Customer Reviews

Vineyard Stalker: A Martha's Vineyard Mystery (Martha's Vineyard Mysteries)

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4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
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Philip Craig passed away in May, leaving three completed novels in the publication pipeline. This is the first of the three. While all the novels are set on Martha's Vineyard, he managed to maintain the readers' interest by varying the characters and local settings.

The present novel relates to the skyrocketing prices of real estate on Martha's Vineyard - something that the author witnessed first hand. It is about greed, jealousy, lust, and rage. An older man has a one room cabin on a prime piece of real estate, allowed to occupy the land under conditions of a family trust. His cousin wants him to move so that she can sell the property. Now someone is trying to drive him off the land.

The man's sister has hired J. W. Jackson to find out who is behind the harassment of her brother. When you turn over rocks, there is no telling what you will find. There are many relationships involving the principals in the case, and someone tries to eliminate J.W., which is not a smart move. Money talks and some high priced attorneys become involved.

There are some victims in the novel, and some sleezeballs that may walk away clean. It has a sad ending.

During the years he's been writing the Vineyard Mysteries, Philip R. Craig has probably done more for the Martha's Vineyard tourist trade than any Chamber of Commerce could. He paints a perfect picture of the popular destination, from its beautiful beaches to the quaint shops of its inhabitants. His protagonist, J.W. Jackson, is a laid-back ex-cop who loves catching bluefish, cooking, and spending time with his family. In his spare time he conducts investigations, such as this one where he looks into vandalism which has been occcuring at the home of Carole Cohen's brother, Roland. Roland owns some valuable Vineyard property which many island realtors would love to sell to developers. As J.W. investigates, he finds several people with motives for murder, ranging from money to love triangles.

It is with sadness that I learned of Philip Craig's recent death, since I always look forward to a good summer read in June, knowing that another Vineyard mystery is coming out. I heartily recommend this whole series.

Sadly this will be the last vineyard Mystery from Philip Craig. He died this past May and will be sorely missed by those of us that have read every one of his books. I totally recommend starting this series from the beginning and you will get to know all of the characters that are repeated in each book. Watch JW fall in love with Zee and watch their two children grow. JW is always able to figure out the mystery and the reader can never figure it out before he does. Philip Craig will be a hard act to follow.

Vineyard Stalker is my introduction to Philip Craig. I can honestly say I enjoyed meeting his characters. Each person added a great deal of depth to the story. Also I now would like to visit Martha's Vineyard to experience all the rich detail laid out in the storyline.

I found some of the plot to be a little unbelievable but I take it with a grain of salt. None of it takes away from the story as you try to solve the mystery along with the protagonist.

In the end, I am now hooked on Mr. Craig's books. I cannot wait to go back and start from the beginning. I believe this is number 19 in the series. I look forward to some good reading very soon. You will not go wrong if you pick this book up and introduce yourself to the cast of characters in the Vineyard.

PATRICK RALEY is the author of the mystery, detective novel entitled "Precedent of Justice". Find out why Publisher's Weekly calls him "the next John Grisham."

First Sentence: Zee and the kids had gone to America to visit Zee's parents in Fall River, so I was having breakfast in the Dock Street Coffee Shop listening to Chad Martin trying to decide just which of Martha's Vineyard's public institutions was the most maddening.

With his family away, ex-cop J.W. Jackson is open to helping one of the town's realtors. Her sister controls a valuable parcel of land she'd like to sell to developers. The only thing stopping her is their brother Roland, a Vietnam Vet, who lives a simple life there on the terms of a trust. Someone has been vandalizing the property in an effort to encourage Roland to leave. A wealthy neighbor and Roland's lover, turns up dead but J.W. doesn't believe Roland is the killer and set's to prove it.

It is sad knowing this is the last book Mr. Craig authored alone before his passing, [NOTE: I understand he may have finishing two more books yet to be published] but it is also a wonderful tribute to him. I do feel this was his best book and not because it is the last book. Perhaps because the family wasn't there, it was very much J.W. detecting on his own and seemed to have a bit darker tone to it. None of Craig's classic elements were missing; not the humor, or the recipes or the wonderful sense of place he creates or the solid development of the characters. I, too, knew people who fought in Vietnam and appreciated the way Craig handled the character of Roland. The end surprised me but didn't. One can easily read this book as a standalone, and I highly recommend you do.

I've read each book in order and his writing of the lead character, JW Jackson, has grown over time. I'm a little sad that its all over....

I've read all of Philip Craig's mysteries set on Martha's Vineyard and have enjoyed them, except for the author's frequent insistance that guns are good things to have handy. What made the books enjoyable to me was the setting. I've never been to that trendy island, but the books took me there, to the beaches, Edgartown, the fishing fleet, etc.

Somehow this book just didn't do it. At least, it wasn't as scenic as the other books. The mystery plot was rather humdrum, and the outcome wasn't satisfactory. The characters were not especially interesting. In fact, they are pretty much one-dimensional. But where the book failed for me was in the atmosphere. The juices just weren't there.

Other reviewers have described the plot in considerable detail, so I won't go into that or give away the denouement. Suffice it to say, from a visceral standpoint this mystery novel just wasn't up to the usual from Craig. Perhaps he was not up to his best level when he wrote it, since he was ill for a time and has since died. Apparently there are a couple of his unpublished books to come. I hope so and I hope they are better than this one.

What a fun book, quick read great for summer and always on the mark. I've gone through four of his this last month...keep them coming!

Though he loves his wife and kids, retired Boston cop J.W. Jackson looks forward to some quiet time at home in West Tisbury on Martha's Vineyard. However his spouse's friend realtor Carole Cohen begs J.W. to help her brother. Apparently, someone is harassing Roland "the Monk" Nunes, a Vietnam vet who owns choice property where he lives by himself. Carole believes this unknown adversary wants to frighten Roland into selling his land cheaply.

J.W. agrees to investigate. As he looks at the motive Carole provided to him, J.W. wonders if a cousin Sally Oliver or the neighbor Melissa Carson and her financier fiancé Alfred Cabot are behind the threats. However, his inquiry takes a nastier turn when murder raises the stakes.

The latest Martha's Vineyard Mystery is a fresh investigative tale that spins into a murder case. J.W. is at his best as the clues point towards suspects who know the reclusive Monk and include the person who "hired" him. The homicide spin is a terrific twist that affirms how good Philip R. Craig is as a writer. Fans of the series already know that; newcomers will be searching the dunes for previous Jackson thrillers.

Harriet Klausner

We lost the author, Philip Craig, on May 8. Those of us who love mysteries will miss him very much.