Publisher's Weekly Review
When Colley Jameson, the harried, hard-drinking editor of the Island Enquirer, refuses to reinstate Victoria Trumbull's weekly column, even after the 92-year-old sheriff's deputy saves his life when his tie gets stuck in a printing press, Victoria offers her services elsewhere in Riggs's delightful fifth Martha's Vineyard mystery (after 2004's Jack in the Pulpit). William Botts, editor of the West Tisbury Grackle, a one-page news sheet that sells for a dime, is happy to take on Victoria as an unpaid reporter, especially after she scoops the Enquirer with a story about two halves of a body found at widely separated locations. The deceased turns out to be an unloved developer, and the plot soon thickens with a fatal poisoning, threatening letters, disgruntled ex-wives and a third murder. By this point in the series, Riggs has achieved an easy style and comfortable pace that perfectly suit her heroine. Vineyard watchers may miss the focus on environmental concerns of earlier books, but they'll be relieved to find that the Enquirer and Grackle bear no resemblance to the two actual Martha's Vineyard newspapers. Agent, Nancy Love. (May 9) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Kirkus Review
Ninety-two-year-old Veronica Trumbull (Jack in the Pulpit, 2004, etc.) ignites a publishing war on Martha's Vineyard that almost breaks the library's copy machine. Oh, yes. She also solves several murders. When she's finished attending to her duties as a sheriff's deputy, Veronica writes the West Tisbury social column for the Island Enquirer.But when publisher Colley Jameson fires her after 50 years of service, Veronica takes her skills to William Botts's rival publication, the West Tisbury Grackle, a broadsheet he reproduces on the library photocopier. Then the mail brings Jameson a clever obituary describing his own premature death, and the dead body of controversial developer J. Ambler Fieldstone, whom Jameson's editorials supported, turns up on the beach in two pieces. Charging exorbitant rates, Veronica deigns to help Jameson investigate the threatening obituary while feeding Botts inside information about Fieldstone's death--journalistic tidbits that drive the Grackle's circulation beyond the copier's capacity. The modest Botts cringes at his success and Jameson rages. The arrival of another obituary convinces Veronica that Fieldstone's death was no boating accident: numerous people hated him, beginning with his wife and Jameson's wife, with whom he was having an affair. The obituaries and dead bodies keep piling up, but Veronica is equal to it all. Fans may enjoy the geriatric gyrations. Others will dream of vacations in places less insular. Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Fans of Riggs' Martha's Vineyard mysteries already love the series' ninetysomething protagonist, Victoria Trumbull. This fifth adventure will only strengthen that bond. The delightful Victoria is at her best here, confronting Colley Jameson, the obnoxious editor of the Island Enquirer0 , who has threatened to replace her West Tisbury news column with a younger person's outlook. Then, when Colley begins receiving odd obituaries about himself that coincide with murders occurring in the area, he reluctantly hires Victoria to investigate. As Victoria tries to figure out who is responsible for three murders and the threats against Colley, numerous suspects appear, including bitter ex-wives and one greedy ex-husband. In addition to the usual colorful supporting cast of West Tisbury eccentrics, Riggs introduces an utterly charming new character, the grumbly William Botts. Founder and editor of the one-page Island Grackle0 , Botts leads a simple life--until Victoria begins writing for him and causes his subscriber numbers to skyrocket. As usual, Riggs paints a thoroughly compelling picture of island life. Like Victoria, this series gets more charming with age. --Jenny McLarin Copyright 2005 Booklist
Library Journal Review
After a much-disliked property developer is murdered, 92-year-old sheriff's deputy Victoria Turnbull (Jack in the Box) gets the case. With her ageless spirit and encyclopedic knowledge of the Vineyard, she soon narrows the field of suspects. For all collections. Riggs, a 13th-generation Islander, lives in West Tisbury, MA. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.