Product Description

Fresh from his recent acclaim as a Good Morning America Bookclub choice, Philip R. Craig casts his observant eye on the fine line between tragedy and comedy on Martha's Vineyard.

Just look at the Vineyard's criminal du jour, "the Silencer." Loved by many and hated by some, the perp's on a campaign to destroy the audio systems in music-blasting party houses and open-windowed vehicles. Owners of said houses and vehicles feel both fear and hate, while some residents who seek silence silently cheer.

J. W. Jackson, former cop and now a part-time investigator, finds it difficult to get too excited about the Silencer's crimes. J.W.'s a classical music man himself, which may explain his reluctance to take the so-called crimes very seriously.

The fun stops, however, when someone is killed -- a night watchman is thrown over a cliff near an outrageously large new Chappaquiddick mansion.

Who killed Ollie Mattes? Was it the womanizer Harold Hobbes? Harold's mother, Vineyard aristocrat Maud Mayhew, begs J.W. to prove her son's innocence. Harold may have been guilty of vandalism at the mansion, but according to Maud, he's not a killer.

But if Harold didn't kill Ollie, who did? J.W. will soon find himself mired in an intrigue that links some of the Vineyard's most prominent families, families that have known, and sometimes hated, one another for generations. Who is telling the truth? Who will die next?

Meanwhile, at home, J.W.'s under pressure from Zee and the kids to acquire their first computer. Will J.W. ever enter the modern era? It's three against one, so how long can he hold out?

With his usual glorious mix of Vineyard ambience, romance, food, fishing, and first-rate suspense, Craig once again proves that his Martha's Vineyard mysteries are the perfect summer read.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #651836 in Books
• Published on: 2007-07-01
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 272 pages

From Publishers Weekly
Set in early June, before the hordes of vacationers descend, Craig's 15th Martha's Vineyard mystery (after 2003's A Vineyard Killing) arrives just in time for the beach. The Vineyard crime scene is a tad slow: a jail prisoner escapes after supper but usually returns before breakfast because the food is so good, thanks to a local chef doing time, while the cops aren't trying too hard to catch "the Silencer," who's been "destroying the sound systems of some of the loudest cars on the island." Then the murders of a security man at a Chappaquiddick "castle" (depicted on the jacket and nicely portending disaster) and the scion of an aristocratic landowner raise the ante. Retired Boston policeman J.W. Jackson sets aside such favorite pastimes as fishing and cooking to investigate several old island families, interbred and linked in the most unpleasant ways, all with ample motives and opportunities for the killings. As ever, Craig depicts the island's residents with humor and affection. J.W. takes his usual pot shots at the author's pet peeves (like drivers who "have their windows down and the volume turned as high as it will go"), but faces a loaded shotgun with aplomb in the near-fatal finale.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From AudioFile
Philip Craig and Tom Stechschulte are an ideal combo. Craig's characters and dialogue are outstanding, and Stechschulte knows how to build on a good thing. Retired cop J.W. Jackson can never resist becoming involved in the crimes on Martha's Vineyard. This is quite the opposite of the wishes of the local police. The longtime wealthy residents of the Vineyard are annoyed by the many ostentatious new homes being built, and "The Silencer" has taken it upon himself to destroy houses and auto stereo systems he deems too loud. Stechschulte's special skill is differen-tiating characters. He is particularly adept at female and children's voices; Bonzo, the drug-damaged simpleton, is also realistic. With its charming setting, this novel will appeal to mystery buffs and others. S.G.B. © AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine

From Booklist
Jefferson W. Jackson--J. W. to his friends--narrates this fourteenth Martha's Vineyard mystery in his usual sardonic and amiable voice. What makes this series so attractive is not only the sense of place but also J. W.'s real ties to his family. Sleuthing takes place while the kids are in school or when the beauteous and doe-eyed Zee can manage them. The deaths of two locals, unpleasant and unloved men, come the same summer an outlaw nicknamed the Silencer shoots out noisy car audio systems or the home stereos of people who boom their ugly music out their windows. In the course of his investigations, ex-cop J. W. finds even more blood ties among the old and monied families of the island. Along the way, he finally learns to use a computer (taught by his little children) and sees his daughter learn to skip stones and catch fish. A most pleasant trip down some unpleasant side roads. GraceAnne DeCandido
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Customer Reviews

A Genealogical Mystery
If you live on Martha's Vineyard, you'll probably like this book at lot better than I did. I found the elaborate genealogy of the various characters to be a trifle (yawn) boring. J.W.'s endless trips to interview people didn't help matters much. I don't know the Vineyard's geography well enough to understand all of the points, Mr. Craig was making so that also confused matters for me.

The background is a conflict between new money and old, exemplified in this case by two sides of a family eager to put the other side down. The practical form of competition is building mansions where the natural beauty would be preferred by most people.

Anger over one new mansion leads to the windows being trashed so a security guard is hired, one who is soon found dead at the bottom of the cliff. Evidence shows that he was battered from behind first, and the search is on for a killer.

Into investigation, J.W. Jackson is drawn when an upset mother wants her son protected from suspicion of the murder. Before J.W. can get very far, the matter becomes much more complicated.

In the background, someone is doing the fans of soothing music a favor by destroying sound systems that are blasting away. J.W. thinks it's a grand idea until the police chief points out that he wouldn't feel that way if the vandal started going after those who play Beethoven.

Although he's not supposed to snoop, J.W. can't resist and he learns more than he ever wanted to about who used to sleep with whom.

As usual, J.R. Craig takes potshots at the stuck-up wealthy wannabes, the old-money patricians, visitors to the island, and environmentalists. Part of the book's charm comes in its description of life in the Jackson household after J.W. relents and agrees to buy a computer for the family.

Family feuds on Martha's Vineyard
It's always a pleasure to read Philip Craig's books and to take another trip to Martha's Vineyard with Craig's laid-back hero, J.W. Jackson. This time the part-time fisherman/part-time investigator is hired by one of the island's prominent citizens, Maud Mayhew, to prove that her son Harold did not kill Ollie Mattes, the security guard for a new mansion which is being built despite the protests of neighbors. Before J. W. can begin his investigation, Harold is also killed. Thus begins a trail of evidence that points to the members of some of the island's most prominent families. Old grudges are brought to light, and the in-fighting of these families is the focal point for J. W.'s investigation. On a lighter note, there is another crime occurring which is the destruction of sound equipment by a mysterious perpetrator who obviously doesn't like the musical taste of some of the Vineyard's occupants. A further story line involves J. W.'s family who lobby for a new computer which Jackson finds useful in solving the crimes. As usual, Philip Craig provides another good summer read.

exciting Martha�s Vineyard cozy
Retired police officer J.W. Jackson lives in the Ocean Heights section of Martha Vineyard with his wife and two children. He takes on odd jobs to earn extra money including some detective work when he becomes interested in an unusual crime. The Silencer is a modern day Robin Hood, who "fixes" music systems that are playing too loud in moving vehicles or homes with the windows open. He somehow fries them.

Robin Pierson is building a castle on Chappaquiddick much to the consternation of the neighbors who feel he is destroying the picturesque area. A delinquent vandalizes the structure forcing Robin to hire security guard Ollie Mates to make sure it doesn't happen again. Someone murders Ollie and Robin's neighbor Maud Mayhew wants to hire J.W. to prove that her son Harold is not the killer. J.W. turns down the case and shortly thereafter, Harold is also murdered probably by the same person who killed Ollie. A guilty J.W. decides to investigate both deaths and crosses paths with the Silencer who he doesn't turn into the police because he sympathizes with his actions.

Good Morning America book club author writes another crime thriller that has very little blood and gore but plenty of action to keep the reader entertained. The protagonist has caught a lot of killers in his day but even he is surprised who the perpetrator is and very little shocks him. MURDER AT A VINEYARD MANSION gives the reader a glimpse of the very rich who believe their wealth could because a multitudes of crimes, both moral and criminal. Mr. Craig makes Martha's Vineyard so appealing readers will want to take a summer vacation there.

Harriet Klausner