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Martha's Vineyard Mystery #3
Vineyard Deceit
A Middle Eastern potentate and his entourage are descending on Martha's Vineyard -- and chaos is in the salt air. Ex-Boston-cop Jeff "J.W." Jackson would rather be fishing with his lady Zee, but the island's overtaxed police force needs his help to control the madness their visitor's arrival has stirred up -- especially since the great man will not leave before ceremoniously reclaiming an emerald necklace stolen from his nation a century ago. But when both the jewels and Zee vanish, J.W. is quickly transformed from rent-a-cop to frantic investigator. Because an ill tide has carried desperate men to this idyllic island with murder on their minds. And Jackson suddenly stands to lose everything that he dearly loves.
272 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1992
158 people are currently reading
327 people want to read
About the author
Philip R. Craig
28 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 47 reviews
February 18, 2022
I didn't like this one as much as others in the series because I thought the entire plot was pretty unbelievable.
A wealthy Vineyard man had a Middle Eastern ruler staying in his house in order to return some jewels which belong to another Vineyard family. When the ruler runs down Jackson and Zee in their dingy sending them into the water, he doesn't even apologize. Zee actually hits the man, and then he feels he should kill them both for interfering with his pleasure.
Of course Jackson and Zee end up being the winners, but it definitely wasn't as good as others in the series which I've read.
A wealthy Vineyard man had a Middle Eastern ruler staying in his house in order to return some jewels which belong to another Vineyard family. When the ruler runs down Jackson and Zee in their dingy sending them into the water, he doesn't even apologize. Zee actually hits the man, and then he feels he should kill them both for interfering with his pleasure.
Of course Jackson and Zee end up being the winners, but it definitely wasn't as good as others in the series which I've read.
February 20, 2015
While waiting for my new Kindle to arrive, I sat there and stared at the stack of real books sitting on my night table. They've been there a while, as I've read mostly ebooks in the past seven months. But, with my late and lamented Kindle Parnassus out of commission, I had – well, take your pick: "I had no choice" or "I had the opportunity" – to bring down my mountain of to-be-reads a little. But nothing clicked. Finally, I picked up a J.W. Jackson mystery I hadn't read before.
It's been a while since I dipped into this series. I've always enjoyed the writing, the characters and the relationships between them, the setting; Martha's Vineyard is a world unto itself, and it likes it that way, and it's fun to vicariously experience the insider's point of view while on the hunt for a bad guy. Since it has been some time, I don't know if this book – the third in the series – is different from the others, or if it's a matter of my tastes having changed, but this series entry and I did not hit it off terribly well.
Jefferson Jackson, Our first-person Hero, is still entertaining … but it's a bit more as if he is "on" full-time trying to be entertaining. He has hardly a spoken line in the book that isn't a quip, and a good percentage of the inside-his-head stuff is quippy as well. It gets a little old. Every conversation he has with every single other character (except perhaps Bonzo, the damaged young man whose friendship with J.W. redeems the latter quite a lot) is flippant and breezy. Every single one, whether it's with his girlfriend or the police chief or the Padishah of Sarofim. Even in the most harrowing situations there is wise being cracked. And some of it, with, particularly, Helga Johanson (the female second-in-command of the security company to which J.W. is briefly attached) is kind of horrifying.
The last line is both Johanson's response and my own. The two of them are in the master bedroom because that is where the safe is located, from which a very important and valuable emerald necklace has gone missing. The book is twenty years old, published 1992. I don't think mores were so very different twenty years ago, were they? Or is this part of why sexual harassment laws came into being? Because J.W. thinks he's being utterly charming and amusing and lightly flirtatious (and not too serious with the latter, because, to paraphrase Hoban Washburne, his girlfriend is a beautiful woman who can severely injure him with her pinky). I hoped Johanson would continue to respond through the story with escalating versions of "My God!" – but of course a handful of pages later there is every indication that she's flattered by his heavy-handed attentions. Or something. There is more than a shading of the dreaded "every one of the opposite sex wants the main character" to this book; being as it is set in the first person, this leads to the question of whether J.W. is really a babe magnet or just has severe delusions of magnetism. Either way, it isn't pretty.
There is very much a patronizing "there, there, little lady" tone to the whole book. The book opens with a near-disaster, as a cigarette boat comes within about a foot of running over the dinghy in which J.W. is out fishing with his lady love, Zeolinda (Zee); they end up swamped and swimming. The cigarette boat turns out to have been borrowed by visiting royalty, the Pasishah of Sarofim, who took the wheel at an inopportune time and let it get away from him, and when the two are pulled dripping up on deck, Zee reacts by decking (literally) the man who was steering. She doesn't know he's royalty, and wouldn't care if she did; she also doesn't know that one of the other men aboard is his security chief, General Nagy, and that Jeff stepped between her and the gun he pulled.
The tone is very casual, which I suppose is appropriate if the first-person narrative is viewed as an excerpt from a journal or a tap into Jackson's brain or something of the sort. Still, constantly seeing "zooks" for "zucchinis" and "solar dryer" for, I assume, "clothesline" wears thin. Even the constant references to the "Bad Bunny Bunch", being the rabbits who keep trying to raid J.W.'s garden, is a bit much when they are hardly simply referred to as "rabbits".
Even with all this I do still like J.W. He reminds me of someone I know, a bit old-fashioned in several ways: gentlemanly, yet chauvinistic. I like the way he judges men by their handshake; I accept the way he judges women by their looks (without liking it). I was fine with the way he keeps trying to protect the womenfolk – quite frankly, there is legitimate danger and turning down assistance is, often, just stupid. Zee at least is an idiot to keep denying she needs help. That was frustrating: there is an active threat against Zee and J.W.; J.W. suggests that, at one point, she stay with him and, at another point, that she stay with her aunt; Zee – stubborn to the point of stupidity – refuses and refuses and refuses, insisting that she wants to be home. Alone. It drove me a little crazy. Well, tough, moron – you're in danger, and so for that matter is your boyfriend, and if you're together the benefits are manifold: he will know you're safe, and if you're so damn tough, then if danger does arise you both can help each other. A huge point is made that Zee can look after her own damn self – and indeed, that incident I cited above shows she can use her fists. However, in that incident she might have been shot dead a minute later if it wasn't for Jeff. It just aggravated me no end for her to keep insisting she would be fine doing as she wanted. No, you might not be, dear. Just stop being selfish, take the man's worry into account, be a sensible person and go away with your boyfriend or at least let him ease his own terrors by sticking by him.
As for the mystery the whole thing is supposed to hinge on … as far as was possible, I was pretty sure I knew what happened. There are two necklaces, the real emeralds and the paste copies. The real emeralds basically disappeared from a locked room. You do the math. As for the details, they're impossible for a reader to suss out, because there's a vital component which isn't revealed until a handful of pages before the end. As with many cozy mysteries, the mystery is less the point than the cozy.
And this is a cozy in a somewhat prototypical series of cozies. The series bucks some of the traditions: it's written by a man with a male main character – but the (now) amateur detective working the occasional bout of detection in among his hobbies (cooking, gardening, and mostly fishing) is classic. Quaint, village-like, and somewhat unusual location? Check. The alarming frequency with which the hero and his circle encounter theft, murder, and kidnapping is also a hallmark of the subgenre. (Later in the series, Jackson's "Delish!" cooking, featured so often in the books, is taken to its (for cozies) logical conclusion: the books begin to feature recipes. This one has no recipes, as such, but I think Jeff's techniques could be duplicated; I know I managed a scallop dish from one of the other books.)
Kind of great quote:
"I couldn't care less who stole the emeralds or why or what the consequences may be for the relations between Sarofim and the United States. In fact, like a lot of people, I'm inclined to think that people who wear their jewels in public places more or less deserve to have them stolen. I never weep when I hear of somebody's million-dollar bracelet being lifted from her apartment in Palm Springs."
It's been a while since I dipped into this series. I've always enjoyed the writing, the characters and the relationships between them, the setting; Martha's Vineyard is a world unto itself, and it likes it that way, and it's fun to vicariously experience the insider's point of view while on the hunt for a bad guy. Since it has been some time, I don't know if this book – the third in the series – is different from the others, or if it's a matter of my tastes having changed, but this series entry and I did not hit it off terribly well.
Jefferson Jackson, Our first-person Hero, is still entertaining … but it's a bit more as if he is "on" full-time trying to be entertaining. He has hardly a spoken line in the book that isn't a quip, and a good percentage of the inside-his-head stuff is quippy as well. It gets a little old. Every conversation he has with every single other character (except perhaps Bonzo, the damaged young man whose friendship with J.W. redeems the latter quite a lot) is flippant and breezy. Every single one, whether it's with his girlfriend or the police chief or the Padishah of Sarofim. Even in the most harrowing situations there is wise being cracked. And some of it, with, particularly, Helga Johanson (the female second-in-command of the security company to which J.W. is briefly attached) is kind of horrifying.
"Here you have me at your mercy in the master bedroom and you want to leave? What kind of seductress are you, anyway?"
"My God!"
The last line is both Johanson's response and my own. The two of them are in the master bedroom because that is where the safe is located, from which a very important and valuable emerald necklace has gone missing. The book is twenty years old, published 1992. I don't think mores were so very different twenty years ago, were they? Or is this part of why sexual harassment laws came into being? Because J.W. thinks he's being utterly charming and amusing and lightly flirtatious (and not too serious with the latter, because, to paraphrase Hoban Washburne, his girlfriend is a beautiful woman who can severely injure him with her pinky). I hoped Johanson would continue to respond through the story with escalating versions of "My God!" – but of course a handful of pages later there is every indication that she's flattered by his heavy-handed attentions. Or something. There is more than a shading of the dreaded "every one of the opposite sex wants the main character" to this book; being as it is set in the first person, this leads to the question of whether J.W. is really a babe magnet or just has severe delusions of magnetism. Either way, it isn't pretty.
There is very much a patronizing "there, there, little lady" tone to the whole book. The book opens with a near-disaster, as a cigarette boat comes within about a foot of running over the dinghy in which J.W. is out fishing with his lady love, Zeolinda (Zee); they end up swamped and swimming. The cigarette boat turns out to have been borrowed by visiting royalty, the Pasishah of Sarofim, who took the wheel at an inopportune time and let it get away from him, and when the two are pulled dripping up on deck, Zee reacts by decking (literally) the man who was steering. She doesn't know he's royalty, and wouldn't care if she did; she also doesn't know that one of the other men aboard is his security chief, General Nagy, and that Jeff stepped between her and the gun he pulled.
The tone is very casual, which I suppose is appropriate if the first-person narrative is viewed as an excerpt from a journal or a tap into Jackson's brain or something of the sort. Still, constantly seeing "zooks" for "zucchinis" and "solar dryer" for, I assume, "clothesline" wears thin. Even the constant references to the "Bad Bunny Bunch", being the rabbits who keep trying to raid J.W.'s garden, is a bit much when they are hardly simply referred to as "rabbits".
Even with all this I do still like J.W. He reminds me of someone I know, a bit old-fashioned in several ways: gentlemanly, yet chauvinistic. I like the way he judges men by their handshake; I accept the way he judges women by their looks (without liking it). I was fine with the way he keeps trying to protect the womenfolk – quite frankly, there is legitimate danger and turning down assistance is, often, just stupid. Zee at least is an idiot to keep denying she needs help. That was frustrating: there is an active threat against Zee and J.W.; J.W. suggests that, at one point, she stay with him and, at another point, that she stay with her aunt; Zee – stubborn to the point of stupidity – refuses and refuses and refuses, insisting that she wants to be home. Alone. It drove me a little crazy. Well, tough, moron – you're in danger, and so for that matter is your boyfriend, and if you're together the benefits are manifold: he will know you're safe, and if you're so damn tough, then if danger does arise you both can help each other. A huge point is made that Zee can look after her own damn self – and indeed, that incident I cited above shows she can use her fists. However, in that incident she might have been shot dead a minute later if it wasn't for Jeff. It just aggravated me no end for her to keep insisting she would be fine doing as she wanted. No, you might not be, dear. Just stop being selfish, take the man's worry into account, be a sensible person and go away with your boyfriend or at least let him ease his own terrors by sticking by him.
As for the mystery the whole thing is supposed to hinge on … as far as was possible, I was pretty sure I knew what happened. There are two necklaces, the real emeralds and the paste copies. The real emeralds basically disappeared from a locked room. You do the math. As for the details, they're impossible for a reader to suss out, because there's a vital component which isn't revealed until a handful of pages before the end. As with many cozy mysteries, the mystery is less the point than the cozy.
And this is a cozy in a somewhat prototypical series of cozies. The series bucks some of the traditions: it's written by a man with a male main character – but the (now) amateur detective working the occasional bout of detection in among his hobbies (cooking, gardening, and mostly fishing) is classic. Quaint, village-like, and somewhat unusual location? Check. The alarming frequency with which the hero and his circle encounter theft, murder, and kidnapping is also a hallmark of the subgenre. (Later in the series, Jackson's "Delish!" cooking, featured so often in the books, is taken to its (for cozies) logical conclusion: the books begin to feature recipes. This one has no recipes, as such, but I think Jeff's techniques could be duplicated; I know I managed a scallop dish from one of the other books.)
Kind of great quote:
"I couldn't care less who stole the emeralds or why or what the consequences may be for the relations between Sarofim and the United States. In fact, like a lot of people, I'm inclined to think that people who wear their jewels in public places more or less deserve to have them stolen. I never weep when I hear of somebody's million-dollar bracelet being lifted from her apartment in Palm Springs."
January 12, 2021
Major characters:
Edward C. Damon, ambassador-to-be
Emily Stonehouse Damon, his wife
Amelia Stonehouse Muleto, Emily's twin sister, a farmer, Zee's aunt by marriage
Ali Mohammed Rashad, a.k.a. The Padishah of Sarofim
Colonel Ahmed Nagy, his bodyguard
Standish Caplan, State Department
Jasper Cabot, a banker
Willard Blunt, a banker
Jason Thornberry, of Thornberry Security
Helga Johanson, of Thornberry Security
J. W. Jackson
Zeolinda "Zee" Madieras, J.W's girlfriend
Locale: Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts
Synopsis: A middle eastern potentate, the Padishah of Sarofim, has come to Martha's Vineyard on a quest to reclaim a priceless emerald necklace stolen from his country decades ago. It is now in the possession of the Stonehouse sisters - farmer Amelia Stonehouse Muleto and Emily Stonehouse Damon, wife of diplomat Edward C. Damon.
The return of the necklace was negotiated to occur at Damon's mansion, in exchange for a sum not mentioned. The police have rounded up extra security for the event, including J. W. Jackson. The plan is for the two necklaces (the real one and a paste copy) to be displayed, the real one turned over to the Padishah, while Emily retains the paste copy, prior to a big celebration party.
The handoff of the paste copy goes as planned, but when they open the box for the real one, it is empty. Guests are searched, the house is searched - no necklace. Shortly afterward, Willard Blunt, one of the bankers who was responsible for guarding the necklace is found dead.
Review: It is so relaxing to settle down with a Martha's Vineyard mystery. They are a bit hard to find on the used market, I suspect people are hoarding them. I have managed to find all but #1 so I have a good stash.
This was an excellent story. The bad guy is the Padishah, who is described as a "petulant child in a man's body", is controlled by his advisers, and is more interested in revenge on his enemies and grabbing women than governing. (Does this remind you of anyone?)
Back to the story .. an interesting story line is when J.W. teams up with Helga Johanson, and she winds up in his house .. wearing Zee's clothes .. and Zee finds out ... but it gets straightened out.
The theft of the emerald necklace looked like the old switcheroo coming up, as there is a real one and a fake one. I thought I knew how the real one got stolen and snuck out of the house, but no, the red herrings tricked me. The actual logistics of the theft were quite a surprise, and definintely a method I had not seen in other books.
A couple enjoyable characters: Manny Fonseca and Bonzo. They have small but essential parts, and I hope they return in future titles, which await me on the shelf.
Edward C. Damon, ambassador-to-be
Emily Stonehouse Damon, his wife
Amelia Stonehouse Muleto, Emily's twin sister, a farmer, Zee's aunt by marriage
Ali Mohammed Rashad, a.k.a. The Padishah of Sarofim
Colonel Ahmed Nagy, his bodyguard
Standish Caplan, State Department
Jasper Cabot, a banker
Willard Blunt, a banker
Jason Thornberry, of Thornberry Security
Helga Johanson, of Thornberry Security
J. W. Jackson
Zeolinda "Zee" Madieras, J.W's girlfriend
Locale: Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts
Synopsis: A middle eastern potentate, the Padishah of Sarofim, has come to Martha's Vineyard on a quest to reclaim a priceless emerald necklace stolen from his country decades ago. It is now in the possession of the Stonehouse sisters - farmer Amelia Stonehouse Muleto and Emily Stonehouse Damon, wife of diplomat Edward C. Damon.
The return of the necklace was negotiated to occur at Damon's mansion, in exchange for a sum not mentioned. The police have rounded up extra security for the event, including J. W. Jackson. The plan is for the two necklaces (the real one and a paste copy) to be displayed, the real one turned over to the Padishah, while Emily retains the paste copy, prior to a big celebration party.
The handoff of the paste copy goes as planned, but when they open the box for the real one, it is empty. Guests are searched, the house is searched - no necklace. Shortly afterward, Willard Blunt, one of the bankers who was responsible for guarding the necklace is found dead.
Review: It is so relaxing to settle down with a Martha's Vineyard mystery. They are a bit hard to find on the used market, I suspect people are hoarding them. I have managed to find all but #1 so I have a good stash.
This was an excellent story. The bad guy is the Padishah, who is described as a "petulant child in a man's body", is controlled by his advisers, and is more interested in revenge on his enemies and grabbing women than governing. (Does this remind you of anyone?)
Back to the story .. an interesting story line is when J.W. teams up with Helga Johanson, and she winds up in his house .. wearing Zee's clothes .. and Zee finds out ... but it gets straightened out.
The theft of the emerald necklace looked like the old switcheroo coming up, as there is a real one and a fake one. I thought I knew how the real one got stolen and snuck out of the house, but no, the red herrings tricked me. The actual logistics of the theft were quite a surprise, and definintely a method I had not seen in other books.
A couple enjoyable characters: Manny Fonseca and Bonzo. They have small but essential parts, and I hope they return in future titles, which await me on the shelf.
March 8, 2021
AUTHOR Craig, Philip R.
TITLE Vineyard Deceit
DATE READ 03/01/21
RATING 4.5/B+
FIRST SENTENCE The first time I saw the Padishah of Sarofim was the morning when he nearly killed ZAee and me with his cigarette boat.
GENRE/ PUB DATE/FORMAT/LENGTH Crime Fiction/1992/pb/254 pgs
SERIES/STAND-ALONE #3 Martha's Vineyard
CHALLENGE Good Reads 2020 Reading Goal 26/120
GROUP READ
TIME/PLACE 1990's/Martha's Vineyard
CHARACTERS J.W. Jackson/former Boton cop and Zee/nurse
COMMENTS Always enjoy my visits to Martha's Vineyard through Philip R. Craig's books. In this adventure a Padishah form a Middle Eastern country is visiting along w/ his entourage. He comes to reclaim an emerald necklace and to strengthen relations w/ the US. The necklace was stolen from his nation long ago… and it again is nowhere to be found when it is time for him to receive.
TITLE Vineyard Deceit
DATE READ 03/01/21
RATING 4.5/B+
FIRST SENTENCE The first time I saw the Padishah of Sarofim was the morning when he nearly killed ZAee and me with his cigarette boat.
GENRE/ PUB DATE/FORMAT/LENGTH Crime Fiction/1992/pb/254 pgs
SERIES/STAND-ALONE #3 Martha's Vineyard
CHALLENGE Good Reads 2020 Reading Goal 26/120
GROUP READ
TIME/PLACE 1990's/Martha's Vineyard
CHARACTERS J.W. Jackson/former Boton cop and Zee/nurse
COMMENTS Always enjoy my visits to Martha's Vineyard through Philip R. Craig's books. In this adventure a Padishah form a Middle Eastern country is visiting along w/ his entourage. He comes to reclaim an emerald necklace and to strengthen relations w/ the US. The necklace was stolen from his nation long ago… and it again is nowhere to be found when it is time for him to receive.
July 8, 2018
I don't know how I missed this book when I started this series. JW Jackson is wooing the lovely Zee when a Middle-Eastern diplomat arrives on the island. Zee's aunt Amelia is the possessor of a lovely emerald necklace that has roots to the diplomat's country and she has agreed to return the necklace to its country of origin. At a reception, the necklace is stolen. JW, who has been hired for security is frustrated and then Zee is kidnapped. This was a mistake on the part of the kidnappers, JW is now on their trail and he won't let us until they are found and punished. As the old saying goes, and then the killings commenced! This was a good installment of one of my favorite series.
January 26, 2023
I enjoyed this story! I honestly picked this up as a "filler" something to read while I chose another book. The story itself was great! It was full of plot twists, and I especially like J.W. Jackson's dry humor. :-) I thought the ending was really bittersweet. Part heartbreaking and part karmic justice and part satisfying. I will say though, that the narrator did not do a good job in my opinion. He was monotone, and I thought a bit robotic. Note: I got this book from The National Librdȝ Service for the Blind and Print Disabled in audio form. I've read the first 2 books in the series and they were really good, and so was this one! I can't wait to read book 4!
November 12, 2017
A king of a middle eastern county is on Martha's Vineyard to procure the emeralds that were stolen from his county many years ago, and J.W., a former Boston cop, is asked to do security duty. Despite all the security, the emeralds and his lady love Zee vanish and J.W. is hired to find out what happened to the jewels and desperate to find Zee. This series came out about 25 years ago but is a good cozy. I love the relationship between J.W. and the independent Zee and I'll definitely be picking up another book!
November 13, 2020
Another gritty one.
I enjoy the banter between Zee and JW. I was surprised by how soon the solution appeared, but enjoyed the revelation. As JW was ruminating at the end, it is amazing sometimes how many sides there are to people - even folks you think you’d known for years on end.
I read that a third Hallmark rendition is coming next year ... I wonder which installment of the series will be adapted? That’ll be next for me to read in this series. 😂
I enjoy the banter between Zee and JW. I was surprised by how soon the solution appeared, but enjoyed the revelation. As JW was ruminating at the end, it is amazing sometimes how many sides there are to people - even folks you think you’d known for years on end.
I read that a third Hallmark rendition is coming next year ... I wonder which installment of the series will be adapted? That’ll be next for me to read in this series. 😂
Read
May 7, 2024Excellent mystery story-can visualize Martha's Vineyard as you read and Philip R. Craig is very skillful in the way he builds up the whole crime scene. The characters are so well-developed and very interesting. I had to keep reading. And I love mysteries and write my own mystery stories so I really get into it. This series of the mysteries was on the Hallmark Channel. I think the book is much better than the Hallmark series.
Celine Rose Mariotti
Celine Rose Mariotti
August 29, 2018
Weak entry in the series - I cannot put my finger on it - but somehow JW is different from the previous books and the writing and plotting is different. Plot line about stolen necklace from a fictional Arab country 100 years ago is far fetched. Below average. But I will continue reading the series.
February 24, 2021
I'm still trying to get into this mystery series. I definitely liked this one more than the last two. I would like to see more character development. Because this is a long standing series and now a Hallmark Channel series of movies, I know that there are changes coming. I'll probably stick with it.
August 18, 2021
Ex-Boston cop, J. W. (Jeff) Jackson, becomes a investigator for lawyers who have "misplaced" an emerald necklace that was meant as gift for a middle eastern potentate. The emeralds disappeared as did Jeff's girlfriend, Zee. Jeff collaborated with local, federal and corporate entities to locate both the necklace and Zee before he lost of them.
September 22, 2018
I found this book on a shelf in a hotel in Ecuador. I didn't expect much, but it surprised me. I liked the Martha's Vineyard locale and the fishing backdrop. The detective is a likeable Boston ex-cop, who is laid-back and a good cook. His name is JW Jackson. I would read another in the series.
June 7, 2019
It was OK, and I liked it because of the Martha's Vineyard setting and personalities. Otherwise, the mystery was generic and could've been placed anywhere in the world. A definite beach read when you're in Massachusetts!
August 3, 2021
I read this only because it takes place on Martha’s Vineyard. The main character is too chauvinistic and smart alecky for my tastes. I might follow some of his suggestions for using garden veggies though.
October 24, 2017
Not as engaging as the first two in the series, but I have no intention of slowing down in my reading of this well written atmospheric series.
December 30, 2018
Familiar locations on Martha's Vineyard are disrupted by the arrival of some unsavory politicians from a small country in the middle east. It was a wonderful trip to the Vineyard.
July 21, 2019
Rex Stout said a good book stands up to rereading. I did remember the solution, but it is a pleasure to spend time in this place with these characters.
February 8, 2020
Good procedural. Wanted to read this author as there is a series on Hallmark Movies about the Marthas's Vineyard Myteries that I am watching.
May 29, 2020
Philip R. Craig is a great writer, and I'm really enjoying the Martha's Vineyard Mystery series!
September 12, 2020
Not as good as the first two books.
September 26, 2020
A little too heavy on the creeper vibe there, JW. The plot on this one was goofy, though I liked the characters old and new. The sexual harassment was just annoying and ooky.
November 22, 2022
Tired of fishing
December 12, 2024
Great twisted Mystery
2resa@omnipages.com
I love books like this where they just keep you in formed enough to keep you guessing. This one has more twist and turns than most
Enjoy!
2resa@omnipages.com
I love books like this where they just keep you in formed enough to keep you guessing. This one has more twist and turns than most
Enjoy!
August 4, 2016
Vineyard Deceit by Philip R. Craig (originally published as The Double-Minded Men) is the fourth book of his Martha’s Vineyard mystery series, set on Martha’s Vineyard in the late 20th century. Protagonist J. W. Jackson is a former Boston police detective, retired on medical disability (bullet lodged near his spine) in his mid-thirties. He lives year-round on Martha’s Vineyard, fishing in season and doing assorted handyman jobs to fill out the year. The police chief is a friend, and occasionally deputizes J.W. to help out (since he is so well qualified in law enforcement and detection).
In Vineyard Deceit, J.W. is asked to join a security force to prevent the theft of valuable jewelry at a political event. The heirloom emerald necklace belonged to a New England family for generations. Their ancestor acquired the precious gems as “booty” long ago in a Middle Eastern kingdom. Now the arrogant, selfish dictator of the country is coming to the US for treaty purposes, and the family will graciously return the jewels as a sign of goodwill between nations.
J.W.’s ladylove Zee is related to the prestigious family, and she plans to attend the gala event in lavish style. But Zee gets kidnapped – and J.W. is beside himself with worry for her. He fulfills his obligation to provide security for the event, but his mind is on Zee. Of course, the event does not go as planned: the jewels are stolen and a scion of the New England family is murdered – or did he commit suicide?
J.W. has plenty to investigate in this mystery. He is convinced the kidnapping is no coincidence, due to its timing. The solution to the jewel theft and related death is interesting, but the main characters in that mystery are not sympathetic. The solution to Zee’s kidnapping actually leads to solving the crime completely.
Besides the parallel mysteries, the story contains plenty of “insider” details about life on Martha’s Vineyard, such as the perennial parking woes due to tourist season. Although J.W. leads a life closely resembling a non-stop vacation, he portrays the issues faced by the island residents struggling (many with multiple jobs) to lead the good life, especially the high economic contrast between the year-round residents vs. the wealthy summer vacationers. J.W. lives “al fresco” style much of the time in his isolated cabin and he cooks and eats what he catches and grows.
The series is pleasant and entertaining reading. I have never been to Martha’s Vineyard. It sounds wonderful. I imagine those who have lived there or visited would really love the specific island references throughout the book. Next book in the series is Cliff Hanger, also published as Vineyard Fear.
In Vineyard Deceit, J.W. is asked to join a security force to prevent the theft of valuable jewelry at a political event. The heirloom emerald necklace belonged to a New England family for generations. Their ancestor acquired the precious gems as “booty” long ago in a Middle Eastern kingdom. Now the arrogant, selfish dictator of the country is coming to the US for treaty purposes, and the family will graciously return the jewels as a sign of goodwill between nations.
J.W.’s ladylove Zee is related to the prestigious family, and she plans to attend the gala event in lavish style. But Zee gets kidnapped – and J.W. is beside himself with worry for her. He fulfills his obligation to provide security for the event, but his mind is on Zee. Of course, the event does not go as planned: the jewels are stolen and a scion of the New England family is murdered – or did he commit suicide?
J.W. has plenty to investigate in this mystery. He is convinced the kidnapping is no coincidence, due to its timing. The solution to the jewel theft and related death is interesting, but the main characters in that mystery are not sympathetic. The solution to Zee’s kidnapping actually leads to solving the crime completely.
Besides the parallel mysteries, the story contains plenty of “insider” details about life on Martha’s Vineyard, such as the perennial parking woes due to tourist season. Although J.W. leads a life closely resembling a non-stop vacation, he portrays the issues faced by the island residents struggling (many with multiple jobs) to lead the good life, especially the high economic contrast between the year-round residents vs. the wealthy summer vacationers. J.W. lives “al fresco” style much of the time in his isolated cabin and he cooks and eats what he catches and grows.
The series is pleasant and entertaining reading. I have never been to Martha’s Vineyard. It sounds wonderful. I imagine those who have lived there or visited would really love the specific island references throughout the book. Next book in the series is Cliff Hanger, also published as Vineyard Fear.
July 1, 2011
I finished up VINEYARD DECEIT by Philip R Craig yesterday and really liked this one. It was witty, had some suspense and was a very nice whodunnit and why. This book was 235 pages in length, so if you have an afternoon to spare you can finish it all at once.
This one deals with a Middle Eastern potentate that comes to the vineyard to reclaim an emerald necklace that was stolen from his country a long time ago. The potentate is not a very nice man. J W is asked to be a security guard at the home where the exchange is going to take place. The necklace is stolen while everyone is on the premises and J W is asked to help in determining who did the crime.
Zee also goes missing for about 3 days and J W looks into that too, as she was unharmed and returned to her home. There appears to be a connection with her disappearance and the disappearance of the emeralds. She had been blindfolded the entire time and tied up with duct tape.
It seemed the ending came a little quickly, but that was okay. I did enjoy the book and there are some interesting recipes that sounded pretty good. He doesn't give measurements, but gives ingredients. But that is the mystery of cooking and your own personal taste.
This one deals with a Middle Eastern potentate that comes to the vineyard to reclaim an emerald necklace that was stolen from his country a long time ago. The potentate is not a very nice man. J W is asked to be a security guard at the home where the exchange is going to take place. The necklace is stolen while everyone is on the premises and J W is asked to help in determining who did the crime.
Zee also goes missing for about 3 days and J W looks into that too, as she was unharmed and returned to her home. There appears to be a connection with her disappearance and the disappearance of the emeralds. She had been blindfolded the entire time and tied up with duct tape.
It seemed the ending came a little quickly, but that was okay. I did enjoy the book and there are some interesting recipes that sounded pretty good. He doesn't give measurements, but gives ingredients. But that is the mystery of cooking and your own personal taste.
October 20, 2008
THE DOUBLE MINDED MEN (aka VINEYARD DECEIT) - G
Craig, Philip R. - 3rd in Martha's Vineyard series
A Middle Eastern potentate and his entourage are descending on Martha's Vineyard -- and chaos is in the salt air. Ex-Boston-cop Jeff "J.W." Jackson would rather be fishing with his lady Zee, but the island's overtaxed police force needs his help to control the madness their visitor's arrival has stirred up -- especially since the great man will not leave before ceremoniously reclaiming an emerald necklace stolen from his nation a century ago. But when both the jewels and Zee vanish, J.W. is quickly transformed from rent-a-cop to frantic investigator. Because an ill tide has carried desperate men to this idyllic island with murder on their minds. And Jackson suddenly stands to lose everything that he dearly loves.
Jackson is a great characters with excellent secondary characters. Strong sense of place and a good plot. I do get a bit tired of the work "delish" but cooks would also enjoy this series. But don't mistake this series for 'cooking mysteries.' There is more here than you might think.
Craig, Philip R. - 3rd in Martha's Vineyard series
A Middle Eastern potentate and his entourage are descending on Martha's Vineyard -- and chaos is in the salt air. Ex-Boston-cop Jeff "J.W." Jackson would rather be fishing with his lady Zee, but the island's overtaxed police force needs his help to control the madness their visitor's arrival has stirred up -- especially since the great man will not leave before ceremoniously reclaiming an emerald necklace stolen from his nation a century ago. But when both the jewels and Zee vanish, J.W. is quickly transformed from rent-a-cop to frantic investigator. Because an ill tide has carried desperate men to this idyllic island with murder on their minds. And Jackson suddenly stands to lose everything that he dearly loves.
Jackson is a great characters with excellent secondary characters. Strong sense of place and a good plot. I do get a bit tired of the work "delish" but cooks would also enjoy this series. But don't mistake this series for 'cooking mysteries.' There is more here than you might think.
May 26, 2013
I came to Philip R. Craig's work through William G. Tapply's collaborative efforts with him, featuring Brady Coyne and JW Jackson - friends and fishing buddies. I've always loved Tapply's writing style, and the fact that he was a professor at my alma mater, Clark University in Worcester, MA, didn't hurt. (Unfortunately his tenure there was cut short by his untimely death). The two writing styles fit snugly within the chosen storylines, and both men are complex, often maddening characters.
Craig's plotline in this solo JW Jackson foray is a bit thin; if you're a Mystery aficionado you've easily figured it out early on. The characters are mostly well thought out and have substance, although I found myself wishing some of them were explored more thoroughly. Some are thinly-disguised well known folk (the former president Clinton - oops, Callahan) while others are caricatures/composites of crazy Middle Eastern fanatics we all love to see defeated.
All that said, I enjoy this series, complete with the xenophobic commentary on the "summer people". Some of us can relate to that!
Read these books. Entertaining and engaging without requiring too much.
Craig's plotline in this solo JW Jackson foray is a bit thin; if you're a Mystery aficionado you've easily figured it out early on. The characters are mostly well thought out and have substance, although I found myself wishing some of them were explored more thoroughly. Some are thinly-disguised well known folk (the former president Clinton - oops, Callahan) while others are caricatures/composites of crazy Middle Eastern fanatics we all love to see defeated.
All that said, I enjoy this series, complete with the xenophobic commentary on the "summer people". Some of us can relate to that!
Read these books. Entertaining and engaging without requiring too much.
March 24, 2012
I've read several of Philip Craig's JW Jackson mysteries and like this one best. It's a classic "how'd they do it?" as well as a whodunnit? Craig focusses more on the crime and how could it possibly happen than getting lost in a Martha's Vineyard travelogue or filler about fishing and other bayman's activities.
The evil and basically looney Padishah of the Sarofim is about to take possession of a pricey (maybe priceless?) emerald necklace taken from his country many years earlier and safeguarded by a powerful Vineyard family. Yup, you guessed it. The necklace is stolen from under the noses of an elite security firm and oodles of police. How did The necklace disappear from a locked and guarded room? Sounds like a mystery only magician's assistant Jonathan Creek could answeer, but Jackson puts all the clues together and comes up with a satisfying answer and ending.
The evil and basically looney Padishah of the Sarofim is about to take possession of a pricey (maybe priceless?) emerald necklace taken from his country many years earlier and safeguarded by a powerful Vineyard family. Yup, you guessed it. The necklace is stolen from under the noses of an elite security firm and oodles of police. How did The necklace disappear from a locked and guarded room? Sounds like a mystery only magician's assistant Jonathan Creek could answeer, but Jackson puts all the clues together and comes up with a satisfying answer and ending.
November 30, 2013
I really like this series, and this was an excellent entry. Even though the setting and time period are totally different, the character of J.W. Jackson somehow reminds me of Travis McGee in the old John D. McDonald series. Although I had figured out the mystery before I got to the end, it was nevertheless an enjoyable read, and I will be moving on to the next one in the series.
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