The Cemetery Yew »

Cynthia Riggs, a thirteenth generation Islander, lives on Martha's Vineyard in her family homestead, which she runs as a bed-and-breakfast catering to poets and writers. She has a degree in geology from Antioch College and an MFA in creative writing from Vermont College and holds a U.S. Coast Guard Masters License (100-ton). This is her third published mystery.

Everybody Loves Victoria

Praise for Deadly Nightshade

"[A] well-written mystery, with a host of very believable-as well as some very eccentric-characters...For a first novel, this one is quite special."

— Mystery News

"Riggs shows her gift for characterizations that will have her audience clamoring for an ongoing series at least until Victoria turns one hundred."

— Midwest Book Review

"First-rate plotting notwithstanding, it is Riggs's wonderful cast of characters that brings her novel to life . . Here's hoping Victoria Trumbull is solving crimes for many years to come."

— ALA Booklist

"Feisty, fiercely independent nonagenarian Victoria Trumbull makes a welcome debut in Riggs's first novel ... The book's dedicatee, Donis Coffin Riggs (1898-1997), native Vineyarder and poet, would seem to be the model for Victoria. Everyone should have such a terrific grandmother."

—Publisher's Weekly

Praise for the The Cranefly Orchid Murders

"Riggs . . .knows the Island - its flora, fauna, families, legends, customs and rumors - so well that every pace she puts her senior sleuth through becomes another delightful discovery."

—Book Page

"The author is well aware of the comedy involving people who take themselves seriously, and adds a nice satiric touch when describing the utopians, the environmentalists, the developers, the big-wigs and the would-be bigwigs. Once again, Ms. Riggs' knowledge of the Island and its people serves her and her readers well."

—The Martha's Vineyard Times

"Riggs is not afraid to describe elderly poet Victoria Trumbull realistically - wrinkles and all . . . first-rate plotting . . . wonderful cast of characters . . In addition to the endearing, yet never sentimentalized Victoria, the supporting figures are uniformly compelling and thoroughly believable. . . here's hoping Victoria Trumbull is solving crimes for many years to come"

—ALA Booklist

Publishers Weekly

Victoria Trumbull, the astute, 92-year-old Vineyard native and deputy police officer, takes on her most bizarre case yet, in Riggs's third appealing Vineyard mystery (after 2002's The Cranefly Orchid Murders). An empty grave, a misplaced coffin and a missing hearse driver are the harbingers of a series of grotesque murders, whose victims turn out to share an odd South American connection involving smuggling and an exotic bird. The author lends ballast to an outlandish plot by lovingly depicting ordinary island people (awkward teens, a friendly police chief, small-town officials with their rivalries and gossips) and events (notably the return of the local high school football team from the big game against Nantucket). The unfamiliar portrait of the Vineyard in winter is another plus. With patience and charm, the down-to-earth Victoria succeeds in drawing out confidences. In the end, even she is surprised. Agent, Nancy Love. (Sept. 8) Forecast: An attractive jacket, with green and red berries on a snowy yew branch, should ensure sales into the Christmas season. Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.