An Ex-Cop's Serene Retirement is Interrupted in Philip R. Craig's Martha's Vineyard Mysteries

Ex-Boston cop Jeff “J.W.” Jackson is tired of seeing the evil humanity is capable enough. He’s seen enough throughout his career to last a lifetime.

All he plans for retirement is fishing in the quiet of Martha’s Vineyard and maybe finding love with a nurse named Zee. But even paradise can’t stay pure forever.

When a boat explodes off the coast and kills a drifter, Jackson can’t help but get involved.

He can’t stop crime from happening on the island. But he can stop the poison of drugs and death from spreading.

Marjorie Summerharp was no stranger to the dangers of the sea. Her time on Martha’s Vineyard sharpened both her tongue and her mind.

Which is why ex-Boston cop J.W. Jackson doesn’t believe she would just walk into the ocean to drown on a warm June morning. He knows better than most how well evil can hide. Even in a serene setting.

But as he starts digging into Marjorie’s death, he uncovers academic jealousy, adultery, and fake religious beliefs.

It was enough to kill Marjorie. And if he keeps poking around, it could mean he’s next.

When a Middle Eastern potentate and his entourage arrive in Martha’s Vineyard, the police ask ex-Boston cop J.W. Jackson for help. The visitor won’t leave until he ceremoniously reclaims an emerald necklace stolen from his country a hundred years ago.

But when the jewels disappear, along with J.W.’s girlfriend Zee, he goes into full investigative mode. Was this all a setup? Or is there something more sinister going on?

If J.W. can’t uncover the truth, he just might lose everything he cares about.

After a life in the city, ex-Boston cop J.W. Jackson doesn’t ever want to leave the quiet solace of Martha’s Vineyard. But sometimes life has other plans.

When he learns his girlfriend might be leaving the island and a series of violent events occur, he thinks maybe time away from paradise is a good idea.

But it’s only after someone tries to come after J.W., not once, not twice, but three times that he finds himself off the island. Following the trail of the stalker takes him to the Colorado Rockies.

What he learns solidifies that despite not being perfect, there is no place he’d rather be than in his Vineyard home.

Summer may be tourist season, but there’s nothing like the crisp fall air on idyllic Martha’s Vineyard. Ex-Boston cop J.W. Jackson finally gets to relax and he has nothing planned except for some fishing and making plans with his girlfriend.

But the locals aren’t as calm as he is. Animal activists are fighting with the deer hunters, and a group of environmentalists are taking on land developers. As tensions build, the verbal shots turn into real ones, turning an unlikely bystander into a victim.

Jackson can’t simply watch innocent people get hurt. But as he leads the hunt for a killer, the odds that he doesn’t make it to see next summer get higher the closer he gets.

J.W. Jackson and Zee Madieras are hearing Vineyard wedding bells. When Zee’s automatic teller alerts them of a substantial wedding gift deposited into her account, the couple isn’t sure what to think.

After all, the bank told them it was a glitch. A few days later, the money is taken back out. But then J.W. finds a woman dead in his driveway. She was poisoned by a plant that’s locally grown.

And her account recently had the exact same dollar amount withdrawn. It’s almost time to exchange vows, but J.W. knows he has to find a murderer before they strike again.

Ex-Boston cop J.W. Jackson can’t catch a break. When he accidentally stops an assassination attempt on former mob boss Luciano Marcus on his honeymoon, it puts a damper on their newlywed bliss.

Especially when the mayhem follows them from the steps of Boston’s Symphony Hall back to their beloved Martha’s Vineyard. Marcus is also a part-time resident of the island.

He wants answers and since Zee saw one of the would-be assassins, Jackson is more than motivated to find the killers.

As criminals circle, all of them gunning for Marcus, Jackson realizes this job might be more than he can handle.

At first glance, Cricket Callahan looks like any other teenage girl. Until you notice the Secret Service trailing her. As J.W. Jackson watches the First Family vacation on his island, he tries to figure out why Cricket does everything she can to evade her security.

But when a dead body indicates her security has been comprised, the President asks Jackson and his wife Zee to guard the teenager. Someone in the President’s trusted ranks is a vengeful killer.

And if executive privilege can’t save the President’s daughter, it won’t do much to protect Jackson if he can’t figure out who it is.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      

Life is good for ex-Boston cop J.W. Jackson. He’s looking forward to an idyllic summer fishing with his new baby son.

Unfortunately, his peace and quiet are broken when a movie scout gets a little too personal with both the island and Jackson’s wife Zee.

But things go from bad to worse when Jackson’s long-time nemesis ends up dead after a big blowup. Now, everyone suspects Jackson. To get back to his peaceful family life and avoid prison, Jackson has to find the real killer—fast.

For ex-Boston cop J.W, Jackson, Martha’s Vineyard is home. He’s built a peaceful life with his wife, toddler Joshua, and newborn Diana. But Jackson’s tranquility is disrupted when two Hollywood actresses vacation on the island.

Their arrival sparks the ire of some local gangsters, leading a deadly stalker to track their location. Now, two hurricanes threaten to hit at the same time—one weather-related, the other manmade.

Jackson can’t abandon two helpless visitors. But helping them puts him right in the eye of both storms.

The last time ex-Boston cop J.W. Jackson saw legendary bluesman Corrie Appleyard was as a child. So, when he makes a rare concert appearance on Martha’s Vineyard, he’s thrilled.

It helps take his mind off the dilapidated summer cottages that keep burning down. But when Corrie’s guitar is pulled from a fire along with a body, it looks like the bluesman may be the most recent victim

 Already on a blackmail case, J.W. agrees to help track down the arsonist. His wife Zee doesn’t want him to take the case.

By the time he realizes there’s a connection between all the cases, including his wife’s opposition, it might be too late.

Martha’s Vineyard is usually a haven from violence. That’s why ex-Boston cop J.W. Jackson moved there when he retired.

It’s also why a six-month cold case murder is so perplexing. But Jackson has other problems.

His wife Zee is suddenly distant. And a stranger is adamant that he’s the only person who can track down a valuable set of stolen statutes. Suddenly, Jackson is thrown into the deep, uncharted waters of the cutthroat art world.

He’s seeing a new side to some of the island’s most powerful individuals. People who just might resort to murder to add forbidden art to their collection.

Donald Fox was a die-hard champion Olympic fencer before he turned to real estate. Now, he’s a developer who relies on sleazy and questionable tactics to close the deal.

And he’s set his sights on Martha’s Vineyard. Good thing ex-Boston cop J.W. Jackson and his wife aren’t easy marks. But when Fox’s brother Paul is shot, Jackson can’t help but think the wrong brother was the target.

After all, his questionable methods have forced several owners to sell their valuable property at rock-bottom prices. There’s a lot of individuals with a motive to kill Fox.

The only question is who actually committed the crime.

When someone vandalizes audio systems in the music-blasting homes on Martha’s Vineyard, ex-Boston cop J.W. Jackson doesn’t think it’s the worst crime in the world.

After all, the silence is welcome. But when one of the vandalizations ends with a night watchman thrown off a cliff to his death, everything changes.

The aristocratic mother of the main suspect hires Jackson to prove her son’s innocence by finding the real criminal. Jackson is suddenly digging up the dirty secrets in some of the island’s most prominent families.

As he gets closer to the truth, he might also be digging his own grave.

Winter is settling in Martha’s Vineyard, but that doesn’t mean peace for ex-Boston cop J.W. Jackson. His old Vietnam buddy, Joe Begay, asks Jackson to meet him on Cape Cod and covertly bring him back to the Vineyard.

Right away, Jackson knows there’s something Begay isn’t telling him. After all, Begay has been doing covert work for the government ever since the war. And in the aftermath of a bloody mission, several members of Begay’s team have died mysteriously.

Now, Begay is on the run with a killer on his tail. When the fifth and only member of Begay’s team shows up, Jackson doesn’t trust her.

Is she there to warn Begay? Or kill him? And can he keep both his friend and family safe? Or will he have to choose?

Ex-Boston cop J.W. Jackson is happy to accept an invitation to join a friend in a golfing foursome on the island’s prettiest club. The summer is perfect for lazy afternoons with friends and family.

But when Jackson hits a ball into the sand trap at the fourth hole, disaster strikes. It’s bad enough that there’s a human hand sticking up. Even worse, circumstantial evidence points to Jackson as the culprit.

He’s made his fair share of enemies investigating crimes over the years.

Now, he has to dive into the layers of deceit that the old Vineyard families shroud themselves in to find a killer.

With Zee and the kids visiting family on the mainland, ex-Boston cop J.W. Jackson has the house on quiet Martha’s Vineyard all to himself. Unfortunately, the bachelor life isn’t that exciting.

When his friend Carole Cohen asks him to find whoever is stalking her brother, it’s a welcome distraction. Her brother is known as “The Monk” among the locals, a testament to his reclusive life. He co-owns the property with his cousin, who wants to sell it.

And she isn’t the only one. Jackson thinks it should be an easy case. But The Monk lives a more complicated life than he anticipated. And when a body is found near the property, it’s clear this is more than a simple land dispute.

Once again, Jackson is looking for a murderer.

Clay Stockton is thrice divorced and still lives the same reckless lifestyle of his youth. It’s a shock when he visits his childhood friend, ex-Boston cop J.W. Jackson.

January is supposed to be peaceful on Martha’s Vineyard, but Clay brings trouble with him and needs Jackson’s help. And he isn’t the only one. Almost a year ago, Bonzo took a young woman birdwatching before she disappeared.

Jackson wants to help both friends, but thanks to his previous investigations, his family is now receiving threats.

It’s going to take every investigative skill and more to find answers and restore his beloved island to the peaceful haven it once was.