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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Beautiful, Martha's Vineyard Début,
By
This review is from: A Beautiful Place to Die (Martha's Vineyard Mysteries (Avon Books)) (Mass Market Paperback)
In the 1st book in the Martha's Vineyard Mystery series, we are introduced to J.W. Jackson, retired former Boston police officer, who now lives on Martha's Vineyard year-round. J.W., who spends most of his time fishing, puttering in his garden, and enjoying life on the Vineyard, has an insatiable curiosity that grew with his years on the force. When a boat explodes with the son of a friend of J.W. onboard, he quickly starts to question why the seemingly well-running boat blows up. The college-aged student, Billy, had been into drugs in the past, and J.W. begins to wonder if some of his old acquaintances want Billy dead. And when Billy's sister, Susie, pleads with J.W. to find out who would want her brother dead, he simply cannot resist the pull to investigate. Meanwhile, J.W. meets a beautiful, exotic nurse, named Zeolinda Madieras while fishing for blues one early morning. They start a simmering romance while J.W. seeks out a murderer before he becomes the next victim.
I just love this series! I had read all of the first books in the series several years ago, and have returned to read them for a second time. I feel as though I am revisiting a beloved vacation spot, as the setting of Martha's Vineyard is both beautiful and refreshing. I enjoy the characters of J.W. and Zee, and it is fun to watch their romance grow and blossom in this book. Reading this series is like taking a vacation on a beach on a gorgeous summer day, while enjoying good food, and the company of great friends. As J.W. would say, "Delish"! The next book in the series is called "Death in Vineyard Waters". Enjoy!
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
the begining of a beautiful relationship,
By Paul Skinner (Manassas, Virginia United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: A Beautiful Place to Die (Martha's Vineyard Mysteries (Avon Books)) (Mass Market Paperback)
I have read most of Philip Craig's books, and finally got around to his first J. W. Jackson mystery. What a treasure! It fascinates me how Craig began the series with most of the charming anecdotes that re-appear in the subsequent Vineyard books, from the pay toilets at Gay Head (an abomination to civilization) to his love for catching the blues with a red headed Roberts. The romance with Zee starts here too, which delighted both myself and my wife as we read it.
This book starts off with a bang (actually an explosion) and quickly leads into something involving illegal drugs in paradise. We discover a fascinating story of a young man trying to discover his past, and another young man entangled in a world of drugs he cannot control. J.W. gets into personal danger in multiple circumstances. One of those seemed like it could have been the grand finale to the book, but I knew it couldn't because if occurred with many pages to go, leaving me intrigued how the story would continue to develop. The only negative comment I have is the ending leaves the reader to clean up a few of the loose ends in his or her imagination. This didn't bother me, but it might bother some. Enjoy this masterpiece. Delish!
4.0 out of 5 stars
Average story, but wonderful setting and great descriptions of food,
This review is from: A Beautiful Place to Die (Martha's Vineyard Mysteries (Avon Books)) (Mass Market Paperback)
"A Beautiful Place to Die" is the first book in Craig's J.W. (Jefferson Washington) Jackson series. Craig sets this series on Martha's Vineyard, where Jackson, a former cop in the Boston police department, has a small house on an old hunting camp property he inherited from his father. Despite having a bullet lodged near his spine, he lives happily in relative poverty, supporting himself on his disability pension, the bluefish he catches and sells to the local fish market, the clams he digs, and the garden vegetables he grows.In this book, a young woman asks Jackson find out if someone tampered with boat carrying her brother and a friend that blew up off the coast, killing the friend. Though Jackson doubts there was any foul play, he discovers it feels good to be investigating again. What he learns is that there is a lot more to the boat explosion than he thought. The investigation leads to the drug trade on the island and to a surprising family relationship, and as he delves deeper Jackson himself becomes the target of the killer. In "A Beautiful Place to Die" Craig introduces us to two recurring series characters: the police chief in Edgartown, Jackson's friend (of sorts) and local law enforcement helper-to-be, and the beautiful Zee, a local nurse he meets while fishing for bluefish and a new love interest. Craig makes the most of his setting in this series, giving the reader a feel for life on Martha's Vineyard--the different types of locals, the culture of the fishermen, the island layout, the sunbathers, the traffic from tourists. He also makes the reader's mouth water as describes the food, such as bluefish pate, that Jackson prepares for himself and the martinis he mixes. Craig's writing reflects the informal way that Jackson lives in its own light tone. I did find the dialogue a bit too cute and self-conscious. This promises to be a series that can't help but be pleasant despite the crimes involved
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