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Product Description
African Americans of Martha's Vineyard have an epic history. From the days when slaves toiled away in the fresh New England air, through abolition and Reconstruction and continuing into recent years, African Americans have fought arduously to preserve a vibrant culture here. Discover how the Vineyard became a sanctuary for slaves during the Civil War and how many blacks first came to the island as indentured servants. Read tales of the Shearer Cottage, a popular vacation destination for prominent blacks from Harry T. Burleigh to Scott Joplin, and how Martin Luther King Jr. vacationed here as well. Venture through the Vineyard with local tour guide Thomas Dresser and learn about people such as Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates and President Barack Obama, who return to the Vineyard for respite from a demanding world. ... Read more

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Set in the Napa Valley at the turn of the century, this novel beautifully evokes the characters' love of the land and the rhythms of life lived close to the earth and its seasons. Spirited Alda Pendle is the daughter of a viticulturist who has taught her his craft. When he dies, leaving her without property, her skills make her indispensable to the solitary owner of one of the old vineyards in the valley. The novel provides a vivid history of winemaking in California to the Prohibition era. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

In love with California?
This is a fine tale of people at the turn of the last century, farming and loving the land that they live on. This book is for readers who want to get away to a time before automobiles, television, and moving pictures took over our lives. The backdrop of history can lead one to explore other California and Western U.S. topics such as the settling Northern California, the discovery of silver and the Comstock Lode, the lives of Chinese in California, the Swiss-Itallian immigrant, migration from the southern part of California, the history of the grape vine for table grapes and wine production, and how prohibition affected the early wine industry. It also explores the complex relationships of families formed by marriage, adoption, and long-term working relationships.

"Falcon Crest" meets "A Walk in the Clouds"
I work in a winery.This book describes the area and the industry as they were 100 years ago.This is the part i liked best.But the plot is just a soap opera, complete with damsels in distress, villains, rick bastards,etc.Do not read this book if you are planning your vacation to the NapaValley :-) ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (1)

great cookbook with accurate recipes
Coming from generations of Islanders, I have grown up with many of the recipes that are in here.They are quite accurate in detailing culinary life on the Island.The recipes are fairly easy for those with any success in the kitchen and allow everyone to get a glimpse of our food.The Portuguese section also contains some of the recipes that are so popular in our Holy Ghost celebration.For any natives, tourists, or just lovers of our beautiful island, this cookbook is a must! ... Read more

Product Description
Former Boston cop Jeff Jackson is pressed into temporary security duty when a Middle Eastern big shot visits Martha's Vineyard, and when an emerald necklace suddenly disappears, Jackson must use all of his investigative skills. Reprint. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

NANCY
Phillip Craig fans BEWARE!!! I thought I'd found one I hadn't read, BUT this was also released as Vinyard Fear. Same book, different title. Shame, shame, shame! If Craig weren't already dead I'd send him an angry letter.

Emerals to Die For
The entry in the Vineyard series is a bit on the melodramatic side as Zee slaps a young man who swamps J.W. Jackson's sailboat. But the rotten sailor is a shah of a foreign country.
Philip Craig doesn't handle the contempt that middle Easterners have for women well, but the what is fiction if not drama. Family jewels, but whose family are the concern of the American heirs of a pirates fortune, the middle eastern rulers and his opposition. Then who is helping who do what to whom becomes the heart of J.W. frantic search for his missing bride-to-be.
Not the best of the series, but any series has light weight contenders to move the story forward.
Nash Black, author whose books are also available in Kindle editions.
Writing as a Small BusinessSins of the Fathers: A Brewster County Novel

Beware the Vinyard Stalker of Two Titles
This is yet another well-crafted Philip R. Craig chapter in the life of J.W., but be aware, it was also printed under the title, "Vinyard Deceit."

I've already found myself reading the same J.W. story "Cliff Hanger," and then discovered it was also printed under the title, "Cliff Hanger."

middle eastern mischief
The Padishah of Sarofim is visiting Martha's Vineyard to buy back his family jewels from a rich American.During the grand black tie ceremony, the jewels go missing.Then, one of the American luminaries is found dead, and our hero's girlfriend is kidnapped.Will J. W. stop the slimy Padishah and his henchmen?You can bet on it.This is a solid mystery.

Not the best of this series.
This book is not up to the standards of the rest of the series.We're still on Martha's Vineyard and there are still bluefish to be had, but the plot is a bit far-fetched.J.W. is about to propose to his beloved, Zee,when she is kidnapped.There is a visit from the Padishah of Sarofim(where's that?) a missing necklace, and other inexplicable happenings whichadd up to a less-than-believable plot.The other books in the series aredelightful, so don't let this one discourage you! ... Read more

Product Description
"Optimization of ecological stability and wine grape productivity and quality through an understanding of natural processes such a biodiversity, carbon and nutrient cycling and plant-oil interactions" is the stated mission of this text. Reducing pesticide use and promoting soil health through erosion control, cover crops and compost are all important goals of this book. A first-hand, real experience report on how organic and biodynamic grape growers of Napa achieve these goals. Everything is covered including elimination of herbicides, managing wildlife and social responsibility for the workers. The only book of this kind and essential to any new wine grape grower. ... Read more

Product Description
This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process.We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide.We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

Product Description
This moving, evocative memoir, woven with lyrical descriptions of the sights and smells of vineyard life, tells the inspirational story of one woman's journey to success in an industry run mostly by men. At Home in the Vineyard, filled with colorful characters and unexpected experiences, brings a local rural community vividly alive as Oregon wine pioneer and industry icon Susan Sokol Blosser recounts how she fell in love with a vineyard, learned how to run it, and ultimately achieved her vision of producing Pinot Noirs to rival those of Burgundy. An intimate family story, At Home in the Vineyard also gives a candid insider's view of Oregon's flourishing wine industry.
Sokol Blosser begins her narrative in the 1970s, when, as a young, idealistic wife, she helped her husband make his wild idea of planting a vineyard in the Dundee Hills become a reality. By the book's final pages, she has become president of Sokol Blosser Winery, widely respected for gaining national visibility and for producing world-class wines, especially the elusive Pinot Noir. Along the way, Sokol Blosser tells how she learned to do everything from driving a tractor and managing a picking crew to selling Oregon wine in Manhattan. She also shares some special accomplishments: how she instituted values of environmental sustainability and social responsibility at the vineyard, integrated family and business life, and successfully brought the second generation on board. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

Lives up to its title and more
At Home in the Vineyard: Cultivating a Winery, an Industry, and a Life by Susan Sokol Blosser is one book that seems to offer an exception to the adage, "you can't judge a book by its cover".

Just as the subtitle suggests, At Home in the Vineyard effectively describes the slow, steady transformation of an estate winery, a wine industry, and a human being over a period of more than 30 years. It is an intimate study of all three components delivered in a narrative style that keeps you engaged from start to finish.

This book is first and foremost a memoir describing the author's experiences planting a vineyard, starting a winery, and managing both through several decades of trials and tribulations. In addition, Susan provides the reader a first-hand historical account of the Oregon wine industry from its beginnings in the early 1970's. Along the way, she offers candid insights into her personal and professional growth as a wife, mother, business owner, daughter, sister, community leader, friend, and neighbor.

Until reading this book, I never realized the integral role Susan Sokol Blosser played in developing Oregon's wine industry. Nor did I know about the lead role Sokol Blosser Winery took toward adopting sustainable practices, becoming one of the first vineyards to be certified by LIVE and the first winery to be certified by LEED. This is impressive considering the impact these efforts have had on the rest of the state's wine industry.

Having read a variety of wine memoirs, Susan's story stands out as one of the more insightful and intriguing books of its genre. At Home in the Vineyard should appeal to the wine enthusiast, aspiring winemaker, and Oregon pinot fan alike. Anyone reading this book will come away more connected to the people and places behind Oregon wine in general, and Sokol Blosser Winery in particular.

If you are seeking to understand Oregon wine in a deeper, more connected way, then you owe it to yourself to read At Home in the Vineyard.

Sour grapes? No way!
Well, except when the weather deals them an unwelcome clout....

I live smack dab in the middle of wine country (California) myself, but am no vintner. And it happens I took a scouting trip to the McMinnville vicinity in Oregon last year, thinking it a prospective new home. So, when I spied the lush, green-vined cover of AT HOME IN THE VINEYARD,I was hooked and had to investigate one woman's (and her family's) experiences establishing and nurturing grapes from plant to bottle.

Susan Sokol Blosser writes a chatty, wide-ranging history beginning in late 1970, when she gave birth to her first son and her then-husband Bill "closed the deal on our first piece of vineyard land." She traces the stages of the vineyard and the winery that was built later with an easy, honest style that disarms and charms. It is soon apparent that this woman is an engine of energy. During the years her three children are small, she mainly toils in the vineyard, tilling, planting, picking, spraying, fertilizing, etc. But she also finds time to join the school board and various associations. She also teaches briefly at a McMinnville college. Later, she is twice a candidate for state public office, once losing by a questionable "whisker." As the family wine business expands, so does the wine industry in Oregon. Susan and Bill do their part to uphold and promote the burgeoning reputation Oregon wine slowly acquires -- particularly its Pinot Noir which grows full-bodied in the cooler Northwest climate. In 1990, Susan takes over from Bill as president of their winery and slowly refinances and then gains full ownership of the enterprise. She changes winemakers to improve quality. She travels widely and often to see distributors and explore new markets. She modernizes the labels on their bottles and gains national attention with a blended white wine. She deals with lawsuits and legislative hurdles. She also decides to shift to organic operations and embraces sustainable agriculture. Then, in the early years of the new millennium, she decides she will focus on gradually handing over the reins of power to the son and daughter who have decided to follow their parents into the family business.

While the author relates the chronology of the vineyard and winery she owns and manages, she doesn't ignore the personal side. AT HOME IN THE VINEYARD includes some cute anecdotes about farm pets, and it mentions family concerns such as her father's Alzheimer's without dwelling on them. At one point, I wondered how in the world anyone could juggle so many balls in the air -- family, business, many friendships, and political activism. Something seemed bound to tumble. Well, something did, and the author unflinchingly, and without wallowing, tackles the changes in her life after the children grew up and left the nest.

For anyone who has ever considered starting up a winery, AT HOME IN THE VINEYARD illustrates the kind of commitment and fortitude such an undertaking requires. But even if you aren't planning on being the entrepreneur that all the members of the Sokol Blosser family are; if you seek stories about rural life, want to know more about the Willamette Valley, or are interested in one outspoken and undaunted woman's adventures as a corporate executive, then snag a copy of AT HOME IN THE VINEYARD and -- maybe with a glass of wine in hand -- imbibe it cover to cover.

Cheers!
Pour a glass of Evolution Wine and kick back with this entertaining memoir. If the technical aspects of starting and maintaining a business is not a favorite reading topic there is still plenty of life drama going on that is highly readable and easy to relate to. Having lived in Oregon for 22 years and seen (and tasted) the state's wine industry mature I was fascinated with finding out the inside story. If you live in Oregon you might enjoy a few "I was there" moments when the author describes the wonderful concert series in her vineyard. Ah yes...Johnny Mathis under the full moon. Wonderful memory, wonderful book.

Speaks to the heart . . .
I found Hargrave's autobiography pompous and dull, but Susan Sokol Blosser's account of building a life in the Dundee Hills of Oregon speaks to me on many levels--as a woman working in the wine industry, a woman working with her husband, a woman running her own business, and a mother.Susan turns her trials into triumphs and exercises a sense of humor along the way.From the Great Goose Experiment to the day her tearful son rides his bike all the way to school by himself, this is a story that will transport you into "The Life" of owning a vineyard and winery, with a judicial salting of reality and romance.

This bears a lot of similarity to The Vineyard
This book, down to the "pioneer" theme,and dustjacket synopsis, seems to owe a significant debt to Louisa Thomas Hargrave's The Vineyard, which covered similar territory at a similar time on Long Island's North Fork. ... Read more

Product Description
A remarkable story of a woman’s struggle to transform a tiny 4-hectare vine plot in the Dordogne into a major estate of 21 hectares. Today, Clos d’Yvigne wines win awards and have been adopted by wine merchants throughout the world. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

Soft and gentle read
Patricia Atkinson's triumph over great adversity is truly uplifting. What an intimate peak into the world of the French vintner. She paints a vivid image of the countryside and of her neighbors and colleagues. There is love and loss. A gentle, precious read.

Interesting, fascinating book!
I just finished the book and was enthralled with the story, the characters and the author.I could not put the book down and am waiting for the sequel to arrive.I have never read anything so descriptive about people working in the vineyards and how hard and time-consuming it can be.The neighbors and friends helped create the ambiance of the book.The book moved at a fast pace and detailed life and people in a small village.If you like books about France, you will like this one.

Spell binding read for those interested in wine making in France
This is a compelling story about an English woman who finds herself running a winery.She learns French and how to make wine while developing friendships with her French neighbors. She ends up earning the respect of the local growers for her tenacity, palate and ultimately her wine making ability. I could not put it down and have given it to others who found it equally moving.It does contain a lot of technical information about wine production, but I found this to be a plus. As the tale unfolded, I studied the photographs included in the book centerpiece.

From English Housewife to World Class French Winemaker
I enjoyed the book because I love wine, grapes, the vines, and I admired the woman that Patricia became before the end of the book.It starts slow and the mix of French and English without translating the French into English is confusing, but worth wading through.I've read several memoirs of people who built, established, and managed vineyards and she does the best job of describing the work involved of any other so far.Her description of racing a tractor armed with spinning blades down the row of vines at rocket speeds that she later realized were that of a slow walk is worth the cover price by itself.I got a better idea of what the life of a vintner is like and recommend it to anyone considering this vocation.

A MUST NOT READ
As a fellow Anglophone who has lived in France, I looked forward to reading about the British woman who succeeded in coming to France and making a life for herself.I could not have been more disappointed.This book was an excruciatingly detailed account of how to create and manage a vineyard; nothing else.The book had sparse to non-existent character development, leaving the reader with no bond to the characters in the book.While I understand that Ms. Atkinson might not want to tell readers personal details about her friends and family, it is somewhat necessary to get the reader to become invested with those same friends and family such that we would care what happened to them.All in all, the book is really recommended only for those who are truly interested in the daily details of wine cultivation and wine making. ... Read more

Product Description
In this beautiful seasonal cookbook, over 100 recipesfrom the award-winning Wente Vineyards restaurant are complementedby full-color photographs of the food, people, and natural beauty ofthe Wente family vineyards. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

A superbly accomplished addition to any cookbook collection
Carolyn Wente (a winery president) and Kimball Jones (an executive chef) successfully collaborate in Sharing The Vineyard Table: A Celebration Of Wine And Food From The Wente Vineyards Restaurant to share stories and secrets of vineyard living -- and showcase more than one hundred delicious recipes, enhanced with color photography, wine notes, and sidebar commentaries. From Mascarpone Cheesecake with Biscotti Crust and Balsamic Strawberries; Smoked Trout on Potato Chips with Lemon, Fennel, and Dill; and Watercress Soup; to Wild Mushroom Flatbread with Prosciutto, Arugula, and Truffle Oil; Calzone with Artichokes, Westphalian Ham, Ricotta, and Parmesan; and Corn and Smoked Chicken Chowder with Jalapeno-Cilantro Butter, Sharing The Vineyard Table offers dishes in harmony with the seasons. Each recipes, from appetizers to desserts, is accompanied by simple and concise wine notes suggesting the type of wine that will best complement the dish (and why!). A superbly accomplished addition to any cookbook collection Sharing The Vineyard Table is enriched for the family chef or casual gourmet browser with are sidebars of Wente and Jones' personal refections on the farming life of the vineyard, cooking tips, a detailed index, entries for 36 wine varietals followed by a list of all the recipes suggested for pairing, and a list of mail-order resources.

A Divine Partnership. . .
Carolyn Wente and Kimball Jones have created a masterful book for peoplewho truly love to cook for family and friends.This cookbook sets the newstandard for those of us who have cooked for many years, have collected(and divested themselves of) hundreds of cookbooks and who want asophisticated, yet easy to prepare, palette of seasonal menus. The wine andfood pairings are exceptional, the balance of flavors heaven-sent, thecooking instructions are intelligent and conversational -- they reallyunderstand the home kitchen. My "audience" has raved and I have anew enthusiasm for cooking that I thought I'd lost.This book is anecessity, not a luxury.A comfort just to read.Thank you, WenteVineyards.

A perfect marriage of wine and food
The perfect book for those who love good food and wine. This book is a wonderful blend of exquisite recipes and wine pairings. It is a joint effort of Carolyn Wente of Wente Winery in Livermore, Ca, and Executive chef extraordinare, Kimball Jones. Each contributes thoughts about the pairings of wine and food and there are recipes from both authors. The recipes are reasonable and anyone with even moderate skill should be ableto produce wonderful meals. The real joy of this book is that the recipes are arranged by season to take advantage of the best available produce in the area(added bonus, usually found in abundance and at reasonable prices!),in the finest French tradition. This is a sensual cookbook, both visually and in the wealth of food and wine knowledge that allow even the casual cook to prepare and serve gourmet quality food. An absolute must for anyone who loves good food! ... Read more

Product Description
For year-round Vineyard residents J. W. Jackson and his wife, Zee, winter brings its own beauty, with uncrowded streets, pristine snowy landscapes, and long, cozy nights by the fire. It can also bring danger.There's a chill in the air one January day when J.W. receives a surprising visit from long-ago pal Clay Stockton. Thrice divorced and still living on the edge, Clay has come to J.W. not to relive the reckless days of their youth but to ask J.W. for help. He's in big trouble and needs to lie low on the Vineyard.And it isn't just Clay who needs J.W.'s assistance; J.W.'s pal Bonzo has made a frightening discovery that may lead to the whereabouts of Nadine Gibson, a young woman who went missing on the Vine-yard almost a year ago. Bonzo once took Nadine bird-watching, and the circumstances connecting Nadine's disappearance to Bonzo are enough to make him a "person of interest" to the police.With two friends in trouble and his own family receiving threats, J.W. must summon all of his investigative skills to try to restore order to his beloved island home, where fishing and good food should always take precedence over murder.Featuring Craig's trademark mix of wit, suspense, and Vineyard ambiance, "Vineyard Chill" is a marvelous tribute to a much-loved author whose passion for mystery and Martha's Vineyard enriches every page. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (16)

The last of the J.W. Jackson series
This novel was published about a year after the author's death, illustrating how long novels can be in the publication pipeline.The novel digresses a lot into things unrelated to the main plots.There are two main stories, unrelated to each other.One of J.W.'s old friends shows up, seemingly on the run from somebody, and there is the death of a young woman.The resolution of the cases seems almost anti-climatic, and maybe a little rushed.You get filled in a little bit more on J.W.'s past, and the story ends with his family surf fishing in a run of blues, maybe a fitting way to end the series.

There are comments about the influx of wealthy tourists and summer residents changing a town (from functional stores (hardware, grocery, etc.) to t-shirt shops and other tourist related businesses.Having grown up in a smaller town in Washington State that was taken over by a similar influx (including traffic), I can appreciate the problems - it's not the same town.

a very sad day for me
Yes, reading this excellent book was bittersweet.I am sad it is the last of Philip Craig's outstanding Vineyard series.J. W. is his usual self, helping out an old visiting friend from Mafia types, and helping Bonzo out from a potential murder charge.I was impressed with how he handled the thugs, but a bit disappointed with the result of the murder.As always, loved the scenery, loved the characters, loved Zee and the kids.It was a great book and a great series.I want to re-read them all.

vinyard chill
I have been assigned several items to review which I have not purchased and know nothing about.This is one of those items.

Will miss Phil Craig
I have read all his books and have really enjoyed them. I have loaned all his books that I have out to friends and they have enjoyed them too. I was so saddened to hear of his death.

Philip Craig does it again!
I am going to miss the work of the late Philip Craig. He was an excellent story teller and having visited Martha's Vineyard I could visualize where the action was taking place.

His characters are well developed to the point that you care what happens to them. The story line is semi-plausible but this book is still an enjoyable read.How can you not like a book where the children call their parents Ma and Pa?

I highly recommend the entire Martha's Vineyard series and suggest that you read them in the order they were published. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (3)

Indian Pipes Review
Excellent summer read for the beach or hammock.Characters are lively and believable, and keeps you wondering who the murderer was till the very end of the story.

Nice Cozy Mystery
92 year old Victoria Trumbull is out for a walk with her granddaughter when she spots a body. The police say the death was caused by an accidental fall off a cliff, but Victoria thinks someone murdered her neighbor. She is convinced the murder has something to do with the debate over whether or not to have a casino on Martha's Vineyard, where she lives. When a friend disappears and is presumed dead after a house fire, Victoria is determined to find out the truth. Add in a motorcycle rally, a stolen computer, and a kidnapping and Victoria is one busy lady.

"Indian Pipes" is an enjoyable mystery. Victoria is a great creation - at 92 she is sharp as a tack, energetic, stubborn, and a deputy assisting police chief Casey O'Neill. Her granddaughter Elizabeth is also well written - recovering from a divorce, she would like her grandmother to be more politically correct, not realizing how open to today's world Victoria really is. Author Cynthia Riggs does a good job of capturing life on Martha's Vineyard and the gambling plot line is a timely one as casinos are indeed being talked about in Massachusetts. The mystery aspects are nicely done and there are plenty of suspects to keep readers guessing who the murderer is. Besides the murder, there are also several smaller mysteries in the book that are all well developed and Riggs nicely takes her time in letting readers know the solution.

"Indian Pipes" is a nice cozy mystery.

superb whodunit
In West Tisbury on Martha's Vineyard, ninety-two years old Deputy Sheriff Victoria Trumbull and her granddaughter Elizabeth are walking together when they see a person apparently fall from a nearby cliff.The nonagenarian soon learns the corpse is that of her reclusive neighbor Jube Burkhardt.The crime scene and what Victoria and Elizabeth observed even from a distance lend credence to Jube accidentally falling off a nearby ledge.

Victoria learns that Jube, an engineer, attended a meeting called by the local Wampanoag tribal council to discuss soil testing in support of their proposed casino.Though she vowed to stay out of the casino controversy, she finds the link to Jube too tempting to ignore as the residents of West Tisbrury are divided over the gambling project.Motivated to uncover the identity of the killer, Victoria soon finds a second dead person and an arson set fire.As she gets closer to the truth, the culprit tries to silence the persistent cop.

As with the five previous delightful Martha's Vineyard Mystery, INDIAN PIPES is a superb whodunit starring a feisty protagonist, who though geriatric has not lost much of her step (just ask her granddaughter).The story line is exciting as a reluctant Victoria investigates the death and more.The story is terrific and the heroine wonderful and as always, Cynthia Riggs provides an eccentric support cast, this time a motorcycle biking professor and his hogs that turns the tale into a colorful winner.

Harriet Klausner
... Read more

Product Description
A collection of over 100 colour photographs offering a glimpse of America's fabled vacation island, Martha's Vineyard, a place where presidents, writers, celebrities and thousands of ordinary people flock every summer. The images show well known sites and hidden splendours.Amazon.com Review
The affection photographer and Martha's Vineyard residentAlison Shaw feels for her immediate surroundings is clearly expressedin each of her photos of the island. Shaw turns her lens on everythingfrom the architectural details of island houses to fresh blueberriesin their crates at the farmer's market and early-morning fisherman atSengekontacket. She is not afraid to experiment with variouspolarizing and density filters, which give her images a range ofdreamy effects--purple fog lifting off a lagoon, a fiery orange sunsetat Paul's Point--and supersaturated colors. This is Shaw's second bookof photography of the Vineyard. Her images are strong and colorful,though not always inventive. Still, readers who share her passion forthe Vineyard should be happy to peruse this book. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Excellent Photographer!
I am not from Martha's Vineyard nor have I ever been there; however, after discovering Alison Shaw's photograpy in other books, I knew I had to have this one.She does not disappoint.This is a wonderful book to peruse on gray days with feet up and tea in hand...or summer at the beach...or before retiring for the night.I would highly recommend it. ... Read more

Product Description
Banned from publication in the U.S. due to its mature subject matter, Solomon's Vineyard is a tense, hard-boiled work starring Karl Craven, a non-nonsense guy who predates detectives like Lew Archer and Mike Hammer.

Craven is out to rescue a wealthy heiress from a twisted cult.The novel's famous opening passage --FROM THE way her buttocks looked under the black silk dress, I knew she'd be good in bed. The silk was tight and under it the muscles worked slow and easy. I saw weight there, and control, and, brother, those are things I like in a woman. I put down my bags and went after her along the station platform--explains why this book was too hot for domestic publication. (Initially published in 1941 in the UK, a heavily bowdlerized version came out in the '50s, but the less said about that one the better.) ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Curt, Nasty Fun for Fans of the Hard-Boiled
Reviewers below invoke Dashiell Hammett's "Red Harvest" in praising this book, and it's not hard to see why.It has the same gritty, cynical, and terse outlook, and the same wise-to-it-all dialogue.In both, a tough, laconic private dick arrives in a corrupt town to solve a mystery, plays both ends against the middle, and engages in almost cheerful brutality to tie things up to his satisfaction.

Why is this a four-star read instead of a five-star?Because measured against the stark perfection of "Red Harvest" it's not quite in the same ballpark.Make no mistake: this is still a fine read, but it suffers in comparison with its inspiration-- and nitpickers could fault it for a predictable plot-twist and a too-abrupt ending.

Still, track this one down if you like the rough stuff.The writing is crisp and crackling, the babes are hot, and the blood flows freely.

Far ahead of its time....what a noir!
Published in 1941, Jonathan Latimer's Solomon's Vineyard "had" to be cut by those who were incensed (i.e., censors) at its for-the-time unheard of sexual frankness. A noir tale, it's about a PI who comes upon a cult group whose leader, now dead five years, still rules his 'tribe' from, supposedly, beyond the grave and includes human sacrifice and a woman, named Princess, whose description--and actions--would make the blood boil of any heterosexual male reader.

The PI, Karl Craven, had a partner, Oke Johnson, who was killed and Craven wants to find out what happened. Not only does he meet Princess, but also Ginger, the moll of local crime boss Pug Banta; McGee, a wealthy businessman connected to the cult, the name of which is the book's title; and his client, Mr. Grayson, whose daughter has joined the cult and who wants her back. Here we have at least one theme about 35 years or so in advance of the cult 'deprogramming' stories that arose in the mid 70s to early 80s, as well as sexuality unheard of for the day.

The author, Jonathan Latimer, is great at hard boiled dialogue. He wastes no words and gets down to business immediately. As the other reviewer here said, and I completely agree, Latimer's style is akin to Hammett's--sparse, lean prose whose dialogue has all the juice of its time, giving the tale a lip-smacking feel of hardboiled life for the era it portrays.

This is a terrific read for hardboiled fans, very highly recommended. I'm glad I read this!

Last man standing indeed.
Dashiell Hammett did the "lone man against a corrupt, evil, violent town" scenario first in the great classic RED HARVEST, but I'm not sure he did it better than Latimer did in this hard boiled noir story that was so hot that the unexpurgated version couldn't be published in the US for almost 40 years.Lone wolf PI Karl Craven comes to town to finish a job and revenge the death of his partner.Along the way there's a lot of steamy sex and gratuitous violence.Hard to believe this was written in the 40's.It certainly reads like a modern day thriller in lots of ways.

Hammett and Chandler and Latimer and the rest of the detective story writers of the pulp era basically brought the western and mythological motifs of the lone warrior/wanderer defying tremendous odds and assorted enemies to the urban and rural streets of America in the 1920's and 30's and did it so well that it has never been surpassed.Some modern day writers are in the same league, such as Pelecanos, Crumley (at his best), Crais, etc. but none do it better.Fans of Latimer who have only read his screwball comedy mysteries about drunken PI Bill Crane will quite surprised by this tough story, which is probably one of the 10 best hard boiled tales of all time.

A definite 5 stars, would be a 6 if I could. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (2)

gatsby vineyard
I liked it and it was well written, any one that reads Elizabeth Anne Lowell Maxwell will enjoy her books with her husband Evanas I have
Thank you Elizabeth and Evan
Sincerly Francies

Fiddler's past draws him and Fiora to Napa Valley...
The unlikely not-quite-married couple of Fiddler (hard-boiled P.I.) and Fiora (semi-psychic financial wizard) takes on jealousy and greed in winedom's fabled Napa Valley.While not one of the couple's mostremarkable adventures, perhaps, it's still entertaining -- and informative,too, both about grape-growing and wine-producing, and about Fiddler's ownshadowy (and very personal) past.This series is very human and literateat the same time, and highly recommended (though, sadly, too often out ofprint). ... Read more

Product Description
Award-winning ONE VINTAGE, an elegant volume bound in natural cork, tells the story of one year of farming wine grapes in a small Santa Barbara County vineyard. In words and photographs, the author reveals the everyday reality of work on the farm, from pruning to harvest. Through her personal reflections, Jones illuminates that reality, exploring the connection between the seasons of the vineyard and the great cycle of life. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

Charming Read
The author invites you into her heart. There is so much to be learned from tending a vineyard that relates to tending our lives.The cover makes it a great coffee table book and a great gift too.

Wondeful!
This book is for wine lovers like myself who want to know how the "magic" happens in the vineyard. Turns out it's not quite as romantic as I thought. Instead, it is a lot of hard work. Chris Jones not only teaches me about grapes, but she also weaves in stories of life and death, love and loss. I learned a lot, and the prose is beautiful.

Earthy yet complex
What a delightful read!It makes me want to ponder my next glass of wine a little bit longer.With this book, Chris takes the romance out of wine making but she adds so much more.She chooses her words as carefully as she prunes the vine.

The cork cover, the pictures, and the prose make ONE VINTAGE the perfect gift.Or, enjoy it by yourself with an ample glass of Sauvignon Blanc.Cheers!

Lovingly written
In living the dream of Faith Vineyard while nurturing marriage and motherhood, Chris has had the opportunity to experience the seasons of life through the eyes of a woman, wife, mother and farmer.Reading this book is an opportunity for us all to experience a few moments of life in the vineyard as we go through the seasons of our own lives.The pictures are sensitive and beautiful.

A must read and have "vintage" book
This is a lovely book, well written with beautiful photography. The real cork cover is so unique and adds a special touch and will be a book that you will want to showcase on your coffee table, not in your bookshelf.
Chris Jones has wonderful insight and her "from the heart" writing puts you right in the middle of the vineyard and totally warms your heart.It was the perfect Christmas gift for two of my wine loving Italian relatives and I know that it will be a cherished inspirational read for them for years to come.

MLehr (Sacramento, Ca.) ... Read more

Product Description

Product Description
At 92 years of age, poetess and Martha's Vineyard native Victoria Trumbull is about to take on a new vocation-solving murders. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (12)

Scream in the Night
DEADLY NIGHTSHADE by Cynthia Riggs introduces cozy mystery fans to the delightful Mrs. Victoria Trumbull.
Victoria is a 92-year-old who may move with slow determined steps to alleviate a sore toe, but her years have given her an astute knowledge of the island world of Martha'a Vineyard and a determined thirst for justice. Victoria is a sleuth who will win a devoted following for her spirit, abiding interest is her world that each morning becomes new again, and the fun characters who make their home around her. No one, not even a killer will take Victoria Turnbull lightly.
Nash Black, author of Indie finalists WRITING AS A SMALL BUSINESS and HAINTS.

Enjoyable diversion
Great literature? No.
A fun read? Yes.
I particularly enjoyed it because of the setting (the island) and the unusual main character's observations of details. The author does much, much better with subsequent novels, but I'm giving this one 4 stars because it was "good enough" to make me want to read the rest and I think the recent negative reviews were unfair. Cynthia Riggs gives us an original character, excellent writing, totally believable dialogue and a reasonable plot. Slamming her--calling the Philip Craig's books far superior is totally unjust. Craig's first book is filled with one trite line after another. Riggs is at least original and creative.

Good idea - needs better execution...
I love cozy mysteries, so I picked this one up at the library.I kept hoping it would improve as it went on, but it really didn't.There was not one appealing character in this story.The harbormaster is rude to his assistant constantly, the annoying assistant puts up with it, the 92 year old sleuth really does nothing to "solve" the case per se - plus she adores the harbormaster even though he treats her own granddaughter so badly.As well, there were a lot of "local" male characters who were bawdy and...just plain icky.Also, the murders in this book were almost too gruesome for a light-hearted mystery. All in all, I was really disappointed.

If you like cozies...
Most cozy mysteries are yawners, and not very well written, so Deadly Nightshade came as a pleasant surprise. There aren't many 92 year old protagonists in novels these days, especially mysteries (exactly how old is Miss Marple?) Victoria makes a believable, admirable central character who accepts the problems that come with old age (she's been required to give upher driver's license) and doesn't let them prevent her from enjoying her life. As far as the murders go, this book presents them and solves them in line with typical cozy standards. I did not notice glaring editorial lapses, and Riggs writes in a literate, straightforward style. Not great lit, just a fun, intelligent bit of fiction.

It's ok.
Since I don't live on Martha's Vineyard and have never been there, the details of the island were rather lost on me.I also found the way the author skipped from one character scene to another a little disorienting.I would have enjoyed knowing more back story about the characters themselves and less about the island. An ok plot but nothing all that innovative or spectacular.A first book effort, we'll hope the series improves in the depth of its characters. ... Read more

Product Description
Louisa and Alex Hargrave were pioneers. Fresh out of Harvard in 1969, in love with each other and their dream of owning a vineyard, they searched the West and East coasts before they bought a run-down 1680-vintage potato farm in 1973, on Long Island's North Fork-and planted ten thousand vinifera vines. At the time, experts said that growing wine grapes on Long Island was impossible. Today, the region is famous for its premium wines.

In The Vineyard, the Hargraves learn the joys and hardships of country life. They suffer droughts and storms while learning to navigate the glamorous but treacherous international world of wine. Along the way, they discover that theirs is both a scientific and a spiritual endeavor. Struggling to raise a family, Louisa draws strength from her work in the vinerows. Reveling in the bounty of harvest, the laughter of her children and the magic of a newly blended wine, she tells the bittersweet story of how she and her husband fulfilled their dream.Amazon.com Review
When Louisa and Alex Hargrave bought an old potato farm in 1973 with plans to start a vineyard, they had "no farm experience and little life experience." What they did have was enthusiasm, optimism, a strong relationship, and just enough naivete to attempt what no one else had before managed: to create a viable winery on New York"s Long Island. Though experts said it was impossible, they successfully planted ten thousand vinifera vines and started a venture that lasted 30 years and inspired many others to start wineries in the area. The Vineyard is Louisa Hargrave's memoir of the endeavor and the price she paid to make her dreams come true.

True pioneers, the Hargraves learned their trade from scratch and raised their children close to the land. Louisa even strapped her babies to her back while working in the fields. Along the way, they encountered many predictable natural obstacles, including foul weather, pestilence, and disease, along with more than their fair share of man-made problems, such as meddlesome neighbors, vindictive bureaucrats, and money shortages. But their life was not all weeding and grafting; they also experienced the glamorous, and often absurd, world of professional wine making, complete with wealthy eccentrics and heavily politicized wine-tasting competitions.

Despite the success of the business, the experience took a heavy toll on her family, and she writes frankly about disappointments and marital problems without distracting from the main storyline. Her breezy tone and lively storytelling skills make the book an enjoyable read even for those with limited knowledge of wine-making. In short, the farm and life experience she gained over the past 30 years is worth passing on. --Shawn Carkonen ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Excellent Read!Inspirational!
The Vineyard takes you on a wonderful adventure that details the Hargraves' ups and downs not only in their business, but also the impact it has upon their personal life.Written with the touch of a wise sage, Louisa should continue to produce more books in my opinion.

The Vineyard
Nice read.This book will be inspiring to those who are contemplating getting into the winery business, and will be interesting to those who just enjoy wine.

Grapes of wrath
My parents chose to own and run a small vineyard. As a contemporary of the author, it is easy for me to empathize with the problems of building a vineyard from scratch. That may best explain why I picked up this book.

The author and her husband are of a blue blood vintage. Family money allowed them to embark on this experiment, quite the dilettantes at the start. Hargrave and her tall husband had tried other ventures or career options, including an organ (and I don?t mean Wurlitzer) cookbook. My stomach is still turning at the thought. Nothing seemed to click. The two were peripatetic students, travelers, house sitters, Ivy leaguers, quasi trust fund babies, with colorful roots of their own. Louisa Thomas is the grand daughter of five-time Socialist candidate for president of the United States, Norman Thomas.

One thing they learned from their stab at cooking organs was that the wine allowed the unpalatable food to go down a whole lot better. Inspired in part by this finding, along with a desire to forego hard liquor, husband and wife made a go of starting a vineyard on Long Island. Only this time the process was very serious, engaging and almost enslaving. They mastered the delicate, detailed process of acquiring the right vines, grafting, plucking, fermenting, storing and marketing the wine. They produced great wine; they earned (or at least somehow garnered) great publicity. They hired a lot of people with diverse, difficult and demanding backgrounds. Husband and wife divided the tasks as best they could, each to his or her apparent comparative advantage, she the hands on technician, he the business officer. Along the way, unintentionally it seems, they transformed themselves from soul mates to business partners.

Raised on a ?grape farm? myself, where my family lived twenty years, her story is spot on ? the planting and pruning, dealing with fungus and pesticides, curbing the weeds, managing the harvest, living with weather that both killed and enhanced the crop ? and evoked long dormant memories and, in some cases, wounds. Grapes are much less romantic when they go into jelly, but also a whole lot easier, especially if you don?t make the final product yourself. The Hargraves immersed themselves in the task. They learned fast, worked hard, and seemed to prosper, even if at times it was by the skin of their grapes. My initial skepticism turned to admiration but, having lived some of their life, never envy.

The saddest part of an otherwise noble accomplishment is the fact that the husband and wife efforts apparently killed their marriage. It is not very clear why. As the sole author, the wife is a bit coy on this. It may have been fruitful to read the husband?s side of the full story, not just the demise of a good, working partnership. This is a very human, humane story.

Growing grapes on Long Island?
Alex and Louisa Hargrave went against conventional wisdom when they decided to plant vinifera grapes on Long Island. As you might expect, it was a bumpy adventure in horticultural history, complete with weeds, hurricanes and an incredible amount of work, bringing the couple to the brink of financial ruin. But by the time it was over, they'd proven that grapes could grow (even flourish) on Long Island - and the chronicle of their exploits is charming and lively.

Entertaining and Engaging Experience of a Modern Pioneer
A fascinating account of how a highly educated couple from a suburban background became successful "farming" pioneers growing grapes and making wine on Eastern Long Island.This was not sit-on-the veranda farming.The author makes reference to stories of the American frontier, and certainly that is apt, as the dedication and endurance of these pioneers was extraordinary.Their hard personal work in the fields was the equal of the pioneers, and they also had to deal with modern government.All in all, very intriguing and very well written, with enough human detail to make the people come to life. ... Read more