The story centers on Angela and Lutie, who have been married for over thirty years. Early in the book, I chronicle their upbringings; while Angela was sheltered and filled with the good things in life, thanks to her mothers personality and desires, Luties life was filled with hard work and the tragic deaths of his parents and an eventual brutal period of service in Korea. After the war, he puts himself through college and takes a bankers job in the very bank run by Angelas stepfather, and so they meet, fall in love, and marry. After the death of Angelas mother, in the early eighties, the couple decide to accept the legacy she left of a fine home on the Island of Marthas Vineyard, where much of Angelas growing up took place, and substantial investments to guarantee a genteel lifestyle. The transition from their home of three decades in Pittsburgh to a life of leisure on the Island takes some getting used to, but they soon come to enjoy it. In fact, before long Angela has taken on the mantle left by her mother as hostess and renowned artist in the community. Meanwhile, the unexpected reappearance of a hated old combat soldier from Korea thrusts Lutie back into that time period and that mentality and begin to take its toll. This, combined with an unwelcomed population burst on the Island, starts to wear on his normally imperturbable psyche. Angela observes the changes in her husband, which is never more noticeable than the night he attacks and beats up a crowd of rowdy teenagers breaking glass and scattering trash on his favorite beach. The real trouble will not begin until he discovers his loathsome old comrade frozen and dead in the house of a friend, closed for the winter. A vision of a chainsaw passes through his head, and suddenly he has a plan to stem the tide of growth on his beloved Island. It isnt long before the population is shocked and appalled to learn that a chainsaw-wielding maniac is wreaking havoc on the Island, chopping up human bodies and displaying their parts around the various towns. While the rest of the community is in a panic, Lutie grows increasingly agitated at what he has started; and when the investigation reveals the source of the bodies and the fear is assuaged, he decides to sink his remaining parts in the sea and get his life back to normal. It appears that he is in the clear, but is he? This book is skillfully crafted, highly suspenseful, and cleverly written, with an understatement that only serves to reinforce the plotline. It presents the troubling idea that people are not always what they appear, and it is a testament to the detrimental psychological effects of being in a brutal war zone. Given the high number of veterans experiencing this trauma in our current wars, the book has a high contemporary relevance. My wife, our two children, and I lived on the Island for over twenty years, and I have tried to distill the charm and grace, as well as the gritty underside, of this beloved piece of paradise. Book Reviewsilver-shingled cottages, salty boats and the captains who man them, patches of sand between glacial boulders, the crisscross of ferries and the mysterious realm of the rich. Such are among the evocations of Marthas Vineyard. Author Tony Friedman and his wife Barbara washed ashore on the Vineyard in the early 1970s, spent nearly 30 years living and raising their children here, and now comes Tonys first novel: Dead Season on Marthas Vineyard. Tonys keen sense of observation, deep knowledge of the Islands history, and a lifetime of storytelling combine in Dead Season on Marthas Vineyard to make a Writer finely constructed tale of the Tony interaction of several layers Friedman of Vineyard people, their lives and dreams, and the lengths to which each will go to keep the Island special. The dance of characters follows the clash and harmony of locals who make the Island function and the privileged who come for the season. With his finely tuned ear for authentic language and

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.

There’s nothing like Martha’s Vineyard on crisp autumn days, after the season has ended. The “off-islanders” are finally gone and ex-Boston cop J.W. Jackson is free to relax. But the natives are getting seriously restless this fall, with animal rights activists squaring off against deer slayers and environmentalists butting heads with land developers. Things have reached a boiling point, and it’s not long before verbal arrows become real ones. When a most unlikely victim is caught in lethal crossfire, Jackson can’t just sit idly by.

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.

With its rocky coast and treacherous shoals, shipwrecks were a common occurrence in nineteenth-century Massachusetts. Few claimed as many lives as the City of Columbus. The night was clear and the route familiar for Captain Schuyler Wright and his experienced crew as they sailed a ship equipped with the latest technology. Yet with all this, the City of Columbus went down with 103 souls. Over a century later, Eric Takakjian and the Quest Marine Services team located the wreckage of the City of Columbus on the north ledge of the Devil's Bridge, off the southern tip of Gay Head. Historian Thomas Dresser takes us into the icy waters of the Atlantic as he recounts the terrible chain of events that led to disaster on that fateful night.

A dead whale is floating along the south shore of Martha's Vineyard, blowing an ill wind across the entire island. Edgartown Police Chief Laurie Knickles is on her honeymoon, leaving the capable Detective Jack Burrell in charge. When an Edgartown socialite is found murdered in her home, Jack must decide whether or not to call the Chief back from her Nantucket vacation. In Oak Bluffs, three young women-Alice, Trish, and Virginia-are opening a clothing store, Pretty Vineyard Girls, on Circuit Avenue. The three friends have worked hard for this and nothing-not even an abusive ex-boyfriend turned stalker-is going to stop them. When one of the women goes missing, it's time to call in Police Chief Jefferies. As the evidence mounts in Edgartown, Detective Burrell's murder case looks like a sex crime. The Edgartown and Oak Bluffs police departments realise they're working the same case just in time to discover a second body.

Whether you’re looking for boisterous nightlife or a quiet retreat, drive-ins or professional theater, Cape Cod and the islands offer them all. Some of the greatest vacation delights in the U.S. are waiting for you right here. Beaches, lighthouses, nature preserves, bike trails, antiques shops, summer theatre, local artisans, nightlife— whatever your taste, budget, time frame, or interest, we’ve got you covered in Explorer's Guide Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard & Nantucket. Kim Grant, a 25-year veteran travel writer, has combed the Cape and islands yet again to research the ninth edition of this perennially popular guide. She provides readers with the best of the best: selective, up-to-date recommendations for lodgings of every stripe; hundreds of dining reviews covering everything from clam shacks to four-star restaurants; daylong itineraries for every pursuit; and much more. Follow Grant’s lead to find nature preserves, bike trails, beaches, lighthouses, antiques shops, local artisans, summer theatre, and nightlife—whatever your taste, budget, time frame, or interest, she never steers you wrong. This opinion- and information-packed guide also includes up-to-date maps and an alphabetical “What’s Where” subject guide to help you plan your trip. Handy icons point out places that offer extra value, are family-friendly, welcome pets, provide free wifi, and are open year-round. The popular and eminently useful “A Perfect Day” feature offers ideas about how to spend your time, hour by hour, so you won’t miss the best opportunities. Whether you’re looking for a quiet retreat or boisterous nightlife, bird-watching or whale-watching, ocean beaches or kettle ponds, drive-ins or professional theater, the Cape and islands offer them all. And the very best resource available to guide you is the tried-and-true Explorer’s Guide Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard & Nantucket. Most readers come to think of it as a trusted friend.

Life on the Vineyard is good. Maybe too good. The bluefish are running early, and there’s plenty of quality fishing time to be spent with ex-cop J.W. Jackson’s new baby son Joshua. But an idyllic summer hits a snag when a movie scout from Hollywood invades the beaches. Worse, a longtime nemesis turns up murdered just one day after he and J.W. come to blows, and Jackson is considered by nearly everyone to be the most likely suspect. If he hopes to spend the remainder of the season—as well as many others to come—enjoying simple family pleasures and fine, fresh seafood, J.W. will have to cast his line out and hook the real killer.

Isabella Stewart's Tangled Vines, Island Crimes is set in the quintessential seaport town of Edgartown on the island of Martha's Vineyard, seven miles off the coast of Cape Cod. In the summer, 120 thousand descend on the island, including many notable celebrities: Jackie Onassis, Barack Obama, Bill and Hillary Clinton. But come September, the island shrinks to its year-round population of seventeen thousand hardy souls...some of whom abound in criminal activities. Her first book in a series features Maria, the island's leading real estate broker, who is determined at all costs to get accepted into the prestigious Yacht Club despite her Portuguese working-class background; and Rick, an attorney who takes advantage of Maria's greed and makes himself all-knowing. But when the pressures of her new marriage to a handsome off-islander make it more-than-necessary to keep her real estate sales flowing in, will it also make living life on the island - and keeping him interested enough in her increasing wealth and lifestyle- impossible? This is not a beach novel taking place in the soft summer winds; it is the flip side taking place in the off-season when the wild vines take hold of vacant summer properties and weaken their foundations, climb and strangle trees, and weave a cloth of deception that is stronger than twine. Written by someone who lives year-round in this place that only is accessed by boat or airplane, Stewart's accounts of island corruption and crimes are intense and ... truer than fiction ... that lead to death. She gives an insight into the dichotomy between the wealthy summer residents and the domestic- and working-class lives of islanders-the good, the bad, and the (almost) unbelievable.

Describes the towns and local attractions of the three areas, and offers recommendations for hotels, restaurants, shopping, and leisure activities.