PALACE COUNCIL By Stephen L. Carter. Knopf, New York, N.Y. July 2008. 528 pages. $26.95 hardcover.

There are some thrillers — The Big Sleep and The Maltese Falcon come to mind — where the plot is never going to make much sense, but for the reader to bog down on this point is to miss a jolly good ride. Stephen L. Carter’s new novel, Palace Council, is just the sort of book that keeps you turning pages — all 500-plus of them — until the clock blinks 3:28 a.m. in digital pixels and you force yourself to turn out the light.

Edgartown Jewels

CB Stark Jewelers will be having a John Hardy Trunk show in Edgartown all day on Saturday, August 2, featuring one-of-a-kind designs along with a large selection of classic styles, at the shop at 27 North Water street. For details, call 508-627-1260.

The Vineyard Cup attracted 106 boats on Saturday for a 13-mile race across Nantucket Sound and back. The sailboats crossed the start in four separate class starts around noon.

In the three days of racing that began on Friday and ended on Sunday, one of the newest boats on the waterfront did the best.

Capt. Flip Harrington took a crew of six of us offshore in his M/V Dovekie on July 18. At one point we were 60 miles offshore, yet the bird life was lackluster to say the least. The most numerous species was the Mother Cary’s Chicken or Wilson’s storm-petrel. We spotted around 135 of them. Next in line were the greater shearwaters, at 25 strong, and lastly the Cory’s shearwater, of which there were two. We had a few of great-black-backed, herring and laughing gulls, double-crested cormorants, common loons, and near Noman’s Land, common eiders. We were all shocked at the huge numbers of double-crested cormorants that were loafing on the cobble beach at Noman’s Land. There is a small colony of common terns near the old dock and among the semipalmated plovers and least sandpipers on the wrack line was one pectoral sandpiper.

Hermit crabs do not need to worry about the rising price of real estate on the Vineyard.

It is not that they are in the lottery for an affordable homesite, nor will they inherit a house from a wealthy relative (although they might steal one.) Home ownership is just not a priority for this creature. It has no desire to settle down permanently; its affinity for moving makes it destined to be a renter, but never an owner.

By LYNNE IRONS

While sitting in bridge traffic waiting for yet another enormous sailboat to pass through, I was working on a pretty significant resentment against Mr. and Mrs. Gotrocks. Here I was, late for work, hot and feeling sorry for myself, and the boat people were holding me up on their way to a lovely day on the water.

Andy Braillard Wins

Charity Skeet Shoot

Andy Braillard of Vineyard Haven won the 11th Annual Klays for Kids Charity Skeet Shoot on July 20 at the Martha’s Vineyard Rod and Gun Club.

The event, contested under ideal weather conditions, benefits the club’s three projects for Island kids, was held at the club’s skeet range.

Island waters are filled with bluefish, especially now. Striped bass fishing is sketchy and the bonito are only now arriving, but for Vineyard and Nantucket commercial and recreational anglers, there is one certainty: the bluefish are here.

Capt. Tom Mleczko of Nantucket reports bluefishing is good this summer for him, as good as it was last year. He fishes in a 29-foot Hawk called Priscilla J.

Friday, July 18: Hot and muggy. Temperature rises to the high 80s in the shade, hotter on Ocean Park. Oak Bluffs harbor is a kettle full of boats and waves. Breezy afternoon offers relief from the heat. Youthful swimmers jump off the Big Bridge all afternoon.

Results of the top sailboats in last weekend’s Vineyard Cup have been released by Sail Martha’s Vineyard, an Island nonprofit that manages the event.

In Class 1, Miss Maralyn skippered by Ehren Federowicz placed first, followed by Lucky Lady, whose skippers were Dick and Pat King, and Silhouette skippered by Rebecca Colson.

In Class 2, Mischief skippered by Phil Hale came in first, Arion skippered by Peter Strock came in second, and Magic Time skippered by Dan Culkin placed third.