Vineyard Chill - A Martha's Vineyard Mystery

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.

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 aristocrat Maud Mayhew, begs J.W. to prove her son's innocence. Harold may have been guilty of vandalism at the mansion, but according to Maud, he's not a killer.

But if Harold didn't kill Ollie, who did? J.W. will soon find himself mired in an intrigue that links some of the Vineyard's most prominent families, families that have known, and sometimes hated, one another for generations. Who is telling the truth? Who will die next?

Meanwhile, at home, J.W.'s under pressure from Zee and the kids to acquire their first computer. Will J.W. ever enter the modern era? It's three against one, so how long can he hold out?

From the author of the groundbreaking New York Times bestseller The Female Brain, here is the eagerly awaited follow-up book that demystifies the puzzling male brain.

Dr. Louann Brizendine, the founder of the first clinic in the country to study gender differences in brain, behavior, and hormones, turns her attention to the male brain, showing how, through every phase of life, the "male reality" is fundamentally different from the female one. Exploring the latest breakthroughs in male psychology and neurology with her trademark accessibility and candor, she reveals that the male brain:

The Male Brain finally overturns the stereotypes. Impeccably researched and at the cutting edge of scientific knowledge, this is a book that every man, and especially every woman bedeviled by a man, will need to own.

Praise for The Female Brain:

"Louann Brizendine has done a great favor for every man who wants to understand the puzzling women in his life. A breezy and enlightening guide to women and a must-read for men."

—Daniel Goleman, author of Emotional Intelligence

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. A teenage girl has already drowned in an early-summer tragedy. The more superficial conflict du jour centers on a group of cyclists, led by irascible environmentalist Henry Highsmith, who fervently oppose new construction, including plans for a luxurious new golf course.

J.W. is not part of the golf course battle, at least not until he and a bad-tempered Highsmith come to blows at the local fish shop. The dispute is not over fish. J.W. parked his vehicle too close to Highsmith's fancy bike, an unpardonable offense. Is there more to the J.W.-Highsmith feud than seems to be the case? Some people think so, especially when an SUV suspiciously like J.W.'s forces Highsmith's wife, Abigail, off her bicycle, sending her to the emergency room.

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. At least he's certain not to run into Highsmith on the manicured greens. J.W. is not much of a golfer, but Zee hopes he'll get some exercise and stay out of trouble.

Wrong. Trouble is waiting for J.W. in the sand trap at the fourth hole -- the sand trap with the human hand protruding from below. The hand is connected to a body, and it's clearly a case of murder. 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.

Alive with the sights, smells, and tastes of Philip R. Craig's beloved island, Dead in Vineyard Sand includes three classic recipes, featuring the decadent Lobsters, Croissants, and Champagne. Just in time for summer reading, this appealing blend of Vineyard ambiance and intrigue will thrill both beachgoers and city dwellers looking for vicarious pleasure.

Includes three delicious recipes

It'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. When a fire breaks out and an unidentified body is pulled from the scorched ruins, J.W. fears the worst. Corrie's precious guitar lies abandoned nearby, an ominous sign that the old man who seemed to live for his music has become the arsonist's victim.

With Corrie probably dead, this is no longer a mildly amusing case of a slumlord getting his due. For J.W., the search for the arsonist has become deadly serious and personal.

And there are other casualties this beautiful summer. Zee's friend, Susanna Quick, has received threatening letters from someone who knows far too much about Susanna's mysterious past, and who may use that knowledge in frightening ways.

As J.W. pursues the arsonist and closes in on Susanna's feared correspondent, this masterly mystery moves toward a surprising, immensely satisfying conclusion. As always, though, it's the ensemble cast, the vibrant Martha's Vineyard ambiance, and the enticing fishing and food that will win our hearts and bring us back for more. Perfect summer reading, Vineyard Blues is proof once again that Philip R. Craig is at the top of his form.

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.

He is notorious.

Lord Simon Roxbury is a godsend to gossip columnists everywhere. This notorious rake has recently been caught in an extremely compromising position by none other than The London Weekly's Lady of Distinction. Rumor also has it that Lord R received an ultimatum: be wed or be penniless.

She is scandalous.

As A Lady of Distinction, Lady Julianna Somerset typically reports on other people's scandals, but soon she finds herself embroiled in a very public battle with an irate Lord Roxbury—one that leaves her reputation in tatters and her position at The Weekly on the line.

Together they're... respectable?

With no other choice available, these two enemies unite in a marriage of convenience to rescue both their reputations and secure his fortune. With their rivals intent on revealing the charade, Lady Julianna and Lord Simon inevitably surrender to temptation. It may just be a love match after all . . .

Raised as a free spirit aboard her American sea captain father's majestic clipper ship, willful Nicole Lassiter has never encountered an obstacle she couldn't overcome -- until she meets Captain Derek Sutherland. His sizzling kisses leave her longing, but after they share a night of passion, his subsequent disdain makes her blood boil. Nicole vows to take her revenge -- by helping her father beat Sutherland in a high-stakes competition: the Great Circle Race from England to Australia.