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The Cranefly Orchid Murders
(2002)(The second book in the Martha's Vineyard Mystery series)
A novel by Cynthia Riggs
From Publishers Weekly
Victoria Trumbull, a 92-year-old Martha's Vineyard native, deputy police officer and naturalist, continues to delight in this second outing (after 2001's Deadly Nightshade) from Vineyard native Riggs. Lonely recluse Phoebe Eldredge decides to sell 200 acres of beautiful, unspoiled land to a developer rather than leave it to her descendents, in particular her crass, rude granddaughter, whose arrival on the island triggers the well-paced action. Because Massachusetts has a law against destroying endangered plants, Victoria, an avid walker, goes in search of a rare plant, any rare plant, on Phoebe's property in order to forestall development, but first she stumbles on a decayed corpse, which proves to be that of sleazy lawyer Montgomery Mausz. Victoria's new sidekick, an 11-year-old boy named Robin, makes a worthy companion, leading her to unexpected island nooks. A stranger pinned under a storm-toppled tree in Victoria's driveway, an avaricious developer married to a Nevada showgirl, a recovering Vietnam veteran, earnest botanists, naOve town officials, a clique of golfing doctorsall are involved, but not all are what they seem. Amid dealings and double-dealings, the body count rises. The author's prodigious fund of natural lore, both plant and animal, complements her authentic portrait of the Vineyard's human community, complete with a chorus of locals on the porch of a West Tisbury landmark, Alley's general store. Bits of sly humor and wordplay add to the fun. This mystery unfolds as nicely as the Vineyard spring it so lovingly depicts.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
The second appearance of 92-year-old Victoria Trumbull, amateur sleuth, upholds the promise of her first in Deadly Nightshade. Here, she and her young assistant look for a scarce plant that might provide clues to the murder of a local attorney. A great story.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
Book Description
To keep eager developers off Martha's Vineyard, poet-detective Victoria Trumbull searches for loopholes-and finds a patch of endangered cranefly orchids. But she also discovers one of the developers' underhanded lawyers pushing up daisies. And if Victoria isn't careful, a killer might take her off the endangered list-and make her extinct.
Genre: Mystery
Victoria Trumbull, a 92-year-old Martha's Vineyard native, deputy police officer and naturalist, continues to delight in this second outing (after 2001's Deadly Nightshade) from Vineyard native Riggs. Lonely recluse Phoebe Eldredge decides to sell 200 acres of beautiful, unspoiled land to a developer rather than leave it to her descendents, in particular her crass, rude granddaughter, whose arrival on the island triggers the well-paced action. Because Massachusetts has a law against destroying endangered plants, Victoria, an avid walker, goes in search of a rare plant, any rare plant, on Phoebe's property in order to forestall development, but first she stumbles on a decayed corpse, which proves to be that of sleazy lawyer Montgomery Mausz. Victoria's new sidekick, an 11-year-old boy named Robin, makes a worthy companion, leading her to unexpected island nooks. A stranger pinned under a storm-toppled tree in Victoria's driveway, an avaricious developer married to a Nevada showgirl, a recovering Vietnam veteran, earnest botanists, naOve town officials, a clique of golfing doctorsall are involved, but not all are what they seem. Amid dealings and double-dealings, the body count rises. The author's prodigious fund of natural lore, both plant and animal, complements her authentic portrait of the Vineyard's human community, complete with a chorus of locals on the porch of a West Tisbury landmark, Alley's general store. Bits of sly humor and wordplay add to the fun. This mystery unfolds as nicely as the Vineyard spring it so lovingly depicts.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
The second appearance of 92-year-old Victoria Trumbull, amateur sleuth, upholds the promise of her first in Deadly Nightshade. Here, she and her young assistant look for a scarce plant that might provide clues to the murder of a local attorney. A great story.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
Book Description
To keep eager developers off Martha's Vineyard, poet-detective Victoria Trumbull searches for loopholes-and finds a patch of endangered cranefly orchids. But she also discovers one of the developers' underhanded lawyers pushing up daisies. And if Victoria isn't careful, a killer might take her off the endangered list-and make her extinct.
Genre: Mystery
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