Indian Pipes [Large Print] [Hardcover]

Cynthia Riggs (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 2006

Victoria Trumbull, ninety-two-year-old native of Martha's Vineyard, is savoring the sea air over Vineyard Sound with her granddaughter, Elizabeth, when she spots a person who seems in trouble near the top of the cliff. Elizabeth goes for help, but it's too late--the man dies before he can be rescued.

The man had been hired as a consultant to see whether a site's soil could support a sewage system for a possible casino. The police call it an accident, but his death is just the first in what becomes a series of baffling murders, involving a Harley Davidson and Indian motorcyclists' rally, tribal disputes, squabbling developers, and deeply buried family secrets.

Victoria, who was named a deputy police officer after she proved how valuable she was to fighting crime on the Island, is on the case, assisted by her Wampanoag friend Dojan Minnowfish. Her official position is giving her the confidence to take risks that horrify police chief Casey O'Neill. But Victoria compensates for her physical limitations by out-thinking the bad guys.

As in her previous books in the series, Cynthia Riggs captures the rich and varied setting of Martha's Vineyard---from colorful Gay Head cliffs to the motorcyclists' campground where Indian pipes blossom and die---in this stunning sixth Victoria Trumbull adventure.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

At the start of Riggs's warm and witty sixth Martha's Vineyard mystery to feature Victoria Trumbull (after 2005's The Paperwhite Narcissus), the feisty 92-year-old deputy sheriff stumbles on the body of a neighbor, reclusive engineer Jube Burkhardt, who appears to have fallen to his death from a cliff. Two days earlier, Jube attended a meeting of the local Wampanoag tribal council about testing soil for a prospective casino's septic system. Not surprisingly, many islanders oppose the casino project. The arrival of a gang of motorcyclists who like to stunt-ride further raises the temperature. Victoria's investigation leads her to a second body, a burning house, a missing computer and considerable personal peril. Lovely descriptions of the Vineyard in the fall, plenty of suspenseful action and a cast of eccentric supporting characters, including the bikers' tough college professor leader, help make this another winner. (May)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

Warm and witty….Lovely descriptions of the Vineyard in the fall, plenty of suspenseful action, and a cast of eccentric supporting characters, including the bikers' tough college-professor leader, help make this another winner. --Publishers Weekly

This sixth book in a series…captures the local sense of community and presents an intriguing mystery that keeps readers guessing. --Library Journal --This text refers to the Audio Cassette edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 424 pages
• Publisher: Thorndike Press (August 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786287608
• ISBN-13: 978-0786287604
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.7 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,941,602 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars superb whodunit, May 20, 2006

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Indian Pipes (Martha's Vineyard Mysteries (St. Martin's Minotaur)) (Hardcover)

In West Tisbury on Martha's Vineyard, ninety-two years old Deputy Sheriff Victoria Trumbull and her granddaughter Elizabeth are walking together when they see a person apparently fall from a nearby cliff. The nonagenarian soon learns the corpse is that of her reclusive neighbor Jube Burkhardt. The crime scene and what Victoria and Elizabeth observed even from a distance lend credence to Jube accidentally falling off a nearby ledge.

Victoria learns that Jube, an engineer, attended a meeting called by the local Wampanoag tribal council to discuss soil testing in support of their proposed casino. Though she vowed to stay out of the casino controversy, she finds the link to Jube too tempting to ignore as the residents of West Tisbrury are divided over the gambling project. Motivated to uncover the identity of the killer, Victoria soon finds a second dead person and an arson set fire. As she gets closer to the truth, the culprit tries to silence the persistent cop.

As with the five previous delightful Martha's Vineyard Mystery, INDIAN PIPES is a superb whodunit starring a feisty protagonist, who though geriatric has not lost much of her step (just ask her granddaughter). The story line is exciting as a reluctant Victoria investigates the death and more. The story is terrific and the heroine wonderful and as always, Cynthia Riggs provides an eccentric support cast, this time a motorcycle biking professor and his hogs that turns the tale into a colorful winner.

Harriet Klausner

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Indian Pipes Review, July 2, 2009

By 

DrJanieB "JanieB" (America's Home Town) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Indian Pipes (Martha's Vineyard Mysteries (St. Martin's Minotaur)) (Hardcover)

Excellent summer read for the beach or hammock. Characters are lively and believable, and keeps you wondering who the murderer was till the very end of the story.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Nice Cozy Mystery, January 3, 2008

By 

drebbles (Arlington, MA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Indian Pipes (Martha's Vineyard Mysteries (St. Martin's Minotaur)) (Hardcover)

92 year old Victoria Trumbull is out for a walk with her granddaughter when she spots a body. The police say the death was caused by an accidental fall off a cliff, but Victoria thinks someone murdered her neighbor. She is convinced the murder has something to do with the debate over whether or not to have a casino on Martha's Vineyard, where she lives. When a friend disappears and is presumed dead after a house fire, Victoria is determined to find out the truth. Add in a motorcycle rally, a stolen computer, and a kidnapping and Victoria is one busy lady.

"Indian Pipes" is an enjoyable mystery. Victoria is a great creation - at 92 she is sharp as a tack, energetic, stubborn, and a deputy assisting police chief Casey O'Neill. Her granddaughter Elizabeth is also well written - recovering from a divorce, she would like her grandmother to be more politically correct, not realizing how open to today's world Victoria really is. Author Cynthia Riggs does a good job of capturing life on Martha's Vineyard and the gambling plot line is a timely one as casinos are indeed being talked about in Massachusetts. The mystery aspects are nicely done and there are plenty of suspects to keep readers guessing who the murderer is. Besides the murder, there are also several smaller mysteries in the book that are all well developed and Riggs nicely takes her time in letting readers know the solution.

"Indian Pipes" is a nice cozy mystery.