A Fatal Vineyard Season

It's September on Martha's Vineyard, that perfect time of year when the summer people have gone back to "America" and the locals can enjoy the many pleasures their beautiful island has to offer. For J. W. Jackson and his wife, Zee, September brings time for sailing and fishing and savoring the joys of parenthood of toddler Joshua and new baby Diana. September also brings some extra work for J. W. as he secures boats and houses against a coming hurricane and closes up some of the Vineyard's big homes for wealthy summer residents. Among J. W.'s longtime clients are Stanley and Betsy Crandel. The senior Crandels, owners of a large Victorian house, have gone to Switzerland, but they ask J. W. to make the house ready for their vacationing niece, Julia Crandel, and her friend, Ivy Holiday. Julia'a a struggling Hollywood actress, whose only success so far has been a television commercial, but Ivy has already achieved a measure of fame. It's only when the two beautiful African-American actresses arrive in Oak Bluffs that J. W. begins to sense that something is terribly wrong. Why is Julia so afraid that she wants J. W. to look into every closet to make sure nobody is lurking in the house? What happened between Ivy Holiday and a stalker who is now in a California prison? He's more than a stalker, actually. He's a murderer, convicted of killing Ivy's roommate. There's also trouble much closer than California. Two bigoted locals, known for their violent acts and cruelty, seem none too happy with Julia and Ivy's presence. When somebody breaks into the Crandel home, J. W. fears that the women were right to be afraid. Even an apparently idyllic place such as Martha's Vineyard, where people like J. W. and Zee rarely lock their doors, offers no safe haven.


Genre: Cozy Mystery