I found this book to be informative and easy to follow. I received great ideas for my vacation in Cape Cod and feel more reassured that I will have a great time there. I alwasy use Frommer's books in planning any vaction or outing! I definatly reccomend it!

I recently visted Martha's Vineyard and wanted something to share with friends and family that would be as vivid as my memories of the homes and scenery I experienced on my visit to the Island. This book was it! The author and photographer not only captured the color, texture and scenery of the Island but the history and ambiance as well. A perfect memory of a beautiful stay to share with friends and family. P.S. I only wish Jackie O's house was included.

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!

This book is an excellent resource for the Early Arizona. When Mrs Summerhayes published it (at the urging of her family), she called it "Vanished Arizona" because a good portion (well over half) of the book deals with her time in Arizona before there were paved roads (or much of any roads in particular), air conditioning, or even ice (other than what formed naturally in the winter).

(Would Mrs Summerhayes be surprised at what has happened in the 90 years since she wrote this!)

An excellent first-hand account of life as an "army bride", Mrs Summerhayes takes you on a journey through Arizona as it used to be - army posts, mule teams, hot summer nights (those are still around), and wild, untamed country.

Grimes' Inspector Jury series gets better and better by the book! Not only are Inspector Jury and "Mr.". Melrose Plant (the main protagonists, are becoming more complex and more human as Grimes adds layers of depth but the characters development is tied to the effect of their experiences in previous books. This is wonderful for a fan of the series. However, a newcomer to the series may be confused by references to names and events from prior stories. This adds to the character continuity and depth, but makes it necessary for a new reader to go back and start with earlier books. (I don't think this is a chore...I'd be delighted if the whole series were new to me again!) Jury fans will be pleased, but to repeat: If you are not familiar with Martha Grimes, you will probably enjoy this well written mystery only if you don't mind seeing references to people you haven't "met" yet. This may be the book to inspire you to read the series.

I loved this book - can't understand a couple of reviewers who didn't. Maybe the coincidence with the identical looking women was a bit far-fetched, but what of it? I think Martha Grimes has a great sense of humour - she had me chuckling my way through the book! And I absolutely adore Melrose Plant - except I wish he still had his titles, especially when most of the people around him still use them! I just wish Jury would stop falling for women who end up dead a chapter later. Also, what's the go with Vivian? Is she secretly in love with Melrose or Jury or am I reading too much into it? Anyway, I hope Martha Grimes keeps writing this series - I absolutely loved this book and I'll be waiting anxiously for further ones.

Yes, it is a bleak November. Isn't London always bleak in November? And, yes, Superintendent Richard Jury of Scotland Yard hops on one of the red doubled deckers and rides Bus No. 14 down the Fulham Road toward Fulham Palace. (Bus No. 14 is easy to find--you can pick it up in front of Harrods!) Indeed, in this book, you are in for a ride! Martha Grimes once again evokes the landscape and atmosphere of London in yet another of her intriguing mysteries named after an actual pub in England. Once again she compels her readers (in this the 15th in the series) to stay to the very end with prose that is finely diced and clearly applied--and delightful to read. Grimes has a particular knack in evoking a profusion of literary allusions and of creating characters that hold one's attention, fully. In "Stargazey," Grimes indeed continues to lead us with her array of memorable characters as she tweaks and twitches the very nub of British life--or at least the life of the well-to-do. And she manages this coup, customary that it is with Grimes, with a sense of humor that borders on the unexpected. This American author spends time, obviously, in the UK for her research and she knows the country (and countryside) well; she espouses the vernacular like a native! One important issue, however, is that if you are a new reader of Grimes, keeping the characters straight and not being able to understand references to earlier escapades/cases must be confusing. It is essential that readers begin with earlier Grimes books for the full impact of this one; however, it is still worth the read! (Lastly, don't look for the Stargazey pub anymore. About three months before the book was published, new owners/managers took over and changed the name. The pub's still there, but it's not the Stargazey. And the decor has been changed as well. Tis a pity. But the bus ride is well worth the effort, and, if nothing else, get back off the bus and try the tea at Harrods. Now THAT'S worth a trip to England!)

I am searching for a new author to read, so I picked up this Martha Grimes - therefore it is my first Richard Jury novel. I found it very difficult to follow all of the different characters and keep them straight. I also thought it took until about page 186 to get to the whole story - ugh, it was a bit frustrating. This is not a book I would recommend to people. I am wondering if I need to start at the beginning of the Richard Jury novels to enjoy her writing...

Antique dealer Marshall Trueblood is delighted when he coaxes Lady Sommerston into selling her secretaire a abattant--at least until it arrives at his shop and vents forth the severed head of a man with more enemies than even Superintendant Jury of Scotland Yard can count. And the ensuing investigation proves problematic in more ways than one.

As usual, Martha Grimes writes beautifully, presenting us with a host of likely and unlikely suspects ranging from an eccentric romance novelist to a near-hysterical book dealer to a woman who greatly enjoys her dubious reputation--and considerable humor in the form of Aunt Agatha, a plaster pig, a bicycle, and chamber pots. But fascinating as her prose is, the sheer complexity of her story seems to run away with her in this particular novel, which piles character upon character and event upon event in a truly dizzying sort way.

Perhaps more to the point, this particular work deals with the thematic thread of to what degree we actually know people as individuals, the plot relies heavily upon coincidence, and Grimes juggles a great many balls to conceal the killer's hand. Whether or not readers feel these balls all fetch up together in logical order is a matter of opinion; clearly some consider this one of her most spectacular finishes while others find it frustratingly vague. For myself, I found the novel requires more concentration than one expects of a murder mystery, and while I thought the device was very clever I felt the conclusion lacked drama and consequently doesn't entirely come off. While I do recommend the novel to long-time Martha Grimes fans, I would hesitate to recommend it to newcomers, who might find BLADEBONE's deliberate ambiguity a bit off-putting.

Martha Grimes writes a darned good mystery, but then again, so do a lot of other folks. So why do I keep coming back to her books when there are so many other good mysteries out there begging to be read? Well, let me try to figure it out. There's Richard Jury of New Scotland Yard and his friend, and unofficial fellow mystery solver, Melrose Plant, the former Earl of Caverness (former because he has renounced the title just because he doesn't want it). Together, they make a pretty good crime solving duo. But then again, so do Holmes and Watson, or Batman and Robin, or even Nick andf Nora of "Thin Man" fame, but it's to Jury and Plant that I keep returning. Why? The truth is that Ms. Grimes has surrounded them with some of the most colorful characters in modern mystery fiction.

Before I discuss a few of my favorites, I'd better reveal a bit of the plot of THE FIVE BELLS AND BLADEBONE. To start with, a piece of antique furniture in the town of Long Piddleton, home to Melrose Plant and many of the other "regulars," is found to contain a dismembered body. Elsewhere, the body of a murdered London woman is discovered. Although it is not evident, Richard Jury believes that there is some sort of connection between these seemingly unrelated murders. He takes it upon himself to determine whether or not these murders are related to one another, and to find out who committed the murders. Obviously, this is a simplified description of the plot.

Before going on to my real reasons for loving Martha Grimes' novels, I do have to tell you that Richard Jury and Melrose Plant are real, lively, and interesting characters who are worth reading about on their own. They have distinct personalities, problems, etc., and it is rewarding to get to know them.

For starters, there's Jury's official aide, Detective Sergeant Wiggins. Wiggins is a walking pharmacy. He knows, as surely as he knows that sea air is poisonous, that he is going to fall seriously ill in the next minute. Any air he breathes is fraught with murderous bacteria and virus. He breaks out if it's dry and wheezes if it's damp. He sneezes if it's spring and coughs if it's fall, but never fear, he has pills and potions, nostrums and salves, inhalants and something called "fishermen's friends" in one pocket or another. He takes them all, too. In spite of his hypochondria, he is an outstanding policeman with an analytic mind and an ability to take unimpeachable notes.

Then, in Long Piddleton, there's Melrose's friend, Marshall Trueblood, antique dealer and a frequent partner in Melrose's pranks. Marshall dresses with a flair, in pinks and purples and mauves, in the finest silks and satins, and is rarely without a colorful scarf to set off his sartorial elegance. These clothes are the products of the finest (read expensive) tailors and designers that London has to offer. In this book, when an antique secretaire a abbant (desk to us commoners) he has purchased turns out to contain a dismembered body in it, his reaction is, "I bought the desk, not the body, send it back."

It's difficult to describe Jury's Scotland Yard supervisor, Chief Superintendent Racer, without resorting to a description that combines the word pompous with a word that describes the south end of a mule who is facing north. For reasons unknown, he has always had it in for Jury, but, in his heart of hearts, he knows that it is only Jury's amazing successes in solving difficult crimes that he, Racer, who is a total incompetent, has managed to keep his prestigious position. There is also, Cyris the cat, the bane of Racer's existence. Cyris is Racer's intellectual superior and lives only for the opportunity to torment and outwit Racer. That Cyril survives whatever trap Racer sets for him is testament to their relative intellects.

As is always the case in Martha Grimes' mysteries, there are too many more wonderful characters to begin to even list them all in a review of this length, much less to really do them justice, but I would be remiss if I didn't discuss Melrose's Aunt Agatha. She is everyone's nightmare in-law. She is utterly without redeeming qualities.

And what sort of mischief is Aunt Agatha up to in this book? Ah, she's at her best. She is suing Jurvis the butcher for "serious injuries" to her leg, ankle, or foot (she occasionally forgets which) resulting from an accident caused by a plaster pig that has stood in front of Jurvis' butcher shop for many years. The pig, she claims, somehow caused her to lose control of her car, an old junkheap, and to run up on the sidewalk, hitting both the pig and a parked bicycle. This pig caused accident resulted in serious pain and suffering. She can't exactly explain how the pig caused the accident, but there's no doubt that it was the pig's fault, just ask her, and Aunt Agatha is just the person to see to it that justice is served and that she will be adequately compensated for her injuries by way of a lawsuit. Wonder how this case comes out when tried by a dozing local magistrate? Well, I'm not going to spoil your fun by providing you with this information. You'll just have to find out for yourself.

And, oh yeah, there's a murder to be solved too. After all, this is a mystery novel. You're just going to have to do some reading on your own to find out who dunnit.

I am very much a fan of Martha Grimes; but in this offering, she loses the battle when trying to balance her sparkling, dry humor and an almost depressing sullenness. I don't want to ruin the book for anyone, but the ending leaves us completely drained emotionally. I am a big fan of Ms. Grimes and have read most of the Jury novels. I am not one to always expect a "storybook" ending; but the resolution of this one is decidedly dark (even Melrose Plant does something totally out of character). I would rate this the weakest entry of the 10 or so that I have read so far, although it is still superior to most current books of the same genre.
My advice is not to read this one if you are feeling blue and want a pick me up!

This is one of Martha Grimes' early Richard Jury novels, where some of the characters are almost stereotypical and not quite real--sometimes these early novels seem to me to be played out against cardboard sets in my mind. Despite this, this is a poignant, rather unfinished story about a child who seems to belong to no one and have no past and has given herself to protecting animals. Not even Richard Jury is able to protect Carrie Flood, and this is parinfully sad.

One of the fun things about this novel is the introduction of Carole-ann, definitely a mutilayered character, and to see the development of Mrs. Wasserman.

One sign of a well-crafted character is that the reader comes to care about that character with more than the detachment typical of fiction. Martha Grimes is one of a few talented authors who can create such characters seemingly at will, not only the repeating theme characters such as Richard Jury and Melrose Plant, but those whose appearance is abbreviated to the confines of a single volume.

This Grimes does in the person of a young lady named Carrie Fleet. She, and the events surrounding her mysterious origin, constitute the central structure of the Deer Leap. Among other things, Carrie loves animals, and detests a local laboratory that engages in animal testing of consumer products. It is the graphic nature of Grimes' description of this that has put some readers off; however, it should be emphasized that Grimes has not jumped onto a PETA soapbox here. These scenes are tightly and economically written, and are necessary to the plot and especially to its harrowing denouement. Without giving too much away, it is in the resolution of these circumstances that we discover to our surprise that we care about certain characters perhaps more than we thought we did, and it is this resolution that makes The Deer Leap perhaps the most poignant of the Richard Jury series. The reader may curse Grimes for having gotten to him or to her, and that is one sign of a superb performance in authorship.

This is a necessary continuation of the Jury series in other ways as well, for example, along the way we get to discover why Melrose Plant now carries a cosh instead of the more stylish sword-cane he used to carry. And that is really all this reviewer can squeeze in without giving away the surprises. Once a reader has finished The Deer Leap he or she will not be able to read any of the Richard Jury series quite the same way again.

Brian Macalvie is one of the important supporting characters of Martha Grimes' Richard Jury novels. Macalvie wrestles with some of the same demons Jury does (for instance, an apparent inability to have a satisfying relationship and a dogged need to resolve cases that are rife with complexity). Naturally, the two men initially drive each other rather crazy. Here it is Melrose Plant who is able to be the bridge between them, appreciated by both of them, serving to center and calm both of them.

This is a complicated story about how revenge can become the abiding force in a life, and, conversely, how deciding to care aobut someone else can make even the most damaged person capable of strength and greatness.

All of Martha Grimes' Richard Jury novels have had me captivated; her main character is somewhat mysterious but not overstated, and the supporting cast are just quirky enough to catch the eye without being blown out of proportion. You have to have a certain taste for british landscape and atmosphere, but if you do, these books are great. I can't pick one I like best, so I am just reviewing this one because I think they are all equally good! Lots of small cultural references fill out her books to make the world in which they are set realistic.

This is my favorite Richard Jury book. I certainly loved the character of Lady Jessica; but this book also introduces Brian Macalvie, an important character in the series.

i bought the book because i have spent 25 years going to martha's vineyard--the book is inspiring because it makes you want to have a potluck party at your own home--but dont buy it simply for the recipes--they are fine--buy it because its a fun addition to your collection and inspires you to celebrate family and friends-- and martha's vineyard--
the author's friends (whom she touts as a very eclectic group) happen to include all of the island's celebs---which does make it fun to look at the pics and read their recipes--

This book was given to me as a hostess gift during our first cocktail party (Ina Garten and Barefoot Contessa inspired) from a friend who knows that I love all things New England, especially Cape Cod and the Islands.

The photographs are delicious in and of themselves, even inspiring a few unusual bouquets of flowers and eclectic ideas for table settings. There are a few recipes that seem unappealing to me, but that is true of any book. An author simply cannot please everyone! For the most part I have found these recipes to have different and creative twists on many favorite flavors.

I recommend this book to anyone who has an interest in the "magical" element of the Vineyard as well as its' celebrity life. This is certainly not a book for those who want to throw hot dogs on the grill behind a split -evel home - not that there is anything wrong with that! It is for those who want to add an element of style to their backyard picnic behind that same split-level home. Potluck at Midnight Farm is about doing things with grace, that is, a Vineyard-style grace.

This beautifully photographed book is more than a cookbook. Each guest who brought a dish contributed a paragraph explaining the value their recipe holds to them personally. It is nice to see a warm sense of friendship and community so fashionably displayed and organized. The fear factor is taken out of shying away from trying the recipes as these are favorites and specialties of the recipe contributors. You will find something new everytime you open the book, just as if you were to visit Midnight Farm itself.

As somebody who lives on the Vineyard part time, I have to say this book was a big disappointment. Not everything in it is off base, but in general it makes it clear that the author doesn't know the Vineyard very well at all. The island is a great place, but it does have its flaws. Unfortunately neither its greatness nor its flaws were captured in this book. From reading the reviews it would appear the book is more relevant to Wisconsin than the Vineyard.

As someone who is intimately familiar with the Vineyard, I can't begin to describe how superficial, idiotic, and just plain awful this book is. In addition to being poorly written and uninformed, it reads as if the author just wanted to make some money and thought this would be a good way to do it. If you really want to learn about the vineyard, read the MV Times (MVTimes.com)

The few disgruntled reviews from MV'ers are understandable - no one likes to have their hometown (or island) knocked. The Vineyard is similar to many small towns in America - perpetually populated by the same families and their descendants, everyone knows his neighbors' business, and there exists some classism and gossip. But this beautiful place also boasts some very amiable hosts. Ambivalence toward day trippers can be attributed to human nature. There is something annoying about yuppie sightseers and their young families who swell the island's population and clog the scenic streets and restaurants, somehow disturbing the serenity of the place. Simultaneously, residents appreciate the economic feasibility of tourism. So there is a catch-22 with the year-rounds thinking "if only we could get rid of these pesky tourists, but keep their money flowing in..." This book provides a different take on everyday life and attitudes on Martha's Vineyard; it is unlike any tourist book you've every read. I love Massachusetts and enjoy all the historic sites and beauty unique to the northeast. And the residents of Martha's Vineyard are, in the end, just like the rest of us with the same human foibles, no better, no worse.