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Library | Call Number | Status |
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Searching... Silver Falls Library | MYS RIGGS | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... Salem Main Library | MYSTERY Riggs, C. | Searching... Unknown |
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Summary
Summary
A feud between two Congregational ministers is disturbing the normally tranquil haven of West Tisbury, on Martha's Vinyard. Could this be connected with the unexpected deaths of several elderly residents? Chief Casey O'Neill is new in town, & struggling to gain acceptance, but she's in luck when Victoria Trumbull takes a hand.
Author Notes
Cynthia Riggs , a thirteenth generation Islander, lives on Martha's Vineyard in her family homestead, which she runs as a bed-and-breakfast catering to poets and writers. She has a degree in geology from Antioch College and an MFA in creative writing from Vermont College and holds a U.S. Coast Guard Masters License (100-ton). This is her third published mystery.
Reviews (4)
Publisher's Weekly Review
Fall is a splendid season on Martha's Vineyard, with spectacular views of land and sea in the ever-changing light. The sudden death of four people in one month, all parishioners at the same church, however, upsets the island's tranquility. In Riggs's absorbing fourth Vineyard mystery (after 2003's Cemetery Yew), Victoria Trumbull, the wise and sprightly nonagenarian island native, is caught in the middle of a jealous battle between the new minister and the retiring minister (both named Jack) at the community church. The ministers' wives are spreading gossip about the four deceased, all of whom provided handsomely for the church. If Victoria's granddaughter, a fugitive from a vengeful and abusive husband, adds to her worries, Victoria can take solace in her developing friendship with the new, city-bred police chief. A complex, well-paced plot, involving a never-mentioned grandparent, an auto accident, a dead seagull and a basket of mushrooms, comes to a neat resolution. A sensitive observer of the scene, Riggs writes with warmth and humor about all-too-human characters with whom readers can readily identify. Agent, Nancy Love. (June 16) Forecast: The simultaneous release of Philip Craig's latest Martha's Vineyard mystery, Murder at a Vineyard Mansion (Forecasts, Apr. 5), will do no harm Vineyard fanciers will have to read both. The attractive, fall-colored jacket art of a jack-in-the-pulpit plant in the foreground and a church steeple in the background subtly reinforces the punning title. (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Kirkus Review
Solving four murders barely slows down nonagenarian Martha's Vineyard sleuth Victoria Trumbull. The deaths were unpleasant in the extreme: cramps, retching, diarrhea, then a mad dash for the ER. And the victims, three feeble old men and Molly, the middle-aged animal-control officer of West Tisbury, had nothing in common but their desire to leave a generous tithe to their church. Then Victoria Trumbull's aging cousin Edna feeds her pet seagull Frederick some tainted bluefish, and within hours Victoria is conducting an avian autopsy that turns up poison mushroom tidbits. Since nobody on the island would think of locking a door and everybody drops off casseroles at the hint of a sniffle, anyone could have served up the toxic delicacies--including the minister, Rev. Milton Jackson, an accomplished cook; his predecessor, Rev. Jack Hutchinson, who may be trying to cover up a 20-year liaison with the woman his congregation assumed was his wife; or Lockwood Wolfrich, the abusive ex-husband who's been stalking Victoria's granddaughter Elizabeth. With some but not much help from Casey, the Chief of Police and Victoria's designated driver, Victoria gathers the suspects and interested islanders together and in her best Aha! manner reveals whodunit. Filled with island flora, fauna, landmarks, habits, quirks, and quaint local accents. If it all seems familiar, even the tired excuse for a plot, that's probably what Riggs intends (The Cemetery Yew, 2003, etc.). Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
In this fourth installment in her Victoria Trumbull series, Riggs offers a kind of prequel that explains why Victoria's granddaughter, Elizabeth, first came to live with her 92-year-old grandmother, and how Victoria became a deputy for the West Tisbury police. While the town's old and new ministers--both named Jack--try to forge a positive relationship, West Tisbury's residents are dropping like flies. Four people die within a short time, and all appear to have eaten gifts of food. New police chief Casey O'Neill relies on Victoria, who knows the town and everyone in it, to help her figure out what's going on. Meanwhile, Elizabeth is stalked by her psychotic ex-husband, and Victoria is feuding with the Meals on Wheels driver with whom she had a fender-bender. Readers who appreciate Riggs' incorporation of the flora and fauna of Martha's Vineyard into her stories will be pleased that this tale also features evocative descriptions of island plants and birds. This pleasant trip back in time will give Victoria's fans a better appreciation of the notable nonagenarian. --Jenny McLarin Copyright 2004 Booklist
Library Journal Review
Riggs goes back a bit in time to elderly series sleuth Victoria Trumbull's first case. After losing her driver's license, she begins riding as a deputy with Chief Casey O'Neill. Items of concern include a man stalking Victoria's granddaughter, four sudden and unexplained deaths in a month, and a feud between the minister of a local church and his successor. Great fun. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.