Dead in Vineyard Sand

This is the most humorous of the Philip Craig books I have read so far. The book starts with a casual reference to a beach drowning in early summer on Martha's Vineyard, and then hits the golf course. Our hero, J.W. Jackson is coaxed into rejoining a game he hadn't played in about 30 years, and by the time he reached the fourth hole - ut oh - a surprise! Shifty looking golf partners add to the intrigue. A gun appears in a most unexpected place! So what is going on? As J.W. becomes implicated in a murder, he fights to clear his name, by poking around all over the Vineyard and asking questions trying to make sense of strange circumstances. All kinds of red herrings abound in this well thought out plot. Bravo Mr. Craig, well done!

This latest installment is as good as the others. I anxiously await the next one. I also await the next Brady Coyne/J.W. Jackson installment. It's been awhile.

Phillip Craig has done it again and delivered a fine book. A must read for the beach or Vineyard visitors.

Another intriguing, fun read from author Philip R. Craig. "J.W.", the protagonist in the series, always manages to immerse himself in trouble on the idealic Isle of Martha's Vineyard. Expecially enjoyable is the way "J. W." successfully incorporates his family responsibilities into his sleuthing. This story piques the reader's interest through to the last page!

On the surface Martha's Vineyard is a bright beautiful quaint place where the rich go in the summer to vacation. However, there is another side to the island one that is dark and crime ridden just like any other place; soon former police officer J.W. Jackson will cross paths with some of the most evil criminals he has ever known and he has known plenty before he got injured on the job. Radical conservationist Henry Highsmith would like to see only bicycles driven on the island and a halt to building new golf courses. J.W. who doesn't care either way gets into a fight with Henry when the environmentalist wrongly accuses the ex cop. of almost running over his bike. A few days later at the golf course J.W. and others find the buried body of Henry murdered with a bullet in his head. A witness says they saw J.W. following Henry's wife and run her off the road. Since J.W. becomes a person of interest to the police, he starts his own investigation to clear his name. The picture turns more complicated when Henry's wife is shot and is in critical condition in the hospital. J.W. keeps digging and what he finds make active and retired police officers like him sick to their stomach. Readers see why year round residents and summer bird visitors love life on Martha's Vineyard. Part of the charm of the series is the protagonist's obvious love for his family that reader can verify by his interactions with them. There are plenty of suspects who could be the killer but J.W. and the police lack any credible evidence to get an arrest. Phillip R. Craig is a witty storyteller who excels at creating believable characters inside an exciting and entertaining who-done-it. Harriet Klausner