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Vineyard Chill: A Martha's Vineyard Mystery (Martha's Vineyard Mysteries) | Philip R. Craig | Winter on Martha's Vineyard
 
 


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 Vineyard Chill: A ...  

Vineyard Chill: A Martha's Vineyard Mystery (Martha's Vineyard Mysteries)
Philip R. Craig

Scribner, 2008 - 256 pages

average customer review:based on 11 reviews
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     highly recommended  highly recommended



For year-round Vineyard residents J. W. Jackson and his wife, Zee, winter brings its own beauty, with uncrowded streets, pristine snowy landscapes, and long, cozy nights by the fire. It can also bring danger.

There's a chill in the air one January day when J.W. receives a surprising visit from long-ago pal Clay Stockton. Thrice divorced and still living on the edge, Clay has come to J.W. not to relive the reckless days of their youth but to ask J.W. for help. He's in big trouble and needs to lie low on the Vineyard.

And it isn't just Clay who needs J.W.'s assistance; J.W.'s pal Bonzo has made a frightening discovery that may lead to the whereabouts of Nadine Gibson, a young woman who went missing on the Vine-yard almost a year ago. Bonzo once took Nadine bird-watching, and the circumstances connecting Nadine's disappearance to Bonzo are enough to make him a "person of interest" to the police.

With two friends in trouble and his own family receiving threats, J.W. must summon all of his investigative skills to try to restore order to his beloved island home, where fishing and good food should always take precedence over murder.

Featuring Craig's trademark mix of wit, suspense, and Vineyard ambiance, Vineyard Chill is a marvelous tribute to a much-loved author whose passion for mystery and Martha's Vineyard enriches every page.


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Vineyard Chill

Jefferson ["J. W."] Jackson has been married to his second wife, Zee, for ten years. [As he says, "Zee and I had both been married before but had survived to try again, successful examples of the triumph of hope over experience."] They have a ten-year-old son and an eight-year-old daughter and two cats ["Oliver Underfoot" and "Velcro"] and live year-round in Martha's Vineyard. The novel opens in mid-winter, a time when the area is quiet, with the usual hordes of tourists nowhere in sight. J.W. receives a call followed by an equally unexpected visit from his old friend, Clay Stockton, an "adventurer" looking for a safe place to stay after being involved in some less-than-legal activities in the States. His arrival portends an end to the uneventful winter.

Also livening things up - not in a good way - is the discovery by J.W.'s friend, Bonzo, of a bird's nest apparently comprised of human hair, and the suspicion is that it is that of a young woman who had gone missing nearly a year ago. Nadine Gibson was a beautiful twenty-two year old who worked with Bonzo and who had last been seen when she left for home one night after work and apparently disappeared. Bonzo is described by J.W. as follows: "Long before I'd met him, he'd gotten into some bad acid and had doomed himself to a life of gentle preadolescence...I wondered, not for the first time, if he was really worse off for having taken the bad acid that changed him from a promising young man into an eternal child. His life was simple, his emotions fresh and innocent, and his innate goodness was never altered by the random evils of life. He remembered the good things and, for the most part, forgot the bad." But he becomes a suspect, and J.W. decides to investigate. He is a former Boston PD cop who retired after deciding "to let somebody else save the world," so has the knowledge and experience to do so.

The writing in this book is completely enchanting, the delight in reading it overshadowed frequently by melancholy knowing that of the nineteen novels in the Martha's Vineyard Mystery series written by Philip R. Craig, this was unfortunately the last: The author passed away in May of 2007. [Mr. Craig also co-wrote three books with William G. Tapply.] All lovers of language are urged to read as many of these as they can get their hands on - they are all gems. Of J.W.'s friend, Clay, the author says: "...among his other talents, he had that of a teller of tales, who could weave words into a web that captured his listeners and held them until his story ended." The same can be said of Mr. Craig.



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Winter on Martha's Vineyard

VINEYARD CHILL is Philip R. Craig's last submitted manuscript prior to his death in 2007. It is my first acquaintance with Jefferson W. Jackson and this engaging cozy series. When I finished reading it I ordered the first two--maybe there will be another from this fine author.
The pace is swift and the sleuthing is subtle. The crackling dialogue between the characters make them someone you'd enjoy joining for a beer even if you can't stand the taste.
I enjoyed the quite references to characters and other works, it gave me that kinship of visiting with old friend around a blazing fire in the dead of winter. The side trips into family life for year-rounders when all the tourists and weekenders have returned home makes me want to share my copy with neighbors.
A great read for a warm September. I finished it on the front porch with a glass of ice tea.
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Very Good Read

The death of Philip R. Craig leaves a big void to those of us who cherished his Martha Vineyard Mystery Series. However, even though he wrote this during his final illness, he didn't disappoint. His story, his characterizations, everything was pure Craig, down to the treasured recipes he always included at the end of his novels. I will always miss the further adventures of J.W. Jackson and his family, friends, neighbors and cohorts but "Vineyard Chill" was a good ending to this series....if it had to end.


Great book - great author - he'll be missed by many

The last of a great series of Craig books. The reader truly feels as if the characters are a part of their everyday life.


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The last Craig MV mystery

This is the final Martha's Vineyard mystery written by Philip R. Craig and it contains an intriguing story about murder on the idealic island. I have read the entire series and looked forward to each new publication. This last tale does not disappoint except for the sad realization that the joy of author Craig's wonderful stories about the Jackson Family have come to a close. It's like losing a dear friend. I recommend for anyone unfamiliar with this series to start at the beginning with the books written in the 1990s.


reviews: page 1, 2, 3



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