Y is for Yesterday by Sue Grafton

(hb; 2017: twenty-fifth book in the Kinsey Millhone mysteries)

From the inside flap

"The darkest and most disturbing case report from the files of Kinsey Millhone, Y is for Yesterday begins in 1979, when four teenage boys from an elite private school sexually assault a fourteen-year-old classmate—and film the attack. Not long after, the tape goes missing and the suspected thief, a fellow classmate, is murdered. In the investigation that follows, one boy turns state’s evidence and two of his peers are convicted. But the ringleader escapes without a trace.

"Now, it’s 1989 and one of the perpetrators, Fritz McCabe, has been released from prison. Moody, unrepentant, and angry, he is a virtual prisoner of his ever-watchful parents—until a copy of the missing tape arrives with a ransom demand. That’s when the McCabes call Kinsey Millhone for help. As she is drawn into their family drama, she keeps a watchful eye on Fritz. But he’s not the only one being haunted by the past. A vicious sociopath with a grudge against Millhone may be leaving traces of himself for her to find."

Review

Y is a dark and plot-promising read. While it is not terrible, it is marred by its overlong, chatty and predictable execution. For readers who need every little thing and character described and spelled out for them, bingo, this is a book custom written for them! For the rest of us, Y is a lesser entry in a series that started out as excellent, engaging and tightly-woven, and has slowly gone downhill from there. If you must read it, this is best borrowed from your local library, unless you are a spell-it-out reader.  

X by Sue Grafton

(hb; 2015: twenty-fourth book in the Kinsey Millhone mysteries)

From the inside flap:

"X:  The number ten. An unknown quantity. A mistake. A cross. A kiss.
"X:  The shortest entry in Webster’s Unabridged. Derived from Greek and Latin and commonly found in science, medicine, and religion. The most graphically dramatic letter. Notoriously tricky to pronounce: think xylophone.
"X:  The twenty-fourth letter in the English alphabet.

"Sue Grafton’s X: Perhaps her darkest and most chilling novel, it features a remorseless serial killer who leaves no trace of his crimes. Once again breaking the rules and establishing new paths, Grafton wastes little time identifying this sociopath. The test is whether Kinsey can prove her case against him before she becomes his next victim."


Review:

X is a sometimes chatty, entertaining entry in the Kinsey Millhone novels, with a few effective but not earth-shattering twists thrown into its triply-mysterious tale. It lacks any white-knuckle moments (for this reader, anyway). (Note that this is not a criticism, merely an observation.)

One of the things I enjoyed about X  was that Grafton, in this book, has abandoned the multiple point-of-view chapters. It was all Kinsey, this time out.

Another thing I liked is how Grafton allowed the "bad guys" -- some of whom were not entirely "bad" -- to talk like regular people, making them more interesting and relatable and making X more realistic. Grafton has done this before, of course, but it is still an effective writing choice. (On the flip side of that, Ned Lowe is an especially slimy character, and that characterization is effective, too.)

X  is a good read, worth checking you are a Grafton fan who is not on the "why doesn't Grafton write shorter, terser novels?" bandwagon. (Again, this is not a criticism of those readers. It is a friendly caveat to those who fit that description. Cheers.)

Followed by Y is for Yesterday.

W is for Wasted by Sue Grafton

(hb; 2013: twenty-third book in the Kinsey Millhone mysteries)


From the inside flap:

"The first [corpse] was a local PI of suspect reputation.  He'd been gunned down near the beach at Santa Teresa.  It looked like a robbery gone bad.  The other was found on the beach six weeks later.  He'd been sleeping rough.  Probably homeless.  No identification.  A slip of paper with Kinsey Millhone's name and number was in his pants pocket.  The coroner asked her to come down to the morgue to see if she could ID him.

"Two seemingly unrelated deaths, one a murder, the other apparently from natural causes.

"But as Kinsey digs deeper into the mystery of the John Doe, some very strange links begin to emerge.  Before long, at least one problem is solved when Kinsey literally finds the key to the John Doe's identity.

" 'And just like that,' she says, 'the lid to Pandora's box flew open.  It would take me another day before I understood how many imps had been freed, but for the moment, I was inordinately pleased with myself.'

"In this multilayered tale, the surface seems clear-cut, but beneath them is a fault line of betrayals, misunderstandings, age-old resentments, unnerving complications, and outright murderous fraud.  And Kinsey, through no fault of her own, finds herself thoroughly compromised."


Review:

W is for Wasted is another engaging PI-suspense novel from Grafton.  She once again imbues her work with a palpable sense of anything-goes danger, and its white-knuckle climax and equally satisfying wrap-up left me impatient for the next Kinsey novel.

That said, I can see why readers who prefer Grafton's leaner, earlier writing might be put out by the last few books in the Kinsey series - yes, they're more chatty at times; yes, they cut between multiple POVs* (in W it's limited to two). These flaws - minor (for me) - didn't prevent me from enjoying W.

If you fall into the "Kinsey's gone to crap" camp, don't bother reading W or anything Grafton writes in the future. Move on, find other authors who make you happy - life, especially in this age of don't-think-just-immediately-respond technology, is negative enough without seeking/creating more unnecessary unpleasantness. . . Or, if you feel you must (try to) read W, check it out from the library. Then that way, you won't have directly spent money on it.

Followed by X.


[*points of view]

Kinsey and Me by Sue Grafton

(hb; 2013: story anthology - off-shoot entry in the Kinsey Millhone mysteries)

Overall review:

Okay anthology from an excellent author.  Nine of the twenty-three stories in this collection are Kinsey Millhone detective stories, with a few standout pieces ("Between the Sheets", "The Parker Shotgun", "Non Sung Smoke", "Falling Off the Roof" and "A Little Missionary Work").

Also worthwhile is her between-story-sections essay "An Eye for an I: Justice, Morality, the Nature of the Hard-boiled Private Investigator, and All That Existential Stuff", which is part autobiography and part manifesto, the latter element addressing Grafton's feelings about the ever-changing detective genre.  This is an admirable, fun read.

The remainder of the pieces - all loosely semi-autobiographical stories - revolve around the feelings and perceptions of Kit Blue, a daughter of two alcoholic parents, whose differing personalities and actions scarred and molded their offspring.  The stories span the first twenty-nine years of Kit's life; they're well-written, personal, angry and often warm.  That said, psychoanalytical melodrama isn't my bag, so I didn't get into them, with the exception of "That's Not an Easy Way to Go", "Lost People" and "Clue".

Kinsey and Me is worth checking out from the library, at best - unless you're into her non-detective fiction work, also.

V is for Vengeance by Sue Grafton

(hb; 2011: twenty-second book in the Kinsey Millhone mysteries)

From the inside flap

"A woman with a murky past who kills herself - or was it murder? A spoiled kid awash in gambling debt who thinks he can beat the system. A lovely woman whose life is about to splinter into a thousand fragments. A professional shoplifting ring working for the Mob, racking up millions from stolen goods. A wandering husband, rich and ruthless. A dirty cop so entrenched on the force he is imune to exposure. A sinister gangster, conscienceless and brutal. A lonely widower mourning the death of his lover, desperate for answers, which may be worse than the pain of his loss. A private detective, Kinsey Millhone, whose thirty-eighth birthday gift is a punch in the face that leaves her with two black eyes and a busted nose.

"And an elegant and powerful businessman whose dealings are definitely outside the law: the magus at the center of the web."

Review

Good, entertaining, fast-read book - the Kinsey tale is a crime novel, not a who-done-it. The mystery element, if there is one, lies in how the facts, events and characters fit together (and will end), not who the murderer is.

V is for Vengeance comes together in satisfactory fashion, with deft foreshadowings of possible sequel events.

Worthy entry in the Kinsey Millhone series.  Followed by W is for Wasted.

'U' is for Undertow by Sue Grafton

(hb; 2009: twenty-first book in the Kinsey Millhone mysteries)

From the inside flap:

"In April 1988, a month before Kinsey Millhone's thirty-eighth birthday, and she's alone in her office catching up on paperwork when a young man arrives unannounced. he has a preppy air about him and looks as if he'd be carded if he tried to buy a beer, but Michael Sutton is twenty-seven, an unemployed college droppout. More than two decades ago, a four-year-old girl disappeared, and a recent newspaper story about her kidnapping has triggered a flood of memories. Sutton now believes he stumbled onto her lonely burial and could identify the killers if he saw them again. He wants Kinsey's help in locating the grave and finding the men. It's way more than a long shot, but he's persistent and willing to pay cash up front. Reluctantly, Kinsey agrees to give him one day of her time.

"But it isn't long before she discovers Sutton has an uneasy relationship with the truth. In essence, he's the boy who cried wolf. Is his story true, or simply one more in a long line of fabrications?"

Review:

Another reader-hooking read from Grafton.

This entry in the Kinsey Millhone series is less about whodunnit, and more about how-they'd-do-it and why-they'd-do-it. The few red herrings in the novel are standard fare (especially for those familiar with Grafton's work), but the multi-POV'd characterization, the logical-suspensive storytelling, and the satisfactory finish amount to a virtuosic read that's hard to set down.

Check this whole series out!

Followed by V is for Vengeance.

'T' is for Trespass, by Sue Grafton

(hb; 2007: twentieth book in the Kinsey Millhone mysteries)

From the inside flap:

"Beginning slowly with the day-to-day of a private eye, Grafton suddenly shifts from the voice of Kinsey Millhone to that of Solana Rojas, introducing readers to a chilling sociopath. Rojas is not her birth name. It is an identity she cunningly stole, an identity that gives her access to private caregiving jobs. The true horror of this novel builds with excruciating tension as the reader foresees the awfulness that lies ahead. The wrenching suspense lies in whether Kinsey Millhone will realize what is happening in time to intervene.

"'T' is for Trespass,dealing with issues of identity theft, elder abuse, betrayal of trust, and the breakdown in the institutions charged with caring for the weak and the dependent, could not be more timely. It targets an all-to-real rip in the social fabric."

Review:

Suspenseful, compelling read that constantly had this reader muttering, "Ooh,'Solana Rojas' is creepy and infuriating!"

Rojas, as a devious character, is a worthy, if petty and vindictive, adversary for Millhone. That said, don't expect Rojas to read like a timeless villain, like, say, Sherlock Holmes's Moriarty, or Doctor Who's The Master.

Excellent novel from a writer who constantly delivers greatness. Check this series out.

Followed by 'U' is for Undertow.

'S' is for Silence, by Sue Grafton

(pb; 2005: nineteenth book in the Kinsey Millhone mysteries)

From the inside flap:

"Cases don't get much colder than that of Violet Sullvian, who disappeared from her rural California town in 1953, leaving behind an abusive husband and a seven-year old named Daisy. But PI Kinsey Millhone has promised Daisy she'll try her best to locate Violet, dead or alive. All signs point to a runaway wife -- the clothes that disappeared; the secret stash of money Violet bragged about; the brazen flirtations she indulged in with local men, including some married ones. Kinsey tries to pick up the trail by speaking to those who remember Violet -- and perhaps were more involved in her life than they let on. But the trail could lead her somewhere very dangerous. Because the case may have gone cold, but some people's feelings about Violet Sullivan still run as hot as ever."

Review:

Grafton nails the suspense/PI genre again, with this tension-steadily-mounting, insanely suspenseful end-burn novel. This one is especially dark, as it deals with small town folk, and their long-held secrets and feelings.

Check this series out.

Followed by 'T' is for Trespass.

'R' is for Ricochet, by Sue Grafton

(pb; 2004: eighteenth book in the Kinsey Millhone mysteries)

From the inside flap:

"Reba Lafferty was a daughter of privilege, the only child of an adoring father. Nord Lafferty was already in his fifties when Reba was born, and he could deny her nothing. Over the years, he quietly settled her many scrapes with the law, but wasn't there for her when she was convicted of embezzlement and sent to the California Institution for Women. Now, at thirty-two, she is about to be paroled, having served twenty-two months of a four-year sentence. Nord Lafferty wants to be sure she stays straight, stays at home and away from the drugs, the booze, the gamblers.

"It seems a straightforward assignment for Kinsey: babysit Reba until she settles in, make sure she follows all the rules of her parole. Maybe all of a week's work. Nothing untoward -- the woman seems remorseful and friendly. And the money is good.

"But life is never that simple, and Reba is out of prison less than twenty-four hours when one of her old crowd comes circling around. . ."

Review:

Suspenseful, character-progressive, hard-to-put down read -- like all of Grafton's "alphabet mystery"/Kinsey Millhone novels.

Check this series out.

Followed by 'S' is for Silence.

'Q' Is For Quarry, by Sue Grafton

(pb; 2002: seventeenth book in the Kinsey Millhone mysteries)

From the inside flap:

"Back in 1969, a lot of young people were hitting the road and disappearing. More than one of them wound up dead -- including the girl in daisy-patterned pants who was found in a quarry off Highway 1 in Lompoc, the victim of multiple stab wounds. Eighteen years later, she's still a Jane Doe -- and the cops who found her are still haunted by the case. Anxious to solve it, but no longer in their prime, they turn to Kinsey Millhone for help. If nothing else, they'd just like to identify the body. But this ice-cold case heats up more quickly than they expect. And for Kinsey, it will lead to a lot of dangerous discoveries -- including some about her past."

Review:

Con Dolan, retired police lieutenant and Kinsey's friend, requests her help in helping solve an eighteen-year old Jane Doe case he and his deathly-ill ex-cop partner (Stacy Oliphant) were unable to close the file on.

This request brings Dolan, Oliphant and Kinsey into contact with a variety of small-town suspects, many of whom are afraid, and/or have something to hide.

Suspenseful, character-progressive, hard-to-put down read -- like all of Grafton's "alphabet mystery"/Kinsey Millhone novels.

Check this series out.

Side-note: this is loosely based on a real-life cold case (readers should check out the "Author's Note" that follows the novel, complete with a facial reconstruction photo).

Followed by 'R' is for Ricochet.

'P' Is For Peril, by Sue Grafton

(pb; 2001: sixteenth book in the Kinsey Millhone mysteries)

From the back cover:

"Kinsey Millhone never sees it coming. She's mired in the case of a doctor who disappeared, his angry ex-wife, and beautiful current one -- a case that is full of unfinished business, unfinished homes, and people drifting in and out of their own lives. Then Kinsey gets a shock. A man she finds attractive is hiding a fatal secret -- and now a whole lot of beauty, money and lies are proving to be a fatal distraction from what Kinsey should have seen all along: a killer standing right before her eyes."

Review:

Another blaze-through-that-f*cker read from Grafton, who keeps the plots, pace, and characters a-jumpin', and her readers a-guessin'.

Excellent, as usual. Check it out!

Followed by 'Q' Is For Quarry.

'O' Is For Outlaw, by Sue Grafton

(pb; 1999: fifteenth book in the Kinsey Millhone mysteries)

From the back cover:

"Once Mickey Magruder was a cop with a wild streak. And Kinsey Millhone was a younger cop who adored and married him. Then Mickey was implicated in a fatal beating, and Kinsey walked out. Now, fourteen years later, she comes face-to-face with those tragic yars and Mickey's harrowing downward spiral after he lost the job he loved -- and the marriage he loved a little less.

"Mickey lies dying in an L.A. hospital. Trying to find out how Mickey got there, Kinsey uncovers evidence that he was innocent of the beating charges. But as she searches through the lives that swirled around Mickey's -- lives gone wrong and lives gone well -- Kinsey must also search the blind spots of her own life, including one that hides a killer."

Review:

One of the more personal Kinsey Millhone novels, this -- and one of the best.

Kinsey is trying to find out why her first ex-husband was shot, the victim of intended murder. In doing so, this means she has to recover some uncomfortable elements and characters from her now-more-dangerous past.

Like the other Kinsey reads, this starts as a slow first-few-chapters burn, building to a full-forest plot blaze, as Kinsey uncovers secrets, clues and more unsavory characters than you can beat down with a Whack-A-Mole club.

Excellent, as usual. This series is one of the best detective series I've ever read.

Followed by 'P' Is For Peril.

'N' is for Noose, by Sue Grafton

(pb; 1998: fourteenth book in the Kinsey Millhone mysteries)

From the inside flap:

"Tom Newquist had been a detective in the Nota Lake sheriff's office -- a tough, honest cop respected by everyone. When he died suddenly, the townsfolk were sad but not surprised. Just shy of sixty-five, Newquist worked too hard, drank too much, and exercised too little.

"Newquist's widow, Selma, didn't doubt the coroner's report. But still, she couldn't help wondering what had so bothered Tom in the last six weeks of his life. What was it that had made him prowl restlessly at night and brood constantly? Determined to help Selma find the answer, Kinsey Millhone sets up shop in Nota Lake, where she finds that looking for a needle in a haystack can draw blood -- very likely, her own."

Review:

The description from the inside flap amply describes the story.

It's the usual Kinsey tale, with its level-headed/first-person-POV build-up, mixed with a few moments of humor, terror and violence. I spotted the villain/s of the tale right away, but it was more of a lucky guess on my part, not a deficiency on the part of the author.

Solid entry in the Kinsey Millhone series.

Followed by 'O' is for Outlaw.

'M' is for Malice, by Sue Grafton

(pb; 1996: thirteenth book in the Kinsey Millhone mysteries)

From the inside flap:

" 'M' is for. . . the Malek family: four sons nearing middle age who stand to inherit a fortune. But for any of them to claim their millions, the fourth brother must be found. Eighteen years before -- angry, troubled, and in trouble -- he disappeared. No one's seen or heard from him since. Now Kinsey Millhone must track him down. And when she does, she unknowingly sets in motion a bitter payback from the past that can end only in murder."

Review:

Kinsey locates a long-disappeared ne'er-do-well son (Guy Malek) of a recently-deceased wealthy business man, which sets into a motion a cycle of familial pettiness, deceit and murderous retribution, all of which culminate in a reader-affecting, impossible-to-set-down read.

Robert Dietz, Kinsey's fifty-year old on/off lover (last seen in 'G' is for Gumshoe), two years gone, makes a warm, welcome reappearance in Kinsey's life, adding emotional depth and turmoil to the novel.

As a mystery, this was one of the twistier tales from Grafton. I guessed some of the twists, but not all of them, and the identity of the killer(s) was/were a surprise to this reader, until the last moment.

One of the more emotive entries in the Kinsey Millhone series, this: it brings to mind the heartache of 'C' is for Corpse.

This is also one of my favorite Kinsey Millhone books.

Check this series out!

Followed by 'N' is for Noose.

'L' is for Lawless, by Sue Grafton

(pb; 1995: twelfth book in the Kinsey Millhone mysteries)

From the inside cover:

"When Kinsey Millhone agrees to do a favor for Henry Pitts, her lovable octogenarian landlord, she literally gets taken for the ride of her life. The family of a recently deceased WWII veteran wants her to find out why the military has no record of his service. All Kinsey has to do, she thinks, is cut through some government red tape. But when the dead man's house is ransacked and his old army buddy is beaten up, she quickly realizes he was not all he seemed. Before long Kinsey is trailing crooks halfway across the country, impersonating a hotel maid, tangling with a baseball-bat-wielding grandmother, and running from one very dangerous character. With her money almost gone and her nerves frayed, Kinsey's got to solve a decades-old crime and make it back home in time for Henry's brother's wedding. . . if she can make it back at all. . ."

Review:

A good deed on Kinsey's part becomes more than that when she's forced to go on an interstate roadtrip with Ray Rawson, an untrustworthy ex-con, and his immature, deceptive daughter. Kinsey and company are being pursued by a psychopathic "former celly" of Rawson's, Gilbert Hays, who kills everybody who gets between him and what he wants: revenge, and loot from a decades-old crime.

Another straightforward, sometimes edgy, always entertaining Kinsey novel, this.

Check this series out!

Followed by 'M' is for Malice.

'K' is for Killer, by Sue Grafton

(pb; 1994: eleventh book in the Kinsey Millhone mysteries)

From the back cover:

"When Kinsey Millhone answers her office door late one night, she lets in more darkness than she realizes. Janice Kepler is a grieving mother who can't let the death of her beautiful daughter Lorna alone. The police agree that Lorna was murdered but a suspect was never apprehended: the trail is now ten months cold. Kinsey pieces together Lorna's young life: a dull day job at the local water treatment plant spiced by sidelines into prostitution and pornography. She tangles with Lorna's friends: a local late-night DJ; a sweet, funny teenaged hooker; Lorna's sloppy landlord and his exotic wife; her all-business boss; the wealthy nurse whose house and elderly father Lorna babysat. But to find out which one, if any, turned killer, Kinsey will have to inhabit a netherworld from which she may never return. . ."

Review:

Echoes of Chinatown resound throughout this Kinsey Millhone outing, as she attempts to figure out what it was that waterworks employee/prostitute Lorna Kepler was killed for. Was she murdered for knowing too much about a possibly-dirty land/water political deal? Did it have something to with her sidegig as a prostitute/porn flick actress? Or was it something else?

Grafton, excellent writer that she is, deftly avoids hewing too close the Chinatown template, putting out a tale that's decidedly Millhone-ish. The bad guys aren't too obvious, the writing is reader-hooking, and the chilling conclusion is one that's sure to cause plot- and character-ripples in future Millhone outings.

Check this series out!

Followed by 'L' is for Lawless.

'J' is for Judgment, by Sue Grafton

(pb; 1993: tenth book in the Kinsey Millhone mysteries)

From the inside flap:

"Wendell Jaffe has been dead for five years -- until his former insurance agent spots him in a dusty resort bar. Now California Fidelity wants Kinsey Millhone to track down the dead man. Just two months before, his widow collected on Jaffe's $500,000 life insurance policy -- her only legacy since Jaffe went overboard, bankrupt and about to be indicted for his fraudulent real estate schemes. As Kinsey pushes deeper into the mystery surrounding Wendell Jaffe's pseudocide, she explores her own past, discovering that in family matters, as in crime, sometimes it's better to reserve judgment. . ."

Review:

Kinsey's uncomplicated family history becomes complicated: she discovers she has surviving, previously-unknown family members living near her cozy town of Santa Teresa.

These familial bombshells come at her just as she's investigating a particularly complex case stemming from an old and widely-reported Ponzi scheme that ruined the livelihood of many local people. It seems one of the Ponzi instigators, Wendell Jaffe (previously thought dead), was seen, alive and well, in Mexico with another woman (Renata Huff, not his widow). Not only does Kinsey have to figure out if Wendell is indeed alive; she also has to catch his accomplice (or accomplices) from five years prior, and now -- if Wendell is still alive.

Wendell's family members and friends seem to be hiding something -- it's a matter of what each of them are hiding that keeps Kinsey deducing, and how many of them have it in them to be a killer.

Entertaining and a blast-read (as always), Grafton delivers the P.I.-kicks, with a denouement that opens up fresh plot directions that future Kinsey Millhone novels may take.

Exciting stuff. Check this series out!

Followed by 'K' is for Killer.

Writing Mystery and Crime Fiction, edited by Sylvia K. Burack

(pb; 1985: non-fiction)

From the back cover:

"A practical guide for both beginning and professionals, Writing Mystery and Crime Fiction offers valuable advice from leading experts on the specialized technique of writing mystery fiction. Twenty-six successful crime and mystery writers discuss the basics of plotting, characterization, setting, pace, dialogue, and other essential elements of crime fiction.

"These best-selling authors describe tested procedures for writing and selling full-length novels and short mystery fiction, using examples from their own published works.

"All types of mystery writing are covered: police procedurals, suspense fiction, spy thrillers, modern psychology novels, inner-suspense stories, and true crime fiction -- by Catherine Aird, Jean L. Backus, Cecilia Bartholomew, Rex Burns, Max Byrd, Stanley Ellin, Loren D. Estleman, Rosemary Gatenby, Sue Grafton, Bill Granger, William Hallahan, Paul Henissart, Clark Howard, P.D. James, Peter Lovesey, Dan J. Marlowe, Patricia Moyes, Marcia Muller, Al Nussbaum, Lillian O'Donnell, Gerald Petievich, Richard Martin Stern, Mary Stewart, Dorothy Uhnak, Michael Underwood, and Phyllis A. Whitney.

" 'A Layman's Guide to Law and the Courts,' and ' Glossary of Legal Terms,' both prepared by the American Bar Association, and a selected list of important reference books round out this. . . handbook."

Review:

The back-cover blurb pretty much says anything I'd write about this indispensable-to-any-crime-thriller-writer how-to guide.

Easily one of the best genre-specific writing books I've read. All the essays were helpful to me, whether they shored up knowledge-experience I already possessed, or taught me something new. There's something here for any crime/thriller writer out there, if the reader in question isn't close-minded.

Own it, already!

'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.

'H' is for Homicide, by Sue Grafton

(pb; 1991: eighth book in the Kinsey Millhone mysteries)

Review:

While investigating a case of auto insurance fraud, Kinsey Millhone, wisecracking P.I., is forced by circumstances to go undercover. She joins a group of con artists, headed by the paranoid, violent, Tourettes-wracked Raymond Maldonado -- can she make it out alive, in this death-at-any-minute situation?

Grafton once again has radically changed the situational game for Kinsey, making for an exceptionally wild and exciting ride (even for the Kinsey Millhone series), with a finish that stuns in an effective and simply-stated way.

Great work from a consistently-excellent writer. Check this series out.

Followed by 'I' is for Innocent.