Vineyard wedding bells are about to chime for J.W. Jackson and Zee Madieras. And Zee's bank account is one hundred thousand unexplained dollars richer, briefly. The bank calls it a glitch, and two days later the windfall has flown. But, coincidentally, the college student lying dead in J.W.'s driveway, done in by a dose of locally grown poison, recently withdrew a hundred grand from her own account. And now, before exchanging vows, J.W. must first match wits with a murderer.

It's March on Martha's Vineyard. Too early for bluefish, but not too early for trouble. The winds are brisk and there's still a chill coming in off the ocean. The mood is gloomy, and for good reason. Former Olympic fencing champion turned millionaire real estate developer Donald Fox has targeted the island for his newest moneymaking scheme. With land values huge and many longtime residents in possession of fuzzy deeds of sometimes dubious legal value, Fox and his team plan to force people to sell cheap. Give up now or we'll fight you in court...or worse.

Philip R. Craig and William G. Tapply -- veteran mystery novelists and longtime fishing buddies -- are back with a second joint novel starring their respective series heroes, J. W. Jackson and Brady Coyne. And something big -- something very big -- is about to happen on beautiful Martha's Vineyard. International superstar entertainers, top politicians, a former president, and the social elite will come together at the Celebration for Humanity, a musical extravaganza to be telecast live around the world. Headlining the show is legendary singer Evangeline, who's flying in from her Scotland castle, accompanied by her young daughter, Janie. Vineyard fisherman and sometime private investigator J. W. Jackson isn't much interested in pop music, but he agrees to take a job as the gorgeous Evangeline's driver and guide. The money is good and the company is intriguing. J.W.'s Boston lawyer pal, Brady Coyne, also has business on the Vineyard. His old friend Mike Doyle is dying,...

It's just another gorgeous June day on Martha's Vineyard until J.W. Jackson and his young son, Joshua, arrive home from clamming to find an ambulance in the driveway and blood on the grass. Two intruders have invaded their house. Little Diana is safe, but wife Zee has a split lip and a bruised cheek, and the difficult memory of killing one man and fending off another. The dead man and his accomplice wanted to know the whereabouts of Tom Rimini. They should have asked J.W. Tom is the husband of J.W.'s ex-wife, Carla. J.W. hasn't seen Carla in fifteen years, but that's about to change: Rimini's on the run and needs J.W.'s help.

Fresh from his recent acclaim as a Good Morning America Bookclub choice, Philip R. Craig casts his observant eye on the fine line between tragedy and comedy on Martha's Vineyard.Just look at the Vineyard's criminal du jour, "the Silencer." Loved by many and hated by some, the perp's on a campaign to destroy the audio systems in music-blasting party houses and open-windowed vehicles. Owners of said houses and vehicles feel both fear and hate, while some residents who seek silence silently cheer.J. W. Jackson, former cop and now a part-time investigator, finds it difficult to get too excited about the Silencer's crimes. J.W.'s a classical music man himself, which may explain his reluctance to take the so-called crimes very seriously.The fun stops, however, when someone is killed -- a night watchman is thrown over a cliff near an outrageously large new Chappaquiddick mansion.Who killed Ollie Mattes? Was it the womanizer Harold Hobbes? Harold's mother, Vineyard ari...

A Scribner Crime NovelIt's been many years since J. W. Jackson has seen Corrie Appleyard, so J.W.'s delighted when the elderly African-American bluesman strolls unexpectedly up his driveway, guitar in hand. Corrie has come to Martha's Vineyard to play a few shows and to catch up on old times. But there's more to the Vineyard mix this summer than music, bluefish, and friendship.Someone is torching the run-down summerhouses that a reviled local slumlord rents out to college kids who flock to the island for sun, sex, and summer jobs. J.W. and Zee, busy adding a wing to their house for precocious offspring Joshua and Diana, might almost cheer for the arsonist if they didn't fear someone would get hurt.They are especially concerned for Corrie Appleyard, who opts to bunk in one of the dilapidated structures. Corrie doesn't need much in the way of amenities, and a friend's grandson has offered him hospitality. It's a bad choice. Wh...