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. ( )

The second in a series featuring Stoney Calhoun, this novel is not quite as good as the first - the plot being a bit of a stretch as well as showing shades of a formula. Some of Stoney's past story grows a bit tired as well - the 'getting hit by lightening' bit doesn't need to be said several times. Often in a series the main character's background is rehashed so that the reader can be brought up to speed, but in this novel that explanation about his past was done rather awkwardly. Also - the number of pots of coffee Stoney makes and consumes in one day is way too much for any one person to drink and still be able to ever get to sleep at night. ( )