* picked up from Little Free Library

fiction/mystery (#12 in series, c1995) starring twice-divorced, happily childless Kinsey Millhone in the fictional city of Santa Teresa, California. (takes place over Thanksgiving and a wedding, or just before, November.

like the series ok but for the way Kinsey's 'humor' tends to look down on fat people (she herself is a 35-y.o. who eats poorly but rides herself on her daily jogging habit). It's also definitely dated (no security cams to track her various nefarious activities) and shows no consideration for the hotel maids in Dallas, Texas whose uniforms/work and subsequent tips she steals, which could have set an underpaid person back considerably. ( )

Funny book. Another good one in series

Like H is for Homicide, this is mostly a road trip. There's an initial mystery about who killed a neighbor and what was the murderer searching for, but these are answered within a few chapters, as Kinsey hops a plane trailing a bag of stolen money, and ends up becoming sort of a family member with an ex-con and two others revealed eventually. The murderer is known and on their trail. As always, you read Grafton mostly for the observational detail and little for the "how will she get out of this one". One tiny unusual detail: the title for once directly connects to the story, though perhaps not how you expect.

Recommended for Grafton fans. ( )

I love Kinsey Millhone. But she's not everyone's cup of tea. I started reading the Alphabet series a few years ago - I think at the time it was up to O is for Outlaw. The idea of a mystery series each title beginning with a new letter amused me. I don't know why. I don't think it's particularly original. At least - I've seen a few others since. At the time though it was new to me and it just struck me as perfect. I flew through the series. Kinsey is riveting. She's brash and harsh and charming. She's fierce and flawed. She gets scared. She holds her own. She pushes herself to run often and tackles cases without judgement and with an open mind. Rosie and Henry are brilliant and I love the little family she builds around her.

But Kinsey Millhone isn't Jack Reacher - her speed is more Tracy Crosswhite. [book:My Sister's Grave|22341263] Her cases aren't full of action and high speed chases - they're slowly nitpicking away until something clicks into place. She writes down all her thoughts and places her facts and ideas on 3x5 index cards - which she often shuffles and rearranges to help her solve her case. And I love it. Kinsey Millhone is great - but she's not for everyone.

For some reason I've seen reviewers compare this to Stephanie Plum - I don't know why - this is absolutely NOTHING like that. Stephanie Plum is a very different character and an extremely different type of book. That's more fluff. Kinsey Millhone is more procedural mysteries. And this series isn't current - it was first published in the 80's - there's not really technology. Messages were relayed by calling the landlines. Paper files were still the main form of storage. Not everyone will enjoy reading this. But if you like your mysteries to be more like procedurals with a determined and fierce character - Kinsey Millhone is for you.



This started out slow then picked up speed at a rapid pace. There was so much going on, plots under plots - lies upon lies. I loved it. Helen was hysterical. My favourite scene: “Freida’s my neighbor. She lives two doors down with her friend, Minnie Paxton, but they’re out of town right now. Hasn’t anyone ever said, but I think them two are sweet on each other. Anyway, we had us a rash of burglaries about four months back. That’s what they call them, a ‘rash,’ like somebody caught a disease. Two nice policemen come down to the neighborhood and told us about self-defense. Minnie learned to kick out real hard sideways, but Freida fell flat on her back when she tried it.”
Ray fixed me with a look, but I couldn’t read the contents. Probably simple despair at the banality of their exchange. Gilbert laughed. “Jesus, I’d like to seen that. How old is this old bag?”
“Let’s see now. I believe Freida’s thirty-one. Minnie’s two years younger and she’s in much better shape. Freida cracked her tailbone and she got mad. Whoo! Said there had to be a better way to fight crime than tryin’ to kick some fella in the kneecap.”
Gilbert shook his head with skepticism. “I don’t know. Bust a guy’s kneecap, that can really hurt,” he said.
“Well, yes,” Helen said, “but first you’d have to get close enough to kick, which isn’t always easy. And then my balance is not that good.”
“Freida’s balance ain’t good, either, from what you said. So what’d she suggest?”
“She suggested she make us each a rack and bolt it onto the bottom of the table, where we could keep a loaded shotgun about like this.” Helen turned slightly sideways as she rose to her feet. She took a long step away from the table, pulling up a twelve-gauge side-by-side shotgun with twenty-six-inch barrels. She pinned the butt stock between her forearm and her side, letting the butt stock rest on her right hip for support.
The four of us stared at her, riveted by the sight of a gun that unwieldy in the hands of someone who, a nanosecond before, seemed so harmless and out of it. The effect, unfortunately, was undercut by the realities of age. Because of her poor eyesight, she was aiming at the window frame instead of Gilbert, a fact not lost on him. He made a face, saying, “Whoa! You better put that gun away.” “You better put that gun away before I blow you to kingdom come,” she said. She backed up against the wall, all business, except for the problem with her aim, which was considerable.

Grafton, Sue. "L" is for Lawless: A Kinsey Millhone Novel (pp. 283-284). Henry Holt and Co.. Kindle Edition. and Freida rocks. I rose when he did and buttoned my blazer for warmth. “What about your mother? I don’t think she should be left here alone.”
She was startled by the mere suggestion. “Oh, no. I won’t stay here by myself,” she said emphatically. “Not with that fella on the loose. What if he come back?”
“Fine. We’ll take you with us. You can wait in the car while we go about our business.”
“And just set there?”
“Why not?”
“Well, I might set, but not unarmed.”
“Ma, I’m not going to let you sit in the car with a loaded shotgun. Cops would come by and think we’re robbing the place.”
“I have a baseball bat. That was Freida’s idea. She bought a Louisville Slugger and hid it under my bed.”
“Jesus, this Freida’s a regular artilleryman.”
“Artilleryperson,” his mother corrected smartly.
“Get your coat,” he said.

Grafton, Sue. "L" is for Lawless: A Kinsey Millhone Novel (p. 305). Henry Holt and Co.. Kindle Edition. Helen, Freida - totally badass. I can't believe Ray just abandons Kinsey. And Laura is a bitch. Knocking her out and leaving her in the middle of a cemetery was pretty rough - I mean jeez, she's literally given up a week of her time to help you out - the least you could do was not belt her.

I was sad that Kinsey missed most of the wedding prep. I like "the sibs".



4.5 stars. ( )

Good pot-boiler mystery. ( )