Customer Reviews

Jack In The Pulpit: A Martha's Vineyard Mystery

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Cynthia Riggs delivers one of the those rare novels that manages to combine a great story with a descriptive writing style. Too many narratives that provide vivid imagery to the surrounding environment, in which their story takes place, lose the emphasis on plot development.

The main character (Victoria Trumbull) in this fine work is a ninety-two-year-old resident of West Tisbury (Martha's Vineyard Mystery Series) with a sharp mind and a lot of attitude. I found myself enjoying Victoria's character development throughout the entire novel. She reminded me of so many people I have met over the years. Her stubbornness and bluntness make her a character who you enjoy learning more about. I think we all have a little of Victoria Trumbull in all of us.

There are three things I look for in a novel; this one has all three:

#1. A great entry. Jack in the Pulpit does that on page one. Bravo to Cynthia Riggs! A first few paragraphs that grab you into the story, and she didn't have to rely on profanity, sex, or a disgusting murder scene on that first page to do so. If your not sure what I am talking about - go to the best-seller fiction rack and look at the first pages of most of the novels. They usually have the "F" word, a murder, or a graphic sexual comment on the first page; not all of them, but a LOT of them.


2. Characters who you would love to meet in person - if they were actually real. Riggs manages to do that with a lot of the characters in this novel. There are a few characters that needed a bit more development (e.g. Victoria's artistic renters), but for the most part, this novel does a great job of character development.

3. Keeping the story moving along while it grabs the reader into the surrounding environment. I have a hard time reading anything by Charles Dickens because his writing becomes so descriptive that the story-line disappears inside a honeycomb of surroundings. By the time some authors finish describing a room, you forget why the protagonist entered the room in the first place. I believe Cynthia Riggs has found the perfect balance in her writing. I can picture the surroundings without forgetting why it is important to the story.

I don't want to give away the plot of this fictional work by going into too much detail, but it is a murder-mystery that has more than one story going on at a time. Victoria's granddaughter, Elizabeth, comes to stay with her after her marriage heads south. People in West Tisbury begin to die (no I'm not telling you more about that) and Police Chief Casey Casey O'Neill is forced to except Victoria's theory that someone is actually murdering certain citizens of the normally quite town.

Riggs vivid, verbal paintings of the beautiful surroundings in the backdrop of this story are second to none. Got to give this author her PROPS, she can be brilliant.

If you love to read, and you love to read a good detective/murder-mystery, than this book is for you. You'll find Jack in the Pulpit to be a pleasure to read.

Why did Elizabeth come back to the Island? How did Victoria become Casey's deputy? Why was Casey O'Neill chosen over Junior Norton for West Tisbury Police Chief?
If you're wondering why Cynthia Riggs' new book has all the answers, there is a simple explanation. Although Ms. Riggs fourth published book, it is actually the first Victoria Trumbull book she wrote. It was to be our introduction to `I don't envy anybody anything' Victoria and `We need locks on the doors' Casey and the events that led up to their symbiotic relationship. It was the genesis of the movable Greek Chorus, sometimes at Alley's, sometimes at the Art Cliff, she uses to sumarize the plot for her readers. Why was it not published first? You'd have to understand the whims of agents and editors for that answer.
Jack in the Pulpit is full of the timely or rather perennial topics Ms. Riggs likes to weave through her stories. Greed, gay romance, euthanasia and spousal abuse are the threads in this installment of murder and mayhem in West Tisbury. As usual, the book is liberally sprinkled with three dimensional characters, both good and evil; people, if you're an Islander, you might even know, or live next door to. The author knows the flora and fauna of the area and is able to pick and choose among readily available poisons; which is good when murder is afoot.
This is my favorite Victoria Trumbull story so far. I have to admit I like the idea of ministers with human frailties and deep dark secrets. The characters in Ms. Riggs books don't always get a satisfactory comeuppance but we can always hope for revenge the next time Victoria comes to tea.

Jack in the Pulpit is a "hole filler" for all of the Victoria Trumbull mysteries to come. References in all furture books point back to this one, so if you enjoy the series, this is one not to miss. While some of the premise of Riggs series is a tad unrealistic, her work is always a fun read with enjoyable characters. If you've ever had the pleasure of visiting Martha's Vineyard, where the series is based, you will soon crave a return trip as the island and its beauty and quirkyness is described so well. Jack in the Pulpit manages to weave lessons of domestic abuse within the storyline of mysterious deaths of parishioners. And as usual, everything is tied up neat as a bow at the end.

Despite her years, amateur sleuth, crusty 92 year-old Victoria Trumbull has a sharp eye and a quick mind for solving murders. When she teams up with the new woman police chief they are confronted with lots of red herrings to keep you guessing. If you love Martha's Vineyard, you'll love it even more once you travel the island with Miss Trumbull in search of the killer. Two ministers,a meals on wheels delivery man, a stalking grand son-in-law are just a few of the people who could be committing these seemingly unrelated murders. If cozy mysteries are your thing, this is a good one.

The 1st time I read it 2 years ago, thought it was just o.k. After reading many other Mystery Authors, changed my mind about this book the 2nd time around. Loved it, all the characters interesting, the descriptive flavor of Martha's Vineyard, hit the mark. Just ordered 3 of her other Martha's Vineyard series that are out of print & received 'The Cranefly Orchid Murders' today. P.S. Have had excellent service from an assortment of Amazon used book Sellers. For Authors that have books no longer in print, you can find good bargains.

If you enjoy escaping into a good mystery with rich and colorful characters, then this book is for you. If you love Martha's Vineyard, you'll know it better and love it more through the eyes of mystery writer, Cynthia Riggs. If you haven't been to Martha's Vineyard, after reading this serial murder mystery set on the island, you'll be planning to make the Vineyard your next vacation destination. And for those who think the elderly have run their course, you haven't met 92 year-old amateur sleuth, Victoria Trumbull. She has a brisk mind and an indefatiguable spirit. With enough red herrings to keep you guessing, you'll be turning pages into the wee hours.

Ninety two years old Victoria Trumbull is as spry as a person half her age and her mental faculties are probably sounder than most of those fortyish souls. Her granddaughter Elizabeth is living with her after escaping her abusive husband Lockwood who unknown to them is on Martha's Vineyard. He watches his ex-wife and is waiting for the right time to "talk" to her. When the women find out he is there they take precautions and friends and neighbors save Elizabeth from what would have been a dangerous confrontation.

While Victoria is dealing with her granddaughter's problem, four people have died on the island within the last month. Victoria finds this very disturbing and when she checks the town's records she finds the death rate is way above the norm. She begins to wonder if there is a serial killer on the island but the chief of police, who Victoria regards as a friend, won't exhume the bodies without solid evidence. Victoria goes to unusual lengths to prove her theory but makes more than the cops take notice of her efforts.

Anyone who wants to know how a nonagenarian can become a deputy must read JACK IN THE PULPIT to learn how the heroine's crime sleuthing career began. The who-done-it is well executed with plenty of suspects including the old minister of the local church, his successor, and their wives amongst others. The support cast adds color and vibrancy to the storyline. The only quibble is that the two subplots, the abusive ex-spouse and the four deaths don't intersect at any point and each could have been the focus of a separate book.

Harriet Klausner