'I' is for Innocent, by Sue Grafton

(pb; 1992: ninth book in the Kinsey Millhone mysteries)

From the inside flap:

"Since she was fired by California Fidelity Insurance, Kinsey Millhone has lost her usual swagger. And her new case is no confidence builder. Attorney Lonnie Kingman is going to court on a civil suit in three weeks when his P.I. drops dead of a heart attack. With the statute of limitations running out, Kinsey has to tie up the loose ends of a murder investigation. The victim, an affluent artist named Isabelle Barney, had been shot with a .38; her husband, David Barney, was tried and acquitted of the murder. Now her ex-husband is suing Barney for Isabelle's estate, claiming the jury made a big mistake.

"Things get complicated when Barney gets to Kinsey, insisting he's innocent. Everything says he checks out. But if Barney is innocent, who's guilty? In trying to learn who's getting away with murder, Kinsey may be courting her own. . ."

Review:

Another addictive, excellent entry in Grafton's Kinsey Millhone series. Fast-paced, straight-forward (Kinsey's outlook on life is, true to P.I. form, tell-it-like-it-is): my only nit, a minor one, is that I knew who the killer was right away (though I can see where Kinsey, given that she has to prove who the killer is, might've been unsure).

"I" is for Innocent is still one of the best Millhone novels thus far, despite the killer's easily-guessed identity.

Check this series out!

Followed by 'J' is for Judgment.