HALLIE: August has been a cruel month for New England mystery writers and their fans. 
We are all reeling from the death of an extraordinarily talented writer and generous teacher, William G. Tapply. Bill wrote over dozens of New England-based mystery novels featuring attorney Brady Coyne, several more featuring outdoorsman Stoney Calhoun (a hunk who bore much more than a passing resemblance to Bill), and several more in partnership with his buddy Phillip R. Craig (they brought together their protagonists). He also wrote one of the smartest books on mystery writing around, “The Elements of Mystery Fiction..”
Bill was tall, handsome, kind, and anyone who hasn’t read his work is in for a treat. The third Stony Calhoun novel, “Dark Tiger,” comes out next month, and in October a book of outdoor essays “Upland Autumn: Birds, Dogs, and Shotgun Shells.”
Our thoughts are with his wife, mystery author Vicki Stiefel, and his five children.
Then, Kate’s Mystery Books closed its doors after more than 20 years as New England’s premier mystery bookstore. Scores of authors (see just a few in this photo with me: Sarah Smith (with her son Justus Perry, Hank Phillippi Ryan, Paula Munier, and Sheila Connolly) and readers showed up to help Kate pack up, as in true Kate’s style she threw a packing party. It was as hard to get to an empty packing box as it was to get to the wine at one of her famous Xmas parties.
Every New England mystery author I know launches his or her books at Kate’s, and looking at the table of signed books (which we were specifically told NOT to pack), it was clear how Kate’s has been a stopping point for the crème de la crème of crime fiction writers. Just a few of the megastar I’ve met at Kate’s: Sue Grafton, Sarah Paretsky, Robert B. Parker, Dennis Lehane, Katherine Hall Page, Jane Langton....
In the meantime, we’ll continue to cherish a
