Vineyard Shadows: A Martha's Vineyard Mystery

by Philip R. Craig

Book Overview

J.W. Jackson abandoned Boston for the tranquil pleasures of Martha's Vineyard, hoping to leave the violence of the big city behind. But when the past comes looking for him in the guise of two brutal... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0380820994
• Release Date: April 2002
• Publisher: Avon
• Length: 256 Pages
• Weight: 0.30 lbs.
• Dimensions: 6.8" x 0.6" x 4.2"

Customer Reviews

Gangesters Should Stay Home

Never mess with a good woman on her way to practice her competition shooting. Zeolinda is beaten by messengers looking for a gambling debt skip, but when Diana is threaten Zee fights back, killing one and laming the other. J.W. protects his family to discover the "wanted" man is the husband of his ex-wife, who has few scruples about how he treats the people he claims to love. J.W. Jackson wants all of these characters out of his life. VINEYARD SHADOWS has more twists and turns than the roads of Martha's Vineyard and will keep you guessing till the end. HaintsWriting as a Small Business

Shoot-out on Martha's Vineyard

The 12th installment in the Martha's Vineyard Mystery series starts out with a bang. The tranquility of Martha's Vineyard becomes broken for ex-cop J.W. Jackson and his family. Leaving his wife, Zee, and young daughter, Diana, at home while he takes his son, Joshua, with him to go clamming, J.W. is looking forward to a peaceful June day. While he is gone, two hired thugs show up at his house, intent to find a man that Zee has never heard off. After giving her a beating and holding Diana at knifepoint, Zee still maintains that she has no idea who the man is. Zee is able to get to her gun, and being a great shot, she is able to stop the assault on herself and her young daughter. When J.W. returns home to find his battered wife, he instantly is determined to put an end to the violence to his family and on his island home. It is discovered that the man wanted by the men from Boston is the husband of J.W.'s ex-wife, Carla. He was a schoolteacher in Boston, and J.W. cannot fathom why two men would come looking for him at their home on Martha's Vineyard. He goes to see his ex-wife, and quickly learns that the schoolteacher was involved in more than academics. I have enjoyed all of the books in this series, and was not disappointed by this latest offering. Every time I read one of these books, I feel like I have been transported to beachfront property. The characters are strong, and I enjoy the interactions between J.W. and Zee. The children are a bit too well-behaved (I wish all kids were so well-mannered), but I do not feel that it diminishes the writing in any way. This book is a great beach or vacation read. The first book in the series is called "A Beautiful Place to Die". Enjoy!

Good light fiction

While not great literature, this novel is a very readable mystery. It is recommended for a long airline flight, relaxing at the beach, or a rainy evening at home. It is mystery No. 12 in the Vineyard series. While some people prefer to read the series in order, this one can be read as a stand along book. J.W. Jackson has his past catch up with him when he becomes involved with his ex-wife (after 15 years), her second husband, and the criminals he left behind in Boston.J.W. is retired on disability from the Boston P.D. after being shot while on duty. He lives on Martha's Vineyard with his wife, Zee, their two young children, and two cats (but no dog in spite of his children's pleas). His preference for retirement is fishing, claming, occasional boating, and socializing with family and friends. His quiet life is disrupted by intruders from the mainland, in this case his ex-wife's husband and the hard cases looking for him for reasons not entirely clear (the man is not overly truthful about circumstances).Yuppies spending themselves into debt, gambling, drugs, two timing men and women, criminal elements, and J.W.'s old Boston friends all figure into the plot. Two thugs make a bad mistake (fatal for one) when they try to rough up Zee. Zee then gets irked when J.W. tries to help his ex-wife by pulling her husband out of the hole he dug himself into. The plot, as they say, thickens. It takes a major effort by J.W. to restore things to a peaceful retirement. His children acquire some goldfish, but no dog, at least not yet.

VINEYARD SHADOWS - Fun in the island sun with some mobsters

Ah summer. Sunshine, lazy days and another Philip Craig novel about the charm and easy pace of Martha's Vineyard.Retired Boston cop J. W. Jackson moved to the island of Martha's Vineyard for a lifestyle change, only to find that trouble always has a way of finding him there. A couple of Beantown mobsters show up at his home and try muscling his wife, Zee, for some information about one Tom Rimini, an apparent missing gambler who is in deep hawk with the loan sharks. The thugs get physical with Zee, so she manages to modify their behavior by grabbing her pistol and shooting. With one dead and one wounded, the mystery begins to unfold about who Tom Rimini is and why the Soprano types are looking for him on the island.Once a cop, always a cop. J.W. Jackson's instincts lead him to a series of clues that allow him to piece together the puzzling story of Tom Rimini and his myriad of problems, including those involving the Boston crime family. All this while taking his kids out for an occasional ice-cream, and playing with his two cats, Velcro and Oliver Underfoot.Philip Craig's books, about the adventures of J. W. Jackson and his family on Martha's Vineyard, are fun and laid back. Yeah, there is usually a mystery to solve, in between getting stuck in the traffic jams at the A & P supermarket, or the long queues at the standby auto lines at the ferry dock in Vineyard Haven. Craig has captured the nuance and magic of sleepy Martha's Vineyard while delivering a light-hearted mystery laced with humorous dialog and usually dumb bad guys. For less than the cost of a ferry ticket, and with no waiting lines, you can enjoy the essence of the island and understand why so many people, famous and otherwise, enjoy trekking to this island every year for some summer fun.

A delightful reading experience

Fifteen years ago, Boston police officer J.W. Jackson was injured on the job and subsequently retired on disability. He moved to Martha's Vineyard and married his beloved Zoe. They raised two children. One day, two thugs enter the Jackson home looking for Tom Rimini. Zoe informs them that she does not know anyone by that name, but they do not believe her. They injure her and her daughter, forcing Zoe to kill one of them and injure the other.Zoe and her child go to the hospital for treatment. After visiting them, J.W. returns home only to find Tom there. He admits to being married to the former's ex-wife. Tom also confesses that loan sharks are after him. J.W. agrees to help Tom, but quickly learns the man lied to him. Unable to leave well enough alone, J.W. enters the fracas in a manner that disproves fifteen years of investigative rust.VINEYARD SHADOWS contains all the excitement of the showdown at the OK Corral with none of the subsequent violence. Zoe comes into her own as a strong "I am woman" persona and J.W. continues his up the middle practice of justice. Phillip R. Craig writes one of the best books of his illustrious career as the action flows hot and heavy yet allows for timely time outs via family interplay to cool down the lava flow.Harriet Klausner