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Martha's Vineyard Mystery #15
Murder at a Vineyard Mansion
It's particularly quiet on Martha's Vineyard this summer, since a shadowy figure called "the Silencer" began his covert campaign of destruction -- disabling the audio systems in the homes and vehicles of selfish, music-blasting islanders. A respite from the unwanted noise suits fishing enthusiast, former cop, and sometime investigator J.W. Jackson just fine -- until a gargantuan new Chappaquiddick mansion is vandalized and a night watchman is thrown to his death off a nearby cliff. Hired by the aristocratic mother of the most likely suspect to help prove her son's innocence, J.W. starts to explore some mysterious connections linking the Vineyard's most prominent families. But digging up the dirty secrets of the island elite may only inflame a murderer who's not done killing -- and hasten J.W.'s own journey to the graveyard.
272 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2004
75 people are currently reading
325 people want to read
About the author
Philip R. Craig
27 books103 followersAuthor Philip R. Craig passed away on May 8, 2007 after a brief battle with cancer.
Phil left three completed novels, which have now all been published posthumously. Vineyard Stalker came out in June of 2007 just after Phil's death. Third Strike, co-written with Bill Tapply, came out in November of 2007. The final J.W. Jackson mystery, Vineyard Chill, is on the shelves now. Another J.W. book is partially written, and may someday be completed by his family per his instructions, so stay tuned. Delish, the cookbook co-written with Phil’s wife Shirley Prada Craig, is also still available.
The Philip R. Craig website will be maintained as a tribute to my father and his many fans. ~ Jamie Craig
Phil left three completed novels, which have now all been published posthumously. Vineyard Stalker came out in June of 2007 just after Phil's death. Third Strike, co-written with Bill Tapply, came out in November of 2007. The final J.W. Jackson mystery, Vineyard Chill, is on the shelves now. Another J.W. book is partially written, and may someday be completed by his family per his instructions, so stay tuned. Delish, the cookbook co-written with Phil’s wife Shirley Prada Craig, is also still available.
The Philip R. Craig website will be maintained as a tribute to my father and his many fans. ~ Jamie Craig
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 79 reviews
February 4, 2013
JW Jackson is a retired Boston policeman living with his wife and two kids on Martha's Vineyard. He tends to offer his services to the police department whenever anything happens on the island. He just can't seem to keep himself from investigating. Chappaquiddick is an exclusive area on the island and the home owners association has rules designed to keep the place just as the wealthy folks who live there want it. When one of their own comes backs and starts to build a house bigger than everyone else's, trouble starts to brew. And when two people are discovered dead as a result, JW begins to investigate in earnest.
April 25, 2025
If you are looking for a hallmark style mystery, this is the book for you. I found this little read at a thrift store and thought I would pick it up. I did not enjoy a lot of it. It felt like I was just drudging through trying to get it over with. J.Ws interactions with his wife were adorable though. I enjoyed the last 7 chapters lol.
April 23, 2022
My first book in this series. I started with the 5th book in this series since my library did not have the first 4. Likeable main characters and 2 interesting mysteries. I will now look for the first books.
March 28, 2009
Started reading a few of these last summer...I am particularly vulnerable to series mysteries in the summer it seems. I like that the male protagonist is not overly macho, he is a loving father. I like his approach to life and parenting...less is more as far as stuff goes. But I have grown a bit weary of the rest. It does give an idyllic view of Martha's Vineyard and makes New England seem appealing, not always an easy taks if I am the audience!
April 20, 2013
I found a mystery series I must follow!
Two murders, semmingly unrelated, on Martha's Vineyard. A look at the intertwinings of a close-knit community, regardless of socio-economic status, the secrets and the tenacity of a retired police officer. Plus--he's very likeable with a great love for his family.
Two murders, semmingly unrelated, on Martha's Vineyard. A look at the intertwinings of a close-knit community, regardless of socio-economic status, the secrets and the tenacity of a retired police officer. Plus--he's very likeable with a great love for his family.
September 7, 2020
Major characters:
Mickey Gomes, in jail but constantly escaping
Ron Pierson, builder of 'Pierson's Palace'
Maud Mayhew, the old aristocrat
Harold Hobbes, her son, admitted window-breaker
Ollie Mattes, short-lived night watchman
Sarah Bradford, an older softball player
Cheryl Bradford, her daughter
Ethan Bradford, her hermit son
J. W. Jackson
Synopsis: The biggest news on Martha's Vineyard is a unknown vigilante, called 'The Silencer', who is on a crusade to destroy annoyingly-loud music speakers in cars and homes. Yes, it is illegal, but people secretly support his work.
Ron Pierson is building a giant showy residence, which locals sarcastically call 'Pierson's Palace'. Someone doesn't like it and has gone on a window-breaking spree. Pierson hires Ollie Mattes as a night watchman, but Mattes quickly falls (or was he pushed?) off the cliff to his death. Aristocratic matriarch Maud Mayhew approaches J.W. to establish that her son, Harold Hobbes, did not push him - because Harold admits to the window breaking which puts him high on the suspect list anyway. That doesn't last long, Hobbes is found dead in the driveway.
J. W. observes Cheryl Bradford hanging around the unfinished house, and has repeated interviews with her and her mother, Sarah Bradford. Both are horse lovers, and Sarah plays on a softball team for older women. Sarah's son is Ethan Bradford, a long-haired hermit, who meets visitors with a shotgun and threats; a strange retirement activity for a refined former electrical engineer who likes classical music.
Review: The murder mystery is very good. There are a small number of people in the story, and when the murderer - and the motive - is discovered, I realized the little clues that had been dropped here and there but it did come as a surprise.
However, the Silencer story line is rather sci-fi and on the unbelievable side - someone has a mysterious ray gun and goes around zapping sound systems, but somehow all the other electronics in the cars and houses are not affected? Details about how the zapping was done are not revealed. I could just see a big fat violation of Knox Commandment #4 coming .. ."No hitherto undiscovered poisons may be used, nor any appliance which will need a long scientific explanation at the end." Sure enough, we get the appliance and a long scientific explanation at the end. Perhaps it is included on a technicality as it is not the murder weapon, but just a gadget that annoys readers. The identity of the Silencer was clearly indicated as soon as the character was introduced and was no surprise.
The middle portion of the book deals with J.W. delving into the genealogy and relationships among the old-time local families. This does lay the groundwork for figuring out the killer at the end, so is essential, although I chose not to try to follow and comprehend the family trees presented.
Anita Pereira, a former lover of Hobbes, is a piece of work. She describes her open marriage, - oh, by the way, my husband has a new lover but I'm available at the moment - and comes on to J.W. repeatedly. When rebuffed, she changes her pitch like any good salesperson: "Say, if you've not interested in sex with me, how about renting one of our horses and taking a couple of riding lessons?" Well, if you don't want the fish, how about the chicken?
Oh, another minor annoyance is Craig's incorrect use of homophones. He uses "bridal path" instead of "bridle path", and "metal" instead of "mettle". Tsk, tsk. And he was a professor of English!
Overall, a good story which kept me turning pages. No need to follow the family trees unless you really want to map things out and try to identify the killer that way - which would likely be possible. Don't worry too much about The Silencer. And don't get involved with Anita Pereira. She's probably found someone else by now anyway.
Some nice extras:
A map of Martha's Vineyard will all the places labelled
Recipes
Synopses/excerpts from books 1-14.
Mickey Gomes, in jail but constantly escaping
Ron Pierson, builder of 'Pierson's Palace'
Maud Mayhew, the old aristocrat
Harold Hobbes, her son, admitted window-breaker
Ollie Mattes, short-lived night watchman
Sarah Bradford, an older softball player
Cheryl Bradford, her daughter
Ethan Bradford, her hermit son
J. W. Jackson
Synopsis: The biggest news on Martha's Vineyard is a unknown vigilante, called 'The Silencer', who is on a crusade to destroy annoyingly-loud music speakers in cars and homes. Yes, it is illegal, but people secretly support his work.
Ron Pierson is building a giant showy residence, which locals sarcastically call 'Pierson's Palace'. Someone doesn't like it and has gone on a window-breaking spree. Pierson hires Ollie Mattes as a night watchman, but Mattes quickly falls (or was he pushed?) off the cliff to his death. Aristocratic matriarch Maud Mayhew approaches J.W. to establish that her son, Harold Hobbes, did not push him - because Harold admits to the window breaking which puts him high on the suspect list anyway. That doesn't last long, Hobbes is found dead in the driveway.
J. W. observes Cheryl Bradford hanging around the unfinished house, and has repeated interviews with her and her mother, Sarah Bradford. Both are horse lovers, and Sarah plays on a softball team for older women. Sarah's son is Ethan Bradford, a long-haired hermit, who meets visitors with a shotgun and threats; a strange retirement activity for a refined former electrical engineer who likes classical music.
Review: The murder mystery is very good. There are a small number of people in the story, and when the murderer - and the motive - is discovered, I realized the little clues that had been dropped here and there but it did come as a surprise.
However, the Silencer story line is rather sci-fi and on the unbelievable side - someone has a mysterious ray gun and goes around zapping sound systems, but somehow all the other electronics in the cars and houses are not affected? Details about how the zapping was done are not revealed. I could just see a big fat violation of Knox Commandment #4 coming .. ."No hitherto undiscovered poisons may be used, nor any appliance which will need a long scientific explanation at the end." Sure enough, we get the appliance and a long scientific explanation at the end. Perhaps it is included on a technicality as it is not the murder weapon, but just a gadget that annoys readers. The identity of the Silencer was clearly indicated as soon as the character was introduced and was no surprise.
The middle portion of the book deals with J.W. delving into the genealogy and relationships among the old-time local families. This does lay the groundwork for figuring out the killer at the end, so is essential, although I chose not to try to follow and comprehend the family trees presented.
Anita Pereira, a former lover of Hobbes, is a piece of work. She describes her open marriage, - oh, by the way, my husband has a new lover but I'm available at the moment - and comes on to J.W. repeatedly. When rebuffed, she changes her pitch like any good salesperson: "Say, if you've not interested in sex with me, how about renting one of our horses and taking a couple of riding lessons?" Well, if you don't want the fish, how about the chicken?
Oh, another minor annoyance is Craig's incorrect use of homophones. He uses "bridal path" instead of "bridle path", and "metal" instead of "mettle". Tsk, tsk. And he was a professor of English!
Overall, a good story which kept me turning pages. No need to follow the family trees unless you really want to map things out and try to identify the killer that way - which would likely be possible. Don't worry too much about The Silencer. And don't get involved with Anita Pereira. She's probably found someone else by now anyway.
Some nice extras:
A map of Martha's Vineyard will all the places labelled
Recipes
Synopses/excerpts from books 1-14.
August 11, 2020
Murder at a Vineyard Mansion by Philip R. Craig is the 15th book of the Martha's Vineyard mystery series set on contemporary Martha's Vineyard. J.W. and his family are enjoying a quieter summer than usual. Tourists throng the island, increasing population from 15,000 to 100,000. But this summer, "the Silencer" has been systematically destroying loud boom boxes, deafening car radios, expensive stereo equipment blasting party music across the island. Island residents hope the Silencer is never caught.
J.W., Zee and the kids go for an evening sail in the Shirley J. As the enormous monstrosity of a palace one rich man is building on Chappaquiddick ("Chappy") comes into view, eagle-eyed Diana sees something fall off the cliff. Waves turn choppy, and J.W. has to pay close attention to sail safely home. But next day he reads in the newspaper about a suspicious death. Ever curious, he stealthily returns to check out the crime scene.
An arrogant, brusque Chappy aristocrat hires J.W. to prove her son did not commit a murder. J.W. has hardly begun interviewing Chappy residents when his "client" is killed. J.W. feels compelled to continue investigating. He digs into island family history, not just genealogy of families who intermarried, but the gossip. J.W. learns one man sired many children, most not acknowledged; grudges are still held.
At home, the kids pester J.W. for a computer. Zee joins in, and he capitulates. He was probably the only man on the island who didn't own one, just as he doesn't own a color TV or an answering machine. Zee and the kids patiently teach him to use it. Joshua's computer research for school gives J.W. a flash of inspiration, and he identifies the Silencer. And the preponderance of gossip leads him to the killer.
Martha's Vineyard was originally settled by farmer-fishermen who made a hard living at the mercy of weather and tides. By now, wealthy 'gentleman farmers' who don't have to work for a living have inherited the vast acres. As J.W. waits for a Chappy aristocrat he wants to question, he muses that ordinary working people can't take a mid-morning cross-country ride on a feisty stallion. The view from her estate: "Beyond the farm buildings and the green fields where horses grazed, the blue Atlantic reached away toward a misty southern horizon and lines of rolling, white-topped breakers crumbled against the sand." The 'haves' vs. the 'have nots' are a consistent theme in the series. Two far different lifestyles on one island. J.W.'s love for the island comes through loud and clear; so does his awareness of the blatant excesses of the wealthy vs. the barely met basic needs of many year-round residents. And yet, barely getting by on the island would be paradise to an impoverished inner-city dweller on the mainland.
J.W. cooks for his family, from the bounty of his garden and the fish they catch. Recipes: Chicken and Snow Peas, Spaghetti Sauce, Seviche [sic] made with bluefish of course.
J.W., Zee and the kids go for an evening sail in the Shirley J. As the enormous monstrosity of a palace one rich man is building on Chappaquiddick ("Chappy") comes into view, eagle-eyed Diana sees something fall off the cliff. Waves turn choppy, and J.W. has to pay close attention to sail safely home. But next day he reads in the newspaper about a suspicious death. Ever curious, he stealthily returns to check out the crime scene.
An arrogant, brusque Chappy aristocrat hires J.W. to prove her son did not commit a murder. J.W. has hardly begun interviewing Chappy residents when his "client" is killed. J.W. feels compelled to continue investigating. He digs into island family history, not just genealogy of families who intermarried, but the gossip. J.W. learns one man sired many children, most not acknowledged; grudges are still held.
At home, the kids pester J.W. for a computer. Zee joins in, and he capitulates. He was probably the only man on the island who didn't own one, just as he doesn't own a color TV or an answering machine. Zee and the kids patiently teach him to use it. Joshua's computer research for school gives J.W. a flash of inspiration, and he identifies the Silencer. And the preponderance of gossip leads him to the killer.
Martha's Vineyard was originally settled by farmer-fishermen who made a hard living at the mercy of weather and tides. By now, wealthy 'gentleman farmers' who don't have to work for a living have inherited the vast acres. As J.W. waits for a Chappy aristocrat he wants to question, he muses that ordinary working people can't take a mid-morning cross-country ride on a feisty stallion. The view from her estate: "Beyond the farm buildings and the green fields where horses grazed, the blue Atlantic reached away toward a misty southern horizon and lines of rolling, white-topped breakers crumbled against the sand." The 'haves' vs. the 'have nots' are a consistent theme in the series. Two far different lifestyles on one island. J.W.'s love for the island comes through loud and clear; so does his awareness of the blatant excesses of the wealthy vs. the barely met basic needs of many year-round residents. And yet, barely getting by on the island would be paradise to an impoverished inner-city dweller on the mainland.
J.W. cooks for his family, from the bounty of his garden and the fish they catch. Recipes: Chicken and Snow Peas, Spaghetti Sauce, Seviche [sic] made with bluefish of course.
November 17, 2017
MURDER AT A VINEYARD MANSION by Philip R. Craig…..
After a few past episodes on Martha’s Vineyard where JW & Zee Jackson’s kids got in the way of JW’s investigation, this book (thankfully) kept the little urchins in their backyard and allowed dad to work on a murder investigation.
The story actually involved two murders and a series of criminal mischief cases where someone the press has called “The Silencer” is going around the Island destroying the sound systems of people who insist on holding loud parties and motorists who drive around with their radios blaring.
As always, JW gets in the cop’s way and stays just far enough inside the law to keep them as uneasy friends. But here he finds himself hobnobbing with the upper echelons of Vineyard society to conduct his interviews, expose secrets, rattle more than a few cages and wrap all those unsolved crimes into one neat package with enough time to catch the early summer run of bluefish.
I liked it. 4 stars
After a few past episodes on Martha’s Vineyard where JW & Zee Jackson’s kids got in the way of JW’s investigation, this book (thankfully) kept the little urchins in their backyard and allowed dad to work on a murder investigation.
The story actually involved two murders and a series of criminal mischief cases where someone the press has called “The Silencer” is going around the Island destroying the sound systems of people who insist on holding loud parties and motorists who drive around with their radios blaring.
As always, JW gets in the cop’s way and stays just far enough inside the law to keep them as uneasy friends. But here he finds himself hobnobbing with the upper echelons of Vineyard society to conduct his interviews, expose secrets, rattle more than a few cages and wrap all those unsolved crimes into one neat package with enough time to catch the early summer run of bluefish.
I liked it. 4 stars
September 13, 2019
First time reading one of this mystery series set on Martha's Vineyard....rated it 3.5. It's funny, laid back, easy to read but not exciting or thrilling like the usual mysteries I read. What I would call 'a cosy mystery'....two murders occur but there is no build up of suspense, no tension, just a fun story.
I felt the children, who appear to be about 5 and 7, spoke and acted much older than their years; bit hard to believe. J.W. Jackson is young enough to be working but doesn't seem to do anything other than get meals, look after the childen, and get in the way of the police who are trying to solve the crime. His wife, Zee is a nurse. The family does seem very happy together.
I found the descriptions of Martha's Vineyard interesting and was glad to make use of the map included. If I found another one in this series in a used book store, I would pick it up but wouldn't specifically search for more.
I felt the children, who appear to be about 5 and 7, spoke and acted much older than their years; bit hard to believe. J.W. Jackson is young enough to be working but doesn't seem to do anything other than get meals, look after the childen, and get in the way of the police who are trying to solve the crime. His wife, Zee is a nurse. The family does seem very happy together.
I found the descriptions of Martha's Vineyard interesting and was glad to make use of the map included. If I found another one in this series in a used book store, I would pick it up but wouldn't specifically search for more.
June 3, 2024
#15 in the series finds J.W. possibly entering the 20th century - the kids want a computer!
There's a murder on the Vineyard, and one of the scions of society asks J.W. to investigate. She's concerned that her son Harold might be a suspect. But when Harold is murdered, that puts a whole new spin on the case. In addition, someone, dubbed the Silencer, is going around destroying high-tech stereo's (that play that ear busting head banging music). Vineyard folks secretly love it; tourists with the bucks spent on the now destroyed equipment hate it, and J.W has an inkiing of who it might be. Will he do anything about it?
I did figure out who the murderer was, and it all made sense. All in all a good quick read that kept me engaged. There were a couple of recipes at the end for dishes that J.W. made in the story.
There's a murder on the Vineyard, and one of the scions of society asks J.W. to investigate. She's concerned that her son Harold might be a suspect. But when Harold is murdered, that puts a whole new spin on the case. In addition, someone, dubbed the Silencer, is going around destroying high-tech stereo's (that play that ear busting head banging music). Vineyard folks secretly love it; tourists with the bucks spent on the now destroyed equipment hate it, and J.W has an inkiing of who it might be. Will he do anything about it?
I did figure out who the murderer was, and it all made sense. All in all a good quick read that kept me engaged. There were a couple of recipes at the end for dishes that J.W. made in the story.
August 13, 2024
This is a delightful mystery involving J.W. Jackson a former cop, now a part time investigator. Jackson is faced with two crimes that the police seem unable to solve. One involves “the silencer” - a person who specializes in destroying the audio equipment of those who persist in playing loud raucous music in their homes and cars and two murders. With help from his family J.W. is able to handle both cases as he navigates the defenses of some of the Vineyard’s prominent residents.
I read this book slowly because I didn’t want it to end. J.W. and his family are adorable and his children are unintentionally funny as they try to educate their technophobe father into the mysteries of a computer.
I read this book slowly because I didn’t want it to end. J.W. and his family are adorable and his children are unintentionally funny as they try to educate their technophobe father into the mysteries of a computer.
April 7, 2020
The genealogy of various "old" (not all wealthy!) families is, frankly, totally confusing. I may rue the day that I can't remember the various permutations of familial relationships! After all, this is a small island and the landed gentry intend to keep every square inch they own. J.W. gets pulled in to find who caused the death of Ollie Mattes. He does have some vested interest in solving this murder because his family actually saw Ollie fall to his death in the twilight. He has another knotty problem to solve--to buy the family a computer or not. So, J.W.'s learning curves of family genealogy AND family computers totally occupy his time.
June 26, 2025
One of the weaker entries of the series. I began the series to learn about Martha's Vineyard - the scenery, the people, the history - and several of the books are excellent in providing this information, as well as the relationships in JW's family. But this one is mostly about JW interviewing suspects in the murders of 2 locals (one a bum and the other a Lothario), and most of the suspects are the women who were seduced then jilted by the Lothario; it is not that interesting. The back story is about the incestuous relationships among the handful of rich families on the island. The tangent story line is about JW learning how to use a PC, and this is also not interesting.
September 27, 2025
This one was a little hard to rate. I listened to it as an audiobook and am almost certain I would have enjoyed it more if I had been reading a physical book, and maybe keeping a scorecard or drawing diagrams to track who was related to whom, and who claimed to have been where at what time.
It was moderately complex that way - and I suspect gave sufficient clues to make a decent guess at whodunit. As it was, fun to read except for too many arrows pointing in too many directions without said scorecards. Interesting writing style. This was my first foray into this series but it won't be the last.
It was moderately complex that way - and I suspect gave sufficient clues to make a decent guess at whodunit. As it was, fun to read except for too many arrows pointing in too many directions without said scorecards. Interesting writing style. This was my first foray into this series but it won't be the last.
June 8, 2021
Another successful output from Mr. Craig. I only wish he were here for me to congratulate. I like this story as well for it's complexity and more than one thing going on at a time - just like the real world. Doesn't matter if you've got money & living on the Vineyard. All families have issues with each other & their neighbors! Definitely worth a read if you like some multi-layered individuals & good character development in J.W. (main character).
October 5, 2017
Retired Boston cop goes to live on Martha's Vineyard with his wife who is a nurse and 2 children. He fishes, weeds the garden, cooks dinner, and solves crimes. Great details of MV if you know the island and want to be reminded of it. Story line not for me as the kids call the dad "Pa" and they buy a computer in this story written in 2004!.
Would not read any more of this series.
Would not read any more of this series.
February 10, 2022
I am so sorry this author has passed away. Loved his interesting cast of characters, including his loving description of the island, which is also a character. While I identified the killer well before the detective, it was still an enjoyable read all the way to the last page and I look forward to reading more in the series.
July 5, 2017
I simply could not bring myself to finish listening to the audio book. I was bored stiff and the narrator's resonance did not help matters. The authour spent quite a bit of time describing Martha's Vineyard, Chappaquiddick Island almost like a tourist guide.
September 11, 2017
The saga on the Vineyard continues. There's discussion about the changes to the Vineyard - the McMansions, the environmentalists in addition to the murders that need to be solved. An enjoyable read.
July 14, 2021
This was an easy mystery read set in Martha's vineyard. I like JW Jackson a retired police officer who is the main character. The book was written in 2005 so some of the debates that he is having with his family might seem unbelievable ( getting a color tv, or computer).
April 30, 2023
Very Good; Continuing character: J. W. Jackson; Jackson finds himself dealing with the upper crust of the island when two men are killed and the families they descend from have a history of sexual escapades and feuding
June 1, 2017
My first book in this series & I loved it.
August 2, 2017
Not bad although I think the kids are just a bit too precious and unbelievable. It was good to reacquaint myself with JW et al.
August 24, 2017
I had a really hard time getting into this one.
December 26, 2017
Love this series but I guessed the murderer and motive in this book quite early.
July 25, 2018
I didn't care for the accents used by the reader of this audio edition but overall the story was good.
February 4, 2019
J. W. Solves another one.
December 2, 2018
I did not enjoy this book as I have the author's other in this series. Liked sharing parts about his family, but the many interviews with potential suspects became boring.
January 6, 2019
I thought it was rather boring.
November 27, 2021
Not great, or even very interesting. Locale writing, inspired by great setting, but hardly inspiring.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 79 reviews