A Shoot on Martha's Vineyard

Martha's Vineyard Mystery #9

by Philip R. Craig

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.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Cozy Mystery, Cozy, Mystery Thriller

242 pages, Paperback

First published June 5, 1998

About the author

Author Philip R. Craig passed away on May 8, 2007 after a brief battle with cancer.

Phil left three completed novels, which have now all been published posthumously. Vineyard Stalker came out in June of 2007 just after Phil's death. Third Strike, co-written with Bill Tapply, came out in November of 2007. The final J.W. Jackson mystery, Vineyard Chill, is on the shelves now. Another J.W. book is partially written, and may someday be completed by his family per his instructions, so stay tuned. Delish, the cookbook co-written with Phil’s wife Shirley Prada Craig, is also still available.

The Philip R. Craig website will be maintained as a tribute to my father and his many fans. ~ Jamie Craig

Reviews

[Fredrick Danysh · Rating 3 out of 5]

A movie is planned to be filmed on Martha's Vineyard and an environmentalist is killed after J.W. Jackson has a fight with him. J.W. has to clear his name when he becomes the prime suspect meanwhile coping the the green eyed monster as his wife is courted by the movie people.

[Alton Motobu · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've read all the books in this series in order (this is #9) with JW Jackson as the weary but self-assured ex-cop who solves crimes, but this one is different. JW comes across as insecure, jealous and weak, which is a departure from his usual self - secure, strong and brave. For most of the book JW is jealous of wife Zee when she is selected for a role in a movie being shot on Martha's Vineyard. He and newborn Joshua spend a lot of time together when Zee is doing scenes on the island then goes to Hollywood to film other scenes. It is difficult to believe how a new mother can leave her baby to pretend to be a movie star for a couple of weeks.

The plot line in this book involves pedophilia, murder and revenge, which left me feeling a little uneasy at the end. Although the crime was solved, the murder was fully justified, but the resolution to the case was not part of the story.

The absolute weirdest incident in the book was when a glamorous movie superstar (I thought of Angelina Jolie) strips naked in front of JW on a secluded beach and tries to seduce him. He displays superhuman will power and ignores her. I guess this shows JW was not as weak as first thought. But is it normal for a glamorous movie star to strip and attempt to seduce a middle-aged ex-cop in broad daylight?

[Vintagebooklvr]

This one was a hard one for me to not finish because I really don't like not finishing books. I liked the MC, ex-Boston cop J.W. Jackson. Not much is mentioned really about him being an ex-cop but I'm sure it is useful later in the book. I like Jackson because he's a done to earth guy who loves his wife, his new baby son and fishing. He doesn't have lots of money but he's enjoying life on Martha's Vineyard, something that is becoming harder and harder for people without lots of money. There are some great descriptions of fishing which I appreciate.

What is wrong? His attitude towards an EP agent who had shut down a beach for a few seasons and stopped use of vehicles on that beach because of the vulnerability of a bird species that nests there. He can't stop ranting about it. He even suggests more than once the guy should be shot. And it seems that nothing the guy suggests or does could be for a good reason. A friend points out that Jackson hates people who are short-sighted when they get on a soap box but he is doing the same thing.

The author does make sure that other povs of the environment are included from other people. And the fact of the matter is that one of the enforcement acts may not have actually made much of an impact on the bird population but definitely effected the money raised by the town by entrance fees etc. I was pleased by the somewhat balanced views given but they weren't given equal time at all. It wouldn't make sense to the story if they did. But I just couldn't bear to keep on hearing about how bad EP agents and all their actions were awful.

Plus, it was a bit slow. I was well over fifty pages in and the murder hadn't even occurred yet.

[Tom · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ninth in an excellent series. This is the series that the hallmark mysteries shows drew on. I enjoyed the movies so I tracked down the books and have been reading them in order. In this book JW and his wife Zee are enjoying the summer with their new born baby boy. On the way back from a fishing excursion JW finds one of the state environmentalists dead on the beach. As he had recently had a fight with the man he becomes the lead suspect. He sets out to find out who actually killed the man. While all this is going on a movie production company descends on the vineyard to shoot a movie. The consistent cast of characters along with all the great descriptions of the vineyard and descriptions and recipes for island dishes are all there. A fun read. Highly recommend it.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you love Martha's Vineyard, you'll enjoy this book. It captures the places and the atmosphere of the island. The main character, a former Boston police officer, finds himself accused of murder. And the movies come to town as the island is used for filming a movie. I love the little baby whose thoughts are amusingly included in the narrative of the book.

[Janet · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just grabbed this book from the library discard cart to have something to read on my Thanksgiving trip that I could leave behind at my destination, not expecting much. Ended up enjoying the characters and the location descriptions a lot. Will go back and start at the beginning with #1 in the series.

[Joe O'Connor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent; Continuing character: J. W. Jackson; with a movie crew coming to the Vineyard and interested in his wife in a minor role, JW deals with jealousy but then has bigger problems when an environmentalist he and other fishermen didn't like is killed and he becomes a prime suspect

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

J.W. and Zee have a baby now, and J.W. takes him everywhere. I can't see that working when he's a Terrible Two. Like the previous book, on-location filming provides the plot. I believe the new Les Roberts is the same. Must be a trend.

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Love J.W. and Zee as usual, just not crazy about the content.

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

The island hosts a movie "shoot".

[Dorothy · Rating 4 out of 5]

New characters, good story. Love Joshua's thoughts on what was happening

[Lillian Steele · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok book

Not as good as the other books in this series. But on to the next one. Will be disappointed when finish.

[Rick Mills]

DNF

[Julie · Rating 2 out of 5]

JW is an utter twit through the majority of this book. If this had been the first one I read, I would avoid the others because he's so unlikeable.

[Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Craig writes a great book - well written, easy to follow, and I didn't figure out the culprit util almost the end. JW Jackson is an interesting, clever ex-cop - and a great fisherman!

[Marjorie Cavalier · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great characters and descriptions of the areas on the Vineyard that I've visited.

[Kate Persons · Rating 2 out of 5]

So bad. Like a charicature of what someone thinks a clever murder mystery is supposed to be. I kept reading just to get it over with.

[Philip Dolson · Rating 5 out of 5]

JW figures it out again!

[Avid Series Reader · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Shoot on Martha's Vineyard (Martha's Vineyard #9) by Philip R. Craig is set in late 20th-century on Martha's Vineyard. A Hollywood film company plans to film a movie on location in Martha's Vineyard. Former Boston PD detective, now year-long island resident, J.W. Jackson is hired for his extensive knowledge of the island, to scout out the best locations for shooting scenes. When a murder takes place the day after J.W. had an altercation with the victim, J.W. is the prime suspect. He also has the best insights to solve the case. The author's great love for the island is well portrayed, and makes this a favorite series; hope to vacation on the island one day, entirely due to reading this series.. Highly recommend reading the series in order, to appreciate J.W. and Zee's relationship and his well-respected standing on the island. Recipes are included, for dishes J.W. and Zee prepare and enjoy in the story: Smoked Bluefish Pate, Sherry and Garlic Shrimp (or Flounder), Black Bean and Rice Salad.

[George · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another in the Martha Vineyard Mystery series featuring J.W. Jackson, former Boston cop, who finds himself in the middle of another mystery. An unpopular state environmental protection department biologist responsible for closing a popular fishing beach to vehicles part of the year is murdered and JW finds himself the chief suspect because he had gotten into a fight with him. So JW works to solve the mystery to save himself. Providing background to this mystery is a Hollywood movie being filmed on the island which offers employment to JW and his wife along with the male and female leads hitting on JW and his wife.

Story is entertaining because of the humor and the various stable of characters in the series.

[Nancy H · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay, I am officially addicted to this series and cannot stop reading it. I am only sad that there are so few out there because of the author's untimely death when he was writing the series. (Only 19 of them, I think.) However, I am rapidly making my way through the ones that are here. They remind me a great deal of the classic Travis McGee series by John D. McDonald, but with a northern setting instead of a southern one. In this episode, J.W. and Zee have to deal with Hollywood types who come to the island just as a murder is committed, and who try to entice Zee to go off with them and be a star. J.W. finds himself the prime suspect in the murder, and much confusion results until things are finally resolved.

[Francine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like this series, it is the third book I read. Easy ready although description of island is beautiful but sometimes too long it dragged the story down especially in the first few chapters. J.W. Jackson and his wife, Zee, are mixed up with a film crew shooting on the island. J.W. is the principal suspect in a murder case of an environmentalist and must try to find the culprit if he wants to continue his simple life with his son Joshua and Zee.

[Ed · Rating 4 out of 5]

#9 in the Martha's Vineyard Mystery series.

Just as J.W. Jackson is enjoying quality fishing time with his son, things take a turn for the worse. A movie scout invades the beaches and takes a liking to Jackson's lovely lady. Then, Jackson becomes a suspect in the murder of a long-time nemesis. If he wants to spend any more summers outside a prison cell, Jackson will have to cast out his line to hook the real killer

[Shelbylynne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story!

I think this is one of my favorite books in the whole series, so far.

This one really kept me guessing almost to the end. I had suspicions, but they didn't really make sense until you were getting those final puzzle pieces that make everything fit together. I honestly felt more for the perpetrator in this book than I did for the victim. I'm looking forward to seeing what the next book has in store for me.

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this one. Hollywood comes to Martha's Vineyard, and Zee gets a part in the film. Of course murders happen and J.W. helps to solve them while taking care of their first child, a little boy named Joshua. J.W. and Zee also have to fight off a Hollywood actor and actress who try to woo Zee and J.W.

[Jill · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of my favorite mystery series. I was soooo sad when Philip Craig died a few years ago and knew there would be no more of these wonderful, slightly sarcastic and very romantic tales to read!

[Tomi · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was an okay read, but nothing came up about the motivation for the murder until very near the end of the book. Nice descriptions of life in Martha's Vineyard, but it was obvious that the author was an English/creative writing teacher...

[Pam Bales · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a nice, family mystery. Set in Martha's Vneyard, J W Jackson, enjoys fishing, his family, and island life. Too bad they are often interrupted by dastardly villains causing problems. I was very sorry to see the end when sadly, Mr. Craig passed away.

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excop and environmentists

[Karla · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book makes me want to move to the beach and catch my own seafood.