Mystery on the Vineyard:: Politics, Passion and Scandal on East Chop

by Thomas Dresser

In the pre, World War II innocence of small-town America, a dapper off-Islander impresses the locals. Drawn to the prettiest girl, he is upset when an elderly woman tries to break off their romance. In a drunken stupor he murders the troublesome woman. Through an amazing confluence of circumstances, he avoids prosecution. The reclusive, paranoid teacher of the victim attracts the attention of a distracted district attorney who is eager for a sensational trial to promote himself in an impending election. The teacher is arrested and charged with the murder. The looming shadows of war on the international stage capture the people of Martha's Vineyard, and the local murder fades into the murky memoirs of history.

Genres: True Crime

160 pages, Paperback

First published March 28, 2008

Reviews

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

To remember my vacation to Martha's Vineyard this past summer, I picked up a signed copy of Mystery on the Vineyard at the local bookstore to add to my souvenir book shelf. As a fan of true crime and local history I sure picked correctly when I grabbed this one. As time passes and more and more sensational crimes occur, our modern generation tends to forget that famous crimes have existed for time immemorial. Though not as famous as other murders from the WWII-era, the murder and following court case as described in detail by author Thomas Dresser stands as a fascinating review of how much the island and New England have changed. I don't know how easy this is to find off-island but the author has a website (and apparently it's listed on Amazon) and I highly recommend this to anyone taking a summer ferry ride to the Vineyard.

[Caitlin · Rating 1 out of 5]

I picked this up at a book festival, on a publisher recommendation. Thought it would be a quick read, being less than 150 pages. Four days later (a long time for me)... and I'm just finishing. There was some interesting information here, but there were too many side-notes and stories, that the real story of a murder didn't really exist.