A Deadly Vineyard Holiday

At 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. Why is the feisty First Kid so intent upon eluding her Secret Service guardians, and why does the President want J.W. and Zee to watch over her? The answer comes in the form of a dead body. Not even executive privilege can shield the President’s daughter from harm unless Jackson roots out a vengeful killer who may be hiding among the President’s most trusted.

Hell to the Chief At 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.

Martha’s Vineyard Mysteries now a movie series on Hallmark Channel starring Jesse Metcalfe! J.W. Jackson returns in another unputdownable mystery as he searches for answers on a beloved local’s strange death on Martha’s Vineyard. Professor Marjorie Summerharp was reborn on Martha’s Vineyard—her mind 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 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 no accident.

First in the series that’s “a breath of fresh air with a touch of murder most foul”—now a movie series on Hallmark Channel starring Jesse Metcalfe (Denver Rocky Mountain News). Ex-cop J. W. Jackson searches for answers after a mysterious and deadly boat explosion on Martha’s Vineyard. 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. 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. Praise for the Martha’s Vineyard Mysteries “Fun . . . an enjoyable book . . . perfect for hot weather relaxing.” —Los Angeles Daily News “An exciting adventure . . . [that] lets the reader become an islander for a while.” —The Houston Post “Refreshing . . . entertaining . . . a nicely crafted mystery.” —Knoxville News Sentinel “Spending time with Craig on Martha’s Vineyard is the next best thing to vacationing on the island itself.” —Minneapolis Star-Tribune “Craig knows his angling and his sailing . . . but he also knows how to make engaging characters.” —The Philadelphia Inquirer

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. But there is no escape 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.

At 92 years of age, poetess and Martha's Vineyard native Victoria Trumbull is about to take on a new vocation-solving murders.

Another perfect summer is in full swing on Martha's Vineyard when Charles Williams arrives for the vacation of a lifetime. Charles is one of thousands who are there for the celebration of the 1975 blockbuster JAWS. Very little has changed since it was shot there almost forty years ago; however, Martha's Vineyard proves to be less than idyllic. The gruesome evidence of a fatal shark attack is discovered in the ocean while in Edgartown, vacationers fall victim to an unknown killer. Police Chief Laurie Knickles enlists the help of her friend and amateur sleuth, Charles Williams, as they suspect no one will be safe in the water or on land until they solve The JAWSfest Murders.

Vineyard wedding bells are about to chime for J.W. Jackson and Zee Madieras. And Zee’s bank account is one hundred thousand unexplained dollars richer, briefly. The bank calls it a glitch, and two days later the windfall has flown. But, coincidentally, the college student lying dead in J.W.’s driveway, done in by a dose of locally grown poison, recently withdrew a hundred grand from her own account. And now, before exchanging vows, J.W. must first match wits with a murderer.

It's March on Martha’s Vineyard. Too early for bluefish, but not too early for trouble. The winds are brisk and there’s still a chill coming in off the ocean. The mood is gloomy, and for good reason. Former Olympic fencing champion turned millionaire real estate developer Donald Fox has targeted the island for his newest moneymaking scheme. With land values huge and many longtime residents in possession of fuzzy deeds of sometimes dubious legal value, Fox and his team plan to force people to sell cheap. Give up now or we’ll fight you in court...or worse.

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 and Zee’s newlywedded bliss, especially when the mayhem follows them back home to Martha’s Vineyard. Keeping circling sharks from the kill might be more than J.W. can handle.