Customer Reviews

Dead in Vineyard Sand

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

J.W. Jackson, fisherman, father, and gourmet cook, returns for another adventure on Martha's Vineyard. This time he almost comes to blows with Henry Highsmith, an Ivy League professor and staunch environmentalist who takes exception to J.W.'s SUV which Highsmith feels is parked too close to his politically-correct bicycle. Soon, a vehicle which looks a lot like J.W.'s is seen almost driving Highsmith's wife's bike off the road. The last straw occurs when J.W. is invited to play golf, and he discovers Highsmith's body buried in a sand trap. The police decide that Jackson had the motive and the opportunity to commit the murder, so this motivates J.W. to find the real killer. Was it someone who supported the building of a new golf course against Highsmith's protests or was it a more personal matter? Jackson applies the skills he learned as a Boston policeman to solve the murder. This delightful series combines mystery with J.W.'s home life which includes his beloved wife Zee and his two adventuresome children. Another great feature of the books is the perfect background of Martha's Vineyard which gives me the urge to travel to this beautiful island. Craig always provides a good read!

This is the most humorous of the Philip Craig books I have read so far. The book starts with a casual reference to a beach drowning in early summer on Martha's Vineyard, and then hits the golf course. Our hero, J.W. Jackson is coaxed into rejoining a game he hadn't played in about 30 years, and by the time he reached the fourth hole - ut oh - a surprise! Shifty looking golf partners add to the intrigue. A gun appears in a most unexpected place! So what is going on? As J.W. becomes implicated in a murder, he fights to clear his name, by poking around all over the Vineyard and asking questions trying to make sense of strange circumstances. All kinds of red herrings abound in this well thought out plot. Bravo Mr. Craig, well done!

If one overlooks the minor annoyances and irksome mannerisms in the Martha's Vineyard series, it has been a nice run, and this is one of the better offerings. It is the editorial intrusions that I fine annoying: Craig's (J.W.'s) love of the gun, the cozy cat mystery recipes, the cute things kids say, Zee's sexiness, etc.

That said, this book does evoke the summer sun and blue sea on an island of paradise--with a murder or two thrown in for contrast. The plot is better than average for the series, with the body of a golf course hater turning up buried in the sand trap on hole four at the country club. The characters are well-drawn, certainly above average for the series. Still, it is the atmosphere I found most interesting.

With Philip Craig gone from the world, there will be no more pleasant excursions to Martha's Vineyard. I've never physically been there, but through Mr. Craig's books I have spent pleasant hours on the beaches and on the streets of Edgartown.

I have read every book in the Martha Vineyard Mystery series and have enjoyed every one and this one is no exception.

I've read most of philip craig's books mystery books. They all take place on Martha's Vineyard....It is so
breath taking beautiful there..........excellent vacation spot

DEAD IN VINEYARD SAND was a bit plodding until a major twist. The initial suspects were far-fetched and absurd, but the conclusion was bang on target.
This contribution by the late Philip Craig to his series had all the tones of meeting a contract commitment. The sharp dialogue was sluggish and repetitive, but his allusions to other writers and their works fitted beautifully into the story.
It will take a bit a reading through rather superficial motives to get to the meat, but it is worth the read. Especially if you're a fan of J.W. Jackson.
Writing as a Small BusinessSins of the Fathers: A Brewster County NovelNatchez Above The River: A Family's Survival In The Civil War

Another intriguing, fun read from author Philip R. Craig. "J.W.", the protagonist in the series, always manages to immerse himself in trouble on the idealic Isle of Martha's Vineyard. Expecially enjoyable is the way "J. W." successfully incorporates his family responsibilities into his sleuthing. This story piques the reader's interest through to the last page!

On the surface Martha's Vineyard is a bright beautiful quaint place where the rich go in the summer to vacation. However, there is another side to the island one that is dark and crime ridden just like any other place; soon former police officer J.W. Jackson will cross paths with some of the most evil criminals he has ever known and he has known plenty before he got injured on the job.

Radical conservationist Henry Highsmith would like to see only bicycles driven on the island and a halt to building new golf courses. J.W. who doesn't care either way gets into a fight with Henry when the environmentalist wrongly accuses the ex cop. of almost running over his bike. A few days later at the golf course J.W. and others find the buried body of Henry murdered with a bullet in his head. A witness says they saw J.W. following Henry's wife and run her off the road. Since J.W. becomes a person of interest to the police, he starts his own investigation to clear his name. The picture turns more complicated when Henry's wife is shot and is in critical condition in the hospital. J.W. keeps digging and what he finds make active and retired police officers like him sick to their stomach.

Readers see why year round residents and summer bird visitors love life on Martha's Vineyard. Part of the charm of the series is the protagonist's obvious love for his family that reader can verify by his interactions with them. There are plenty of suspects who could be the killer but J.W. and the police lack any credible evidence to get an arrest. Phillip R. Craig is a witty storyteller who excels at creating believable characters inside an exciting and entertaining who-done-it.

Harriet Klausner

again phillip has done a wonderful job in keeping enough suspense and yet revelaling the charm of this island.
somehow i suspect that mr jackson is phil himself

This latest installment is as good as the others.
I anxiously await the next one.
I also await the next Brady Coyne/J.W. Jackson installment.
It's been awhile.