Book Description
A toast to the happy couple . . . with hemlockVineyard wedding bells are about to chime for ex-Boston cop-turned-island-fisherman J.W. Jackson and his lady Zee Madieras. And Zee's Automatic Teller tells them rather substantial "present" has been deposited in the bride-to-be's account: one hundred thousand unexplained dollars.The bank screams, "computer glitch"! And sure enough, two days later, the windfall has flown. But, coincidentally, the college student lying dead in J.W.'s driveway'a young woman done in by a dose of locally grown poison'recently withdrew a hundred grand from her own account. And now, before exchanging vows with his love, J.W. must first match wits with a murderer who may be gearing up to kill again.


About the Author
Philip R. Craig grew up on a small cattle ranch near Durango, Colorado, before going off to college at Boston University, where he was an All-American fencer. He earned his M.F.A. at the University of Iowa Writers' Workshop. A recently retired professor of English at Wheelock College in Boston, he and his wife Shirley now live year-round on Martha's Vineyard.

ANNOTATION

The sixth book in the popular series set on Martha's Vineyard, starring ex-cop J.W. Jackson. Alterations in the bank accounts of two young women have led to their deaths, so when an extra $100,000 shows up in his lady love's bankbook, J.W. has cause for alarm.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

It's three weeks before J. W. Jackson's wedding to his longtime love, Zee Madieras, and life on Martha's Vineyard is looking good. Life seems pretty close to perfect, in fact, when J. W. and Zee stop at an Automatic Teller Machine one Saturday morning to withdraw a little cash for the weekend. Zee keeps a decent balance, but she has never in her life had one hundred thousand dollars in her account, yet that's what the bank receipt shows. Someone has apparently deposited a hundred grand in Zee's name. More likely, it's a great computer glitch that will soon be corrected. Sure enough, two days later, the money disappears as mysteriously as it arrived. Easy come, easy go, J. W. and Zee figure, mildly amused by their weekend of supposed riches. But there's nothing at all amusing about J. W. finding a young woman's dead body in his driveway. She must have been seeking help at his house when she collapsed and died, killed by a deadly poison that grows wild in Vineyard fields. Deeply disturbed by the death, J. W. tries to divert himself with the arrival of an old friend and a legendary pianist seeking an island refuge from an exhausting concert tour. But J. W. soon finds himself again embroiled in the young woman's death when he discovers a bank envelope lying on the ground near where she died. Strangely, the woman had recently withdrawn one hundred thousand dollars from her account at Zee's bank. Could the unexplained appearance of the exact sum in Zee's account be a mere coincidence? One young woman is dead and another may be in grave danger if J. W. can't find the killer quickly, while still making time to hunt the mighty bluefish, cook gourmet dinners, and prepare for his wedding day.

FROM THE CRITICS

Minneapolis Star-Tribune

Spending time with author Craig on matha's vineyard is the next best thing to vacationing on the island yourself.

Chattanooga Times

This is a good one.

Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine

Reading Philip R. Craig isarmchair traveling at its finest.

Publishers Weekly

Reading the sixth Vineyard mystery starring ex-cop J.W. Jackson and nurse Zee Madeiras, his fiance, is like spending a day at the beach with close, bantering friends. One weekend, Zee's ATM spits out a receipt that shows her bank account is $100,000 fatter than it should be; the following Monday, the money is gone. Everyone, including the bank, thinks it's just a computer glitch. But then J.W. finds a dead female college student in his driveway. It turns out that she was poisoned and that she had recently withdrawn a hundred grand from her bank account. Naturally, J.W. smells something fishy besides the bluefish he periodically reels in. While investigating both the floating funds and the poisoned coed, J.W. plays host to a world-famous pianist and talks a lot about making dinner, which he usually thoroughly enjoys. Although the plot relies on incredible coincidence to give J.W. a vital clue, Craig captains a pleasurable little junket with his Martha's Vineyard crew. (June)

Library Journal