It is a hot summer on the picturesque island of Martha’s Vineyard and the bluefish are biting in abundance. It is here that Jefferson W. Jackson and his fiancée Zeolinda (Zee) are planning their upcoming wedding, when they’re not busy fishing for bluefish or digging for quahogs. Jackson is an ex-cop from Boston, invalided out of the force with a bullet close to the spine, now semi-retired and living on the island. Zee is a nurse.
Their serene, rustic existence is disturbed by a couple of events. The first occurs when Zee discovers a mysterious $100,000 deposited in her bank account. A computer glitch is the bank’s explanation and the money is removed. The second, and more tragic event, is Jackson’s discovery of the body of a young girl in the trees near his home. The subsequent autopsy reveals poisoning by water hemlock. The young girl is known to have been a vegetarian and frequently picked her own food from the surrounding countryside so it’s assumed that she picked the hemlock by mistake. A tragic, but seemingly accidental, death.
When Jackson discovers that the victim had recently written several cheques, to the combined amount of $100,000, his curiosity is aroused and he begins and investigation into her death and how she came by such a large amount of money. Then a second girl disappears. Jackson is worried about her safety, especially when he discovers that she was a friend of the deceased and has also been writing checks to the tune of $100,000.
Adding to Jackson’s problems is the approaching first meeting with Zee’s mother. To help smooth things out, Quinn, an old reporter friend from Boston, arrives for a weeks stay, bringing with him a famous classical pianist, David Greenstein.
This is Craig’s fifth book in his Martha’s Vineyard series and it’s a pleasant read. The plot moves along quite nicely with a gentle, relaxed pace that reflects the lifestyle of the main characters. There is a sense of lazy days, fishing and sunbathing, which would be lost if the novel was written in a faster-paced style. This is no big city thriller.
Unfortunately, the crime itself is a little too simple and readers will spot the telegraphed clues that lead to the solution with very little difficulty, reaching the conclusion a fair way in front of our detective. Despite this lack of complexity, the book manages to hold the reader’s interest until the end, due to the secondary plots that interweave in Jackson’s life. The dreaded first meeting with the future mother-in-law and the slightly comic relief of Quinn and his jokes about his amorous intentions toward Zee are light enough not to intrude too much on the main story.
The characters, in particular that of David Greenstein, are all likeable and pleasant company for a long afternoon read. That includes the character of the island itself with its bustling summer existence contrasted by the relaxed atmosphere generated by the year round residents.
The novel is easygoing; however, its undemanding plot may disappoint readers who like their mysteries to have intricate puzzles.