all the fishing scenes, you'd probably lose about a third of the book, and none of them really advances the story in any interesting or meaningful way. These scenes drain what little tension there is out of the story, and by the time I was halfway through the book, I was thinking, "Oh no; not another damned fishing scene!)
The last major problem with the book is that both Jackson and Coyne should both be sued for malpractice. Though he has a very worried client, Jackson spends very little time actually looking for the missing woman. In addition to all the time he wastes fishing, he also takes time out to build an elaborate three house for his kids!
Coyne's dereliction of duty may be even worse. He has a client at death's door who needs to make a quick decision about what to do with her property. She also has two greedy children and a grandson who are hoping that she dies before selling the property so that they can inherit it and do with it what they please. Brady's response is to take a couple of meetings in and around his fishing, and that's about the extent of his effort. He shows no sense of urgency at all.
There actually is a mystery buried in the middle of all this other activity, and it involves a number of women who seem to have gone missing from the island. Coyne and Jackson will both wind up working on the case, but only when it doesn't interfere with more important matters like fishing and building tree houses. And most readers will get to the solution a lot faster than Coyne and Jackson.
As I've suggested in my reviews of the previous eighteen books in this series, I really like the series and I really like the Brady Coyne character. But this one was a disappointment and I would strongly encourage anyone interested in dipping into the series to pick another entry. 2.5 stars, very generously rounded up to 3.
February 27, 2013
This book was the first collaboration between author Philip Craig and William Tappley. Craig has written a number of mysteries which take place on Martha's Vineyard. Tappley's mysteries follow a Boston lawyer. The authors alternate chapters, each giving the perspective of his character. I enjoyed the setting. Craig's character, J.W. talks a lot about eating and drinking and hanging out on his deck watching the sunset. Sounds nice. I felt less of a connection with to Tappley's character, Brady Coyne. Sure he ate and drank with J.W. but he was pretty flat. I will say he made me mad when he flung his cigarette off the side of a boat.
The mystery involved a couple of missing women. I figured this one out long before J.W. and that annoyed me. Hello, the guy's a retired Boston cop. He really should have been a little more savvy. He also put himself into some precarious positions. I admit to some eye rolling. So, fun read but a little bit frustrating when it came to the mystery. Plus, there are recipes. I'm a sucker for stories with recipes.
The mystery involved a couple of missing women. I figured this one out long before J.W. and that annoyed me. Hello, the guy's a retired Boston cop. He really should have been a little more savvy. He also put himself into some precarious positions. I admit to some eye rolling. So, fun read but a little bit frustrating when it came to the mystery. Plus, there are recipes. I'm a sucker for stories with recipes.
August 25, 2020
Having recently re-discovered author Tapply, and really enjoying his (albeit somewhat dated) Brady Coyne series about a nice-guy, Boston-based lawyer to the wealthy, and avocational fisherman, we learned from another reader that the J.W. Jackson set by Philip R. Craig might appeal, featuring his Martha’s Vineyard private eye of sorts, when JW’s fishing expeditions leave him time to work. As we decided to look into this set, we discovered that both authors, no doubt attracted by their fanatic real-life pursuits of expert fishing, decided to collaborate late in their lives with three books featuring both protagonists. “First Light” is the aptly named first of the trio, and although co-authored, it was almost two standalone novellas told in alternating chapters by each respective author about his own lead character.
Brady is visiting JW during a month-long serious fishing contest on the Vineyard, with Brady coincidentally handling the likely sale there of a client’s 200-acre estate. Meanwhile, JW has recently taken a case about a missing wife now gone for over a year. When another woman similarly disappears during Brady’s visit, the two begin to research that matter when their devotion to fishing in the contest provided some windows of time to do so.
Unfortunately, to us the whole mashup didn’t work. With the alternating chapters being written independently, there was too much repetition as we often got the same action from the other guy’s point of view; and time-wasting catch-up for the two men wasted more ink we readers didn’t need. At least a third of the novel was about the fishing, which detracted seriously from what little suspense was generated by the “mystery” and got awfully tiresome, especially for us landlubbers. The solution to the whole thing almost became obvious long before Brady and JW had a clue; and Brady’s work for his client was irritatingly left totally unresolved, not that we ultimately cared that much.
That it would no doubt be difficult to locate the other two entries in this limited set written shortly before the death of both authors leads us to our decision to let the rest of this pairing just become sleeping dogs. {2.5}
Brady is visiting JW during a month-long serious fishing contest on the Vineyard, with Brady coincidentally handling the likely sale there of a client’s 200-acre estate. Meanwhile, JW has recently taken a case about a missing wife now gone for over a year. When another woman similarly disappears during Brady’s visit, the two begin to research that matter when their devotion to fishing in the contest provided some windows of time to do so.
Unfortunately, to us the whole mashup didn’t work. With the alternating chapters being written independently, there was too much repetition as we often got the same action from the other guy’s point of view; and time-wasting catch-up for the two men wasted more ink we readers didn’t need. At least a third of the novel was about the fishing, which detracted seriously from what little suspense was generated by the “mystery” and got awfully tiresome, especially for us landlubbers. The solution to the whole thing almost became obvious long before Brady and JW had a clue; and Brady’s work for his client was irritatingly left totally unresolved, not that we ultimately cared that much.
That it would no doubt be difficult to locate the other two entries in this limited set written shortly before the death of both authors leads us to our decision to let the rest of this pairing just become sleeping dogs. {2.5}
July 2, 2018
You can count on William Tapply to provide a good story and Philip Craig is at the same level in this series. I'll have to try Craig's books now that, unhappily, Tapply has died.
July 24, 2010
A partnership of two mystery writers and their main characters, with alternating points of view, made an interesting read. The local, Martha's Vineyard, was familiar.
August 8, 2022
Dec 2019 ditto
1-10-2017 I liked the format but with reservations..... there was much redundancy when the "voice" switched. Story itself was good.
New read: August 8 2022. Same as 3 yet ago.
1-10-2017 I liked the format but with reservations..... there was much redundancy when the "voice" switched. Story itself was good.
New read: August 8 2022. Same as 3 yet ago.
May 25, 2019
First Light by Philip R. Craig and William G. Tapply is the first book of the Brady Coyne & J.W. Jackson mystery series. Brady Coyne is a lawyer in Boston, a good fishing buddy of Jeff's. Brady comes to Martha's Vineyard to finalize a will for an elderly client. Sarah Fairchild, close to death, needs to decide between two prospective buyers for her extensive property: one candidate is a non-profit organization that will create a wildlife preserve, the other candidate is a golf resort developer. Brady must meet both and evaluate which buyer best serves Sarah's wishes.
J.W. "Jeff" lives year-round on the island with his wife Zee and children. He's in the process of building a treehouse with their "help", a task they all enjoy. He's an ex-cop from Boston, wounded in the line of duty, now working at odd jobs around the island. He loves his simpler lifestyle with his family. He's been asked to investigate a "cold" case of a woman who went missing from the island.
Brady, Jeff and Zee are passionate about fishing, and it's the week of the annual fishing derby. Jeff knows the many places fish come and go with the tides around the island. His favorite time to fish is "First Light", just before full dawn. Jeff and Zee take turns going fishing with Brady; chapters alternate from Brady's and Jeff's point of view.
When Sarah's nurse goes missing, clues point to the same circumstances as for previous cases of missing women. Brady's and Jeff's investigations converge; danger threatens Jeff's family.
As in all mysteries of the Martha's Vineyard series (featuring Jeff as sole protagonist), reading the story feels like taking a mini-vacation. Craig's love for Martha's Vineyard is evident in his descriptions of island landmarks, and his characters' great joy when fishing on its many beaches. A recurring theme is the dramatic difference between tourist-packed summers vs. the quieter, calmer off-season.
Jeff's laid-back humor is a treat: "Like a lot of people who were raised with not much money, I keep a supply of stuff that I don't really need right now but might need some day." He makes good use of odds and ends building the treehouse.
Recipes: Seafood St. Jacques, Nana's Steamed Pudding, Brady's Thanksgiving Sea Duck. Plus a tip from Jeff: "Fresh bluefish is best for cooking, but, for reasons that elude me, frozen bluefish smokes better than fresh bluefish. It is another unsolved mystery of the sea."
J.W. "Jeff" lives year-round on the island with his wife Zee and children. He's in the process of building a treehouse with their "help", a task they all enjoy. He's an ex-cop from Boston, wounded in the line of duty, now working at odd jobs around the island. He loves his simpler lifestyle with his family. He's been asked to investigate a "cold" case of a woman who went missing from the island.
Brady, Jeff and Zee are passionate about fishing, and it's the week of the annual fishing derby. Jeff knows the many places fish come and go with the tides around the island. His favorite time to fish is "First Light", just before full dawn. Jeff and Zee take turns going fishing with Brady; chapters alternate from Brady's and Jeff's point of view.
When Sarah's nurse goes missing, clues point to the same circumstances as for previous cases of missing women. Brady's and Jeff's investigations converge; danger threatens Jeff's family.
As in all mysteries of the Martha's Vineyard series (featuring Jeff as sole protagonist), reading the story feels like taking a mini-vacation. Craig's love for Martha's Vineyard is evident in his descriptions of island landmarks, and his characters' great joy when fishing on its many beaches. A recurring theme is the dramatic difference between tourist-packed summers vs. the quieter, calmer off-season.
Jeff's laid-back humor is a treat: "Like a lot of people who were raised with not much money, I keep a supply of stuff that I don't really need right now but might need some day." He makes good use of odds and ends building the treehouse.
Recipes: Seafood St. Jacques, Nana's Steamed Pudding, Brady's Thanksgiving Sea Duck. Plus a tip from Jeff: "Fresh bluefish is best for cooking, but, for reasons that elude me, frozen bluefish smokes better than fresh bluefish. It is another unsolved mystery of the sea."
January 3, 2018
Started: 4/11/12
Finished: 4/14/12
26 chapters/346 pages
First, let me begin this review by saying that I read this book back in 2012. However, after I read a book, I always try to write out my feelings on the story when I finish. Sometimes, I’m moved to write a great deal to type up later. Other times, I just feel up to writing a very basic review. I never intended for it to take me almost six YEARS to get it on my GoodReads account, but it has. Obviously, by now, I don’t really remember much about the story, though sometimes my notes help jog my memory. So, if the following review doesn’t really say much or deal too much with the story or plot, that’s probably because I wasn’t moved by one or the other or both to write more than I did. However, such as it is I give to you.
My Review—This is the first Brady Coyne or J.W. Jackson book I’ve read. And, well, I wasn’t all that big on it. Since there’re only two more in the series (according to NoveList), I’ll probably read them (or maybe not), but I don’t think I’ll read the individual series.
I didn’t mind the fishing bit, though I’ve never done it myself and, really, have no desire to, but I found the storyline around the fishing derby (a Martha’s Vineyard competition from September to October) fairly interesting.
As to the heroes, I think I liked J.W. better. If I were to read one of the other series, it would probably be his. Brady was all right but a little too liberal “PC” for my taste. J.W.’s married; Brady’s divorced. J.W. has two kids; Brady has two boys, both college age. J.W. is a former policeman; Brady a Boston lawyer. J.W.’s wife’s a nurse and was all right as far as modern women go (she’s not, in THIS book anyway, such an irate feminist that she annoyed me. really, except for someone’s saying she went by her maiden name still, she didn’t strike me as all the “for the sisterhood” irritating, which is such a relief!) The Martha’s Vineyard characters were interesting, as was the plot, once it got going, but it seemed to take time really kicking into gear (but I understand build-up, background, and character development). And, as far as I was concerned, it ended well.
Grade: B
Finished: 4/14/12
26 chapters/346 pages
First, let me begin this review by saying that I read this book back in 2012. However, after I read a book, I always try to write out my feelings on the story when I finish. Sometimes, I’m moved to write a great deal to type up later. Other times, I just feel up to writing a very basic review. I never intended for it to take me almost six YEARS to get it on my GoodReads account, but it has. Obviously, by now, I don’t really remember much about the story, though sometimes my notes help jog my memory. So, if the following review doesn’t really say much or deal too much with the story or plot, that’s probably because I wasn’t moved by one or the other or both to write more than I did. However, such as it is I give to you.
My Review—This is the first Brady Coyne or J.W. Jackson book I’ve read. And, well, I wasn’t all that big on it. Since there’re only two more in the series (according to NoveList), I’ll probably read them (or maybe not), but I don’t think I’ll read the individual series.
I didn’t mind the fishing bit, though I’ve never done it myself and, really, have no desire to, but I found the storyline around the fishing derby (a Martha’s Vineyard competition from September to October) fairly interesting.
As to the heroes, I think I liked J.W. better. If I were to read one of the other series, it would probably be his. Brady was all right but a little too liberal “PC” for my taste. J.W.’s married; Brady’s divorced. J.W. has two kids; Brady has two boys, both college age. J.W. is a former policeman; Brady a Boston lawyer. J.W.’s wife’s a nurse and was all right as far as modern women go (she’s not, in THIS book anyway, such an irate feminist that she annoyed me. really, except for someone’s saying she went by her maiden name still, she didn’t strike me as all the “for the sisterhood” irritating, which is such a relief!) The Martha’s Vineyard characters were interesting, as was the plot, once it got going, but it seemed to take time really kicking into gear (but I understand build-up, background, and character development). And, as far as I was concerned, it ended well.
Grade: B
December 29, 2020
This is the second Brady Coyne/J.W. Jackson book I have read, and the author's first in his series. Overall, a good story. However, for me, there was far too much time devoted to fishing. I understand that fishing is important to the characters, but I'd rather have the text devoted to story and/or character development. Also, it claims that fishing is the only sport that can take you away from your worries. Certainly that's a matter of opinion and untrue.
Also, in the last few pages, there seems to be some confusion over the phases of the moon. On one page, it describes clouds wisping over the new moon. Well, we can't see a new moon. Then a couple pages later it describes light from the moon -- same evening. If it's a new moon, there's no light. A new moon is completely backlit. We see nothing. I find misunderstandings like that confusing and disappointing.
Also, in the last few pages, there seems to be some confusion over the phases of the moon. On one page, it describes clouds wisping over the new moon. Well, we can't see a new moon. Then a couple pages later it describes light from the moon -- same evening. If it's a new moon, there's no light. A new moon is completely backlit. We see nothing. I find misunderstandings like that confusing and disappointing.
April 15, 2024
(3). Imagine my surprise in finding a co-authored Brady Coyne book! J.W. Jackson as a co-protagonist is almost a double dose of Brady. The main exception being he is a happily married man with a family. They both love fishing, and this story has a whole lot of fishing at its center. We are up in Martha’s Vineyard (just outside of Boston off the coast of Cape Cod to you non east coast folks) and Brady is working with a client. We have a good twisty plot here, with several fun characters, and my only complaint is that titling each chapter after a different character thing. I guess there is another book or more of these two together, I look forward to finding them. Good stuff.
January 11, 2019
JW Jackson, who has starred in many Martha's Vineyard Mystery books now has a partner Brady Coyne who is a Boston lawyer. Fall on the Vineyard brings the fishing derby including all night fishing. Also Brady is there to help an elderly client sell her sizeable estate. The cast of characters is large and varied. This was a can't-put-it-down read.
October 22, 2017
Interesting mix of Coyne and Jackson, has a lot of potential
July 30, 2018
This was a perfectly acceptable little mystery in an exotic (compared to Iowa!) location, but it just wasn't grabbing me.
May 17, 2019
Great read! Very hard to put down!
September 11, 2020
Flat flat flat characters and a nothing of a murderer.
July 31, 2021
I've read most of the J.W. Jackson series, but not the Brady Coyne. They come together during the fishing derby on Martha's Vineyard.
August 30, 2022
I am a big fan of the Brady Coyne series, not so sure I particularly like the alternative chapter format of this author collaboration, but still a decent plot.
February 10, 2024
Wandering around Martha’s Vineyard with a former cop and a lawyer/investigator to solve a disappearance or two, go fishing during the MV fishing derby, and eat seafood. Easy read, but too much fishing. Also building a kid’s treehouse. A folksy beach read with some peril thrown in.
November 6, 2025
easy quite read, good background story.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 10, 2020
This is the first book I've read by either of these authors and I found it a page-turner. Very interesting structure with the two main characters having first-person voice in alternating chapters. Highly recommended!
August 14, 2007
FIRST LIGHT (Unlicensed investigators-Massachusetts-Cont) – G+
Craig, Philip R. and William G. Tapply – first collaboration
Scribner, 2002 – Hardcover
*** Boston attorney Brady Coyne is visiting his friend J.W. Jackson on Martha’s Vineyard to participate in the annual striped bass and bluefish derby. Brady is also there to visit an elderly client who, dying of cancer, wants Brady to advise her on the sale of her property; much to her family’s dismay. J.W. Jackson is contacted by a man looking for his estranged wife, missing after last being seen on the island. J.W. and his wife, Zee, introduce Brady with a woman, who he realizes is his client’s nurse. Brady believe she has stood him up for a subsequent date, but later realizes she has gone missing. Both women are in the 40s with blond hair and, it turns out, are only two of such women missing.
*** I was pleasantly surprised how well this worked. The two authors alternated chapters with their characters but I didn’t find it awkward or disruptive. The characters are interesting and ending suspenseful. I always enjoy the setting of Martha’s Vineyard, but it does help, with this book, if you like fishing. The story definitely kept me reading. This is not quite cozies, in spite of the very good recipes at the back. Both authors are very good in their own right and the blending of their talents.
Craig, Philip R. and William G. Tapply – first collaboration
Scribner, 2002 – Hardcover
*** Boston attorney Brady Coyne is visiting his friend J.W. Jackson on Martha’s Vineyard to participate in the annual striped bass and bluefish derby. Brady is also there to visit an elderly client who, dying of cancer, wants Brady to advise her on the sale of her property; much to her family’s dismay. J.W. Jackson is contacted by a man looking for his estranged wife, missing after last being seen on the island. J.W. and his wife, Zee, introduce Brady with a woman, who he realizes is his client’s nurse. Brady believe she has stood him up for a subsequent date, but later realizes she has gone missing. Both women are in the 40s with blond hair and, it turns out, are only two of such women missing.
*** I was pleasantly surprised how well this worked. The two authors alternated chapters with their characters but I didn’t find it awkward or disruptive. The characters are interesting and ending suspenseful. I always enjoy the setting of Martha’s Vineyard, but it does help, with this book, if you like fishing. The story definitely kept me reading. This is not quite cozies, in spite of the very good recipes at the back. Both authors are very good in their own right and the blending of their talents.
June 17, 2014
First Light is co-authored by William Tapply - I'm a big fan - and Philip Craig - not so much. Both of their protagonists - Brady Coyne and J.W. Jackson - are Massachusetts based - Boston and Martha's Vineyard respectively. (I understand that Craig/Jackson fans may take umbrage with the Massachusetts label - my bad.) Brady is a single/divorced/father of two grown boys and a lawyer who does a lot of investigating. J.W. is a married father of two young children and an ex-cop who also does a lot of investigating. Both - as are/were the authors - avid fishermen - hence the "connection" between our authors and protagonists. The product of this partnership is a romp - heavy on fishing and light on plot - with each author/hero "telling" this story in alternating chapters.
Brady makes his way to the Vineyard to settle the financial matters of a very wealthy and ailing widow. His "visit" coincides with the island's annual striped bass/bluefish Derby. Hosting Brady is resident J.W., who takes on a missing persons' case - a woman last seen on Martha's Vineyard a year earlier - hired by the estranged, but very concerned husband. In between fishing excursions - and there is a lot of fishing in First Light - both our heroes work their "cases" and before it's all over - lo and behold - the two cases "connect".
A quick light read - which may have more appeal if you like to fish.
Brady makes his way to the Vineyard to settle the financial matters of a very wealthy and ailing widow. His "visit" coincides with the island's annual striped bass/bluefish Derby. Hosting Brady is resident J.W., who takes on a missing persons' case - a woman last seen on Martha's Vineyard a year earlier - hired by the estranged, but very concerned husband. In between fishing excursions - and there is a lot of fishing in First Light - both our heroes work their "cases" and before it's all over - lo and behold - the two cases "connect".
A quick light read - which may have more appeal if you like to fish.
December 3, 2015
#1 in the Brady Coyne/J.W. Jackson series. William G. Tapply's Boston lawyer Brady Coyne and Philip R. Craig's Martha's Vineyard P.I. J.W. Jackson join forces in what became the first of three joint ventures. Both authors died shortly after the third entry. a good pairing and an entertaining read.
Brady Coyne/J.W. Jackson mystery - When tough businessman Jack Bannerman's wife goes missing, he hires private detective Jackson to find her. A parallel missing person's case develops when Coyne, Jackson's buddy, arrives for a fishing derby, only to see his elderly client Sarah Fairchild's private nurse vanish mysteriously in the midst of a nasty dispute over the future of ailing Mrs. Fairchild's sizable beachfront property. Conflicts erupt as family members fight among themselves and developers clash with environmentalists, all over whether to have a golf club or wildlife preserve. When he finally speaks with the bumbling local police, Jackson has already noticed that attractive women, all blonde and in their forties, have been disappearing for years on the island. Slashed tires with a warning note and quotations from Hamlet become important clues that eventually lead the pair of sleuths to a culprit whose guilt has been amply foreshadowed.
Brady Coyne/J.W. Jackson mystery - When tough businessman Jack Bannerman's wife goes missing, he hires private detective Jackson to find her. A parallel missing person's case develops when Coyne, Jackson's buddy, arrives for a fishing derby, only to see his elderly client Sarah Fairchild's private nurse vanish mysteriously in the midst of a nasty dispute over the future of ailing Mrs. Fairchild's sizable beachfront property. Conflicts erupt as family members fight among themselves and developers clash with environmentalists, all over whether to have a golf club or wildlife preserve. When he finally speaks with the bumbling local police, Jackson has already noticed that attractive women, all blonde and in their forties, have been disappearing for years on the island. Slashed tires with a warning note and quotations from Hamlet become important clues that eventually lead the pair of sleuths to a culprit whose guilt has been amply foreshadowed.
November 7, 2007
11/06/07
TITLE/AUTHOR: FIRST LIGHT by Philip R. Craig & William G. Tapply
RATING: 4.5/B+
GENRE/PUB DATE/# OF PGS: Mystery/2002/406 LP pgs
SERIES/STAND ALONE: #1 in series JW Jackson & Brady Coyne
TIME/PLACE: Present/Martha's Vineyard
CHARACTERS: J W Jackson/PI & Brady Coyne/Boston Lawyer
FIRST LINES: I had arranged to meet James Bannerman in the Fireside because it was close to the ferry landing, so he could catch the boat & go home to Connecticut after we talked. I was the only customer when he came in.
COMMENTS: Chapters alternate between JW Jackson (Craig) and Brady Coyne (Tapply). Jackson is hired to find a missing woman and Coyne is on the vineyard for business. His wealthy client, Sarah Fairchild, is dying and wants Brady to assist her in settling the estate. JW & Brady are not only out fishing every day/night for the derby -- mostly early morning for the first light -- but their cases are overlapping. Had an old-fashioned (cocktails at sunset, low to little technology)feel to it, very enjoyable.
TITLE/AUTHOR: FIRST LIGHT by Philip R. Craig & William G. Tapply
RATING: 4.5/B+
GENRE/PUB DATE/# OF PGS: Mystery/2002/406 LP pgs
SERIES/STAND ALONE: #1 in series JW Jackson & Brady Coyne
TIME/PLACE: Present/Martha's Vineyard
CHARACTERS: J W Jackson/PI & Brady Coyne/Boston Lawyer
FIRST LINES: I had arranged to meet James Bannerman in the Fireside because it was close to the ferry landing, so he could catch the boat & go home to Connecticut after we talked. I was the only customer when he came in.
COMMENTS: Chapters alternate between JW Jackson (Craig) and Brady Coyne (Tapply). Jackson is hired to find a missing woman and Coyne is on the vineyard for business. His wealthy client, Sarah Fairchild, is dying and wants Brady to assist her in settling the estate. JW & Brady are not only out fishing every day/night for the derby -- mostly early morning for the first light -- but their cases are overlapping. Had an old-fashioned (cocktails at sunset, low to little technology)feel to it, very enjoyable.
August 29, 2009
I've never read anything by either of these authors, but apparently they each have significant series of mysteries starring, respectively, Brady Coyne and J.W. Jackson. In this book the two characters combine forces to track down a missing woman on Martha's Vineyard. The authors and characters alternate chapters, so the story is told from both perspectives. It's a little frustrating as the information-sharing between the characters is not perfect, so the reader can put together the clues well before the protagonists. And there is a *lot* of fishing. But it's a good story and fun characters and I'm going to put some of their separate works on my to-read list.
June 1, 2017
First light is the first joint effort between Philip Craig and William Tapply (and is J.W. Jackson #13). The collaboration works very well, alternating chapters from the Jackson and Coyne viewpoints for the most part. The story revolves around women who have gone missing on Martha's Vineyard over the past years, within a setting involving a dying woman's estate, squabbles among her heirs, and the usually Jackson family situation. Of course, what the book is really about is fishing! This is a good entry for the Jackson series. I haven't read any of Tapply's work, so I can't comment on that series. A quick and entertaining read.
April 27, 2010
What fun! Two of my favorite mystery writers (and fishing buddies in real life)brought their popular detectives together to solve a crime on the Vineyard. Worked beautifully because both Coyne and Jackson are strong, no-nonsense characters who seem like they should be friends. I'm guessing Tapply got the better of the deal because he probably had to visit Craig at Craig's year-round Vineyard home. Probably even had to bring his fishing gear too.
April 22, 2012
I did not like this book at all. It was flat, boring, predictable, condescending, retarded, ... It felt like one of those term papers you had to write in college that had to exceed a word count, so you go back and add some meaningless words to hit the count quota. At the end of the book I felt like the author got paid based upon the number of pages he wrote, rather than on the quality of the content.
November 5, 2014
Read this first book after the 3rd of the series. Glad I did. Didn't like the 3rd book at all, but this one much more enjoyable. There are 2 authors, writing about 2 lead protagonists (they each have own series), and it gets a little confusing at first trying to see from the two different sides. Both sides are told in the first person,, but you get in a rhythm and the going gets much better. The story is good in this first book, as are all the characters and the situation is believable.
January 13, 2008
Excellent book! The third in a series of co-written mysteries by the late Phillip R. Craig and William Tapley. If you enjoy Martha's Vineyard, fishing and mysteries, these books are for you. When you're finished with the three books in this series, check out their individually written mysteries too! I enjoy the camaraderie between their two main characters.
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