During his career as a Boston cop, Jeff "J. W." Jackson saw enough of the evil that men do to last a lifetime. So he retired to the serenity of Martha's Vineyard to spend his days fishing for blues and wooing a sexy nurse named Zee. But when a local's boat mysteriously explodes off the coast, killing an amiable young drifter, Jackson finds himself reluctantly drawn back into the investigative trade. For there is a serpent loose in paradise—and it's contaminating Jackson's lovely, peaceful island with its poisonous venom of drugs and death.

Acerbic professor Marjorie Summerharp was reborn on Martha's Vineyard—her mind and acid-tongue sharpened by the island's gentle waves and whispering breezes. So why would she walk into the ocean on a warm June morning, to be swallowed up forever by the hungry, merciless sea? Ex-Boston-cop "J.W." Jackson knows that evil can flourish even in the most serene of settings. And the more he investigates, the more it appears that the mysterious "accidental" death of the renowned local scholar was more premeditated than it originally appeared. But nosing around in a snake pit of academic jealousy, adultery, and bogus religion could prove deadly for the policeman-turned-fisherman...especially when Jackson exposes too many sinister secrets that are well worth killing for.

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.

Escaping the city and its violence, ex-cop Jeff "J. W." Jackson found solace in fishing, cooking, and simplyenjoying life on Martha's Vineyard—and nothing, he figures, will ever entice him to leave. However, suddenly there's a very real possibility that his lady love Zee will be departing the idyllic island forever. And when a young student commits suicide, and a girlfriend-abusing thug starts spewing vicious threats, J. W. seriously considers a temporary escape from paradise. But it's a failed trio of attempts on his own life that ultimately propels him off-island—and onto the trail of a stalker that's leading Jackson to the perilous peaks of the Colorado Rockies, where he quickly learns that, thorns and all, there's no place quite like his Vineyard home.

Tourist season may be over... but the killing season has just begun. There's nothing like Martha's Vineyard on these crisp autumn days, after the season has ended. Now that the "off-islanders" are finally off the island, ex-Boston cop J.W. Jackson is free to relax, fish, and make future plans with his lady love Zee. But the natives are getting seriously restless this fall, with animal rights activists squaring off against deer slayers and environmentalists butting heads with land developers. Things have reached the boiling-over point—and it's not long before verbal arrows become real ones. And when a most unlikely victim is caught in the lethal crossfire, Jackson can't just sit by idly with a fishing pole in his hand. Someone has to lead the hunt for a killer, and J.W.'s the man—even if there's a chance that he won't live to see next summer.

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.

Bullets and Bouquets There is no room for murder on a honeymoon. When J.W. Jackson foils an attempt to terminate former mob boss Luciano Marcus on the steps of Boston's Symphony Hall, it puts a definite damper on Jackson's and bride Zee Madieras' newlywedded bliss'especially when the mayhem follows them back home to Martha's Vineyard. A part-time Vineyard resident himself, Marcus wants J.W. to find out who is behind the botched hit'an assignment the laid-back ex-cop can't refuse, since lady love Zee saw one of the would-be assassins and is now in peril herself. But with everyone from gangland rivals to Wampanoag Indians wishing Marcus harm, keeping the circling island sharks from the kill might be more than J.W. can handle.

Hell to the ChiefAt first, the girl J. W. Jackson encounters strolling alone along South Beach seems like your typical teenager. But there's nothing typical about young Cricket Callahan, the spirited only daughter of the vacationing President of the United States. What ex-cop-turned fisherman Jackson can't figure out is why the feisty First Kid is so intent upon eluding her Secret Service guardians. . .or why the Chief Executive himself wants J. W. and his lovely lady Zee to watch over the errant sixteen-year-old. The answer comes in the form of a dead body—and in the subsequent knowledge that a diabolical someone is able to crack the security surrounding Cricket as handily as J. W. cracks quahogs at a Vineyard clambake. And not even executive privilege will be able to shield the President's daughter from grievous harm, unless Jackson can root out a .vengeful killer who may be hiding among the ranks of the President's most trusted paladins.

Life on the Vineyard is good-maybe just too good—for ex-Boston cop J.W. Jackson this August. The bluefish are running early, and there's plenty of quality fishing time to be spent with his new baby son Joshua. But an idyllic summer hits a snag when a movie scout from a glamorous land called "Hollywood" invades the beaches—and takes a liking not only to the island locale, but to Jackson's lovely lady Zee as well. Worse still, a longtime nemesis turns up murdered just one day after he and J.W. come to blows, and Jackson is considered by nearly everyone, up-island and down, to be the most likely suspect. And if he hopes to spend the remainder of this season—as well as many others to come—enjoying simple family pleasures and fine, fresh seafood outside of a prison cell, J.W. will have to cast his line out and hook the real killer.

Martha's Vineyard is home to ex-Boston cop J.W. Jackson, his adored wife Zee, their toddler Joshua, and newborn daughter Diana. For others, the picturesque vacation spot is a relaxing escape from a world filled with trouble. But there is no escap for Julia Crandel and Ivy Holiday, two Hollywood actresses staying in the Vineyard town of Oak Bluffs. Their arrival has incurred the wrath of a pair of local gangsters, and a deadly stalker from out of the young ladies' past has found out where they are hiding. Twin hurricanes are about to slam the idyllic island—one a natural climatic disaster, the other an all-too-human catastrophe—and it looks as if J.W. is going to get caught in the middle. And since his conscience won't allow him to abandon two frightened, helpless visitors to the fury of the coming storm, he stows away his fishing gear, sends his loved ones off-island ... and dives headfirst into the tempest.

You can almost taste the freshly caught bluefish and smell the tangy salt air in Philip Craig's newest Martha's Vineyard mystery, a seasonal delight featuring former Boston policeman J.W. Jackson. J.W. hasn't seen legendary bluesman Corrie Appleyard since he was a child, and when Corrie arrives on the Vineyard for a rare concert appearance, J.W. couldn't be happier. It's almost enough to take his mind off the series of arson fires that have destroyed the dilapidated summer cottages that a local slumlord rents out at outrageously high prices to college kids who've come to work and play in the famous summer colony. But when Corrie's precious guitar is found at the site of the latest fire, and an unidentified body is pulled from the ruins, J.W. fears the worst. Although he's already busy trying to track down a blackmailer who's been threatening Susanna Quick, his wife Zee's close friend, J.W. agrees to investigate the arson fires for the owner of the cottages, which leads him into still another unsolved mystery: why is Zee so opposed to his newest client? By the time the connection between the arsonist, the slumlord, Susanna, and Zee is unraveled in a surprising denouement, you'll have worked up an appetite. Luckily, the author has included the recipes of Vineyard favorites at the end of this tasty mystery. J.W. is an extremely appealing hero, a man of simple pleasures who's not averse to putting himself on the line to defend his wife, his family, and his close-knit community of friends and neighbors . The pacing won't keep you from a nap after a day of sun and salt water, but the book moves along nicely, the Vineyard landscape is lovingly and authentically evoked, and the characters are well drawn. Vineyard Blues is another satisfying outing for this accomplished writer (who also brought us A Fatal Vineyard Season, A Shoot on Martha's Vineyard, Death on a Vineyard Beach) and his likable protagonist. —Jane Adams

J.W. Jackson abandoned Boston for the tranquil pleasures of Martha's Vineyard, hoping to leave the violence of the big city behind. But when the past comes looking for him in the guise of two brutal thugs, the former cop knows it is time to put down his fishing pole and start opening doors he'd hoped were closed forever. And when the man the hoodlums were searching for—a face from Jackson's yesterday—turns up seeking help, J.W. realizes that personal revenge should be the least of his concerns. Because the shadows darkening the island are longer and deadlier than he ever imagined. And if he can't stem the dark tide lapping at the shores of his beloved Vineyard, the new life he loves and everyone in it will be changed forever.

Violent crime is a rarity on the tranquil shores of Martha's Vineyard, which is why ex-cop J.W. Jackson turned in his Boston badge to retire to the idyllic isle. And that's what makes a six-month-old murder so troubling to the perplexed locals. But Jackson's got troubles of his own—including a loving wife, Zee, who's becoming curiously distant ... and the arrival of a mysterious visitor who's searching for a valuable set of stolen statues, and who's certain J.W.'s the man to hunt them down. It's an assignment that plunges the fisherman/chef-cum-private investigator into an unfamiliar milieu: the Vineyard's cutthroat world of art aficionados. And suddenly J.W. finds himself pitted against some of the island's most powerful and unscrupulous figures, uncovering lethal threads that may connect an unsolved mutilation/slaying with those who would stop at nothing—including murder—to add rare forbidden objects to their collections.

Pub 2004-05-25 256 English HarperCollins US Sell Low. Die Hard Former champion Olympic fencer-turned-sleazy real estate developer Donald Fox isnt making any friends on Marthas Vineyard this gray and chilly March Hes. using unscrupulous methods and legal ambiguities to force homeowners to sell their valuable land at rock bottom prices. Hes even approached fishermansometime-sleuth JW Jackson and his wife Zee. not realizing that the retired Boston cop is anything but an easy mark. So when Donalds brother . Paul is shot by an unseen assailant on a Vineyard street. JW cant help wondering if the wrong Fox sibling inadvertently took the bullet Since Jacksons curiosity and deep-rooted sense of justice have always gotten the better of him - and since the bluefish arent running yet anyway - hes going to track down the shooter. before preseason on his ...

It's particularly quiet on Martha's Vineyard this summer, since a shadowy figure called "the Silencer" began his covert campaign of destruction—disabling the audio systems in the homes and vehicles of selfish, music-blasting islanders. A respite from the unwanted noise suits fishing enthusiast, former cop, and sometime investigator J.W. Jackson just fine—until a gargantuan new Chappaquiddick mansion is vandalized and a night watchman is thrown to his death off a nearby cliff. Hired by the aristocratic mother of the most likely suspect to help prove her son's innocence, J.W. starts to explore some mysterious connections linking the Vineyard's most prominent families. But digging up the dirty secrets of the island elite may only inflame a murderer who's not done killing—and hasten J.W.'s own journey to the graveyard.

Thanksgiving has come and gone, and hunting season is in full swing on the Vineyard. J. W. Jackson—retired cop, dedicated fisherman, and passionate cook—is more or less holed up with his wife, Zee, and their two spunky kids for the winter. At least dear old dad has finally agreed to get a computer to keep them connected to the outside world! Otherwise, their cozy Vineyard home is pretty much cut off from civilization during this time of year. Still, the world has a way of intruding on their idyllic winter setting. When J.W.'s old Vietnam buddy and Vineyard fishing companion, Joe Begay, asks to be met on Cape Cod and virtually smuggled back to the island, J.W. knows something's not right. Joe wouldn't be sneaking around and asking J.W. to do him odd favors if trouble weren't brewing. J.W. also knows that Begay wasn't merely a soldier, but he has also performed highly secretive work for the government ever since Vietnam. Soon, the facts begin to emerge: A few years ago, Begay and five fellow agents were caught in the chaos of a bloody mission. Today, only two of the five remain. The others have died unexpectedly, and a killer known as the Easter Bunny may now be on his way to the island to take out Joe Begay. Enter the seductive and highly dangerous Kate MacLeod, the fifth member of Begay's secret government team. Why has Kate suddenly appeared on the Vineyard? Is she there to warn Begay, or could she be there to kill him? Even though Begay claims to trust her, J.W. is sticking close to Kate's side to make sure his friend is not being double-crossed. J.W. has always admired and respected Begay, and would do anything to help him out—but he can't let Zee and the kids become targets in this cat-and-mouse game. Can J.W. divert the Bunny's attention long enough for Begay to take him out? And can he keep his family out of harm's way?

It's a picture-perfect Vineyard summer, and ex-Boston cop J.W. Jackson finds time for lazy afternoons at the beach with his wife, Zee, and the kids. Nothing could be better, but of course not everything is peaceful, even on this idyllic island. When J.W.’s rich businessman friend Glen Norton invites him to join a golfing foursome at Waterwoods, the island’s prettiest club, he’s happy to accept. But trouble is waiting for J.W. in the sand trap at the fourth hole—the sand trap with the human hand protruding from below. With circumstantial evidence pointing to J.W., he must act fast, peeling back layers of deceit surrounding old Vineyard families in his search for a killer.

J. W. Jackson, the ex-Boston cop turned fisherman, cook, and jack-of-all-trades, delves deep into the mysterious depths of his beloved Vineyard in author Philip Craig's most compelling caper yet.With his wife, Zee, and two kids visiting relatives in "America," J.W. is alone and quickly tiring of his temporary bachelor status. A request from Carole Cohen comes as a blessed diversion. Carole wants J.W. to find the person who's stalking her brother, Roland. Known locally as "The Monk" for his reclusive ways, Roland lives on a beautiful piece of Vineyard real estate that he co-owns with his cousin Sally Oliver. A number of people, including Sally, would do almost anything to convince Roland to sell his valuable property. But does that include violence? J.W. is happy to take on what looks like a short and easy assignment, though he soon realizes that Roland may lead a more complicated life than his austere living arrangements suggest. And when a body turns up near Roland's land, what seemed like a property dispute takes a detour into murder—with J.W. in the midst of the action once again. Featuring a rich mix of money, lust, pride, and jealousy, spiced with a little poignant regret, "Vineyard Stalker" is a page-turning and deftly plotted addition to this popular and engaging series in which Martha's Vineyard itself is always the star.

For year-round Vineyard residents J. W. Jackson and his wife, Zee, winter brings its own beauty, with uncrowded streets, pristine snowy landscapes, and long, cozy nights by the fire. It can also bring danger. There's a chill in the air one January day when J.W. receives a surprising visit from long-ago pal Clay Stockton. Thrice divorced and still living on the edge, Clay has come to J.W. not to relive the reckless days of their youth but to ask J.W. for help. He's in big trouble and needs to lie low on the Vineyard. And it isn't just Clay who needs J.W.'s assistance; J.W.'s pal Bonzo has made a frightening discovery that may lead to the whereabouts of Nadine Gibson, a young woman who went missing on the Vine-yard almost a year ago. Bonzo once took Nadine bird-watching, and the circumstances connecting Nadine's disappearance to Bonzo are enough to make him a "person of interest" to the police. With two friends in trouble and his own family receiving threats, J.W. must summon all of his investigative skills to try to restore order to his beloved island home, where fishing and good food should always take precedence over murder. Featuring Craig's trademark mix of wit, suspense, and Vineyard ambiance, "Vineyard Chill" is a marvelous tribute to a much-loved author whose passion for mystery and Martha's Vineyard enriches every page.