Larry has been seeing ships without running lights loading and unloading things off of the island and is more than suspicious.  His suspicions are not unfounded as the Steamship Authority has gone on strike and many vacationers who are stranded on the Vineyard don’t find the arrangement quaint.

An explosion on a boat kills the man police suspect of planting it, leaving a grieving widow to prove her husband’s innocence, and loyalty to the union.  That’s Jackson’s case, finding the man or men who set the bomb that killed Eduardo Alvarez.  Then Larry is found dead, and Brady and Jackson realize they both may be chasing the same people and team up once again to clear Alvarez’s name, bring a murderer to justice and stop whatever illegal activities have come to the island.

As always, Jackson and his beloved Vineyard provide a laid-back backdrop to the tense action of the investigation.  Brady is a good foil to Jackson, more a by-the-book kind of guy, but they both share an interest in good food and drink (though Jackson insists he’s the far better chef), fishing and the company of their respective families.  They are both highly principled men who will go very far to do the right thing.  

The plot is well planned out and well written, with just enough left out to keep the reader guessing and reading further, but with all the loose ends tied up satisfactorily.  Fans of one series or the other will be surprised to find how well they like the two men working together and will be tempted to seek out the series they’ve been missing out on.  Craig’s unexpected death in 2007 casts a slight pall over the ending of the book as the future of the team of Jackson and Coyne remains uncertain.

--Jennifer Monahan Winberry