The Paperwhite Narcissus

A ninety-two-year-old sheriff's deputy becomes embroiled in a series of murders after losing her job at a Martha's Vineyard paper in this cozy mystery.

"Delightful. . . .  Riggs has achieved an easy style and comfortable pace that perfectly suit her heroine." —Publishers Weekly

Ninety-two-year-old sleuth Victoria Trumbull is fired from her job as West Tisbury correspondent for The Island Enquirer (the editor claims the newspaper needs a younger look). Determined to show that age is no barrier to news papering, she immediately throws her weight behind The Grackle, intent on turning the two-page West Tisbury newsletter into a formidable competitor of the Enquirer. And it looks as though she will.

In the meantime, the Enquirer's narcissistic editor has been receiving a series of obituaries, each naming him as the deceased. He would dismiss them as a sick joke, but the obituaries follow the actual deaths of people close to him. Rather than going to the police, he grudgingly rehires Victoria to uncover the identity of the obituary writer. Victoria knows almost everybody on the Island, and she may be the only person who can solve the mystery before the editor needs a genuine obituary of his own.

In The Paperwhite Narcissus, as in the four previous books in the series, Cynthia Riggs explores the rich and varied setting of Martha's Vineyard in a way that only a native Islander can. The story glides from Wasque, the desolate southeast corner of Chappaquiddick, to the Coast Guard boat ramp in Menemsha; from the elegantly maintained Captains' houses in Edgartown to the wild Atlantic Ocean beach at Quansoo.

A delightfully cozy read, steeped in rich characters and a sense of place, this latest Victoria Trumbull mystery is sure to charm long-time fans and first-time readers.

"Fans of Riggs' Martha's Vineyard mysteries already love the series' ninetysomething protagonist, Victoria Trumbull. This fifth adventure will only strengthen that bond. The delightful Victoria is at her best here. . . . As usual, Riggs paints a thoroughly compelling picture of island life. Like Victoria, this series gets more charming with age." —Booklist