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A Vineyard Killing
Philip R. Craig Book Review

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Plot Summary of A Vineyard Killing
"

Scribner, June 2003, 24.00, 240 pp.
ISBN 0743205243

After all the trauma he experienced in Vietnam and as a police officer in Boston who got shot in the line of duty, J.W. Jackson is happy living on Martha's Vineyard and making ends meet by taking odd jobs. One day while he and his wife Zee are eating at the local deli, shots ring out and J.T. rushes out to see Paul Fox lying down on the sidewalk. The shooter is nowhere to be found but Paul is not seriously injured because he was wearing a bulletproof vest.

It turns out that Paul was wearing the vest in an effort to persuade his brother Donald, a real estate developer who has many enemies, to wear one also. Donald was using immoral but legal methods to force the year round residents to sell their homes to him, making the police think Donald was the intended victim. J.T. gets himself involved in the investigation and almost winds up getting himself killed.

It is always great to have a new Martha's Vineyard Mystery to read and A VINEYARD KILLING proves that claim. It is fun getting reacquainted with characters we have come to like and seeing Martha's Vineyard through the eyes of Philip R. Craig is always a special treat. The hero can't stop playing cop as he tries to solve an attempted homicide, a murder, a stalking case, and figure out how all these events are connected. This is definitely a must read mystery.

Harriet Klausner
"

Harriet Klausner, Resident Scholar



Review Analysis of A Vineyard Killing
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot

Composition of Book
descript. of violence and chases - 10%
Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 40%
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 30%
How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 20%




Tone of story - suspenseful (sophisticated fear)
How difficult to spot villain? - Very difficult--no foreshadowing/clues
Time/era of story: - present (2000-2010)
What % of story relates directly to the mystery, not the subplot? - 60%
Kind of investigator - skilled citizen investigator
Kid or adult book? - Adult or Young Adult Book
Any non-mystery subplot? - life in small town
Crime Thriller Yes
Murder Mystery (killer unknown) Yes

Main Character
Gender - Male
Profession/status: - homemaker
Age: - 40's-50's
How much violence does he/she use? - just the right amount
Ethnicity/Race - Russian
How sensitive is this character? - sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor - Strong but gentle sense of humor
Intelligence - Very much smarter than other characters
Physique - very athletic

Main Adversary
Identity: - Male
Age: - 40's-50's
Profession/status: - business executive
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in: - a little/some
Motive of antagonist - insanity
How sensitive is this character? - hard edged
Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence - Average intelligence
Physique - very athletic

Setting
United States Yes
The US: - Northeast

Style
Person - mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death? - generic/vague references to death/punishment
How many deaths? - 1
Amount of dialog - significantly more dialog than descript
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