Rating: 
Summary: Lots of fluff, but little substance
Review: Grafton writes a lot of details and descriptions throughout the book which are irrelevant, add nothing to the story, and slow the pace down. It is neither intriguing nor suspenseful as she overly tells the story. The writing and editing were disappointing and lacking.
Rating:
Summary: Lots of fluff, but little substance
Review: Grafton writes a lot of details and descriptions throughout the book which are irrelevant, add nothing to the story, and slow the pace down. It is neither intriguing nor suspenseful as she overly tells the story. The writing and editing were disappointing and lacking.
Rating: 
Summary: "I" is for Number One
Review: Hands down, this is the best book of the series. That doesn't mean you can necessarily start here, just that this one is a head above the rest. Kinsey is brought into a wrongful death case shortly before trial when the previous investigator dies. She finds out that he was not really doing his job, instead hiding away in his office to sneak a pizza or two. As always there are twists and turns. All of them make sense and are told with the Kinsey's characteristic sardonic tone.The case involves an old murder and the supporting cast, as always, is well drawn and interesting. The nice thing about the Kinsey novels is that the recurring characters, including Kinsey herself, grow and their lives change from book to book. (That's part of the reason why you really can't skip around.) Anyway, the ending is surprising, plausible, and exciting. In fact, you'll probably say "boy the killer was smart and almost got away with it." In short, this one is a keeper. I know it'll be worth your time.
Rating: 
Summary: if u enjoy good writing, DON'T read this book
Review: i borrowed this book from a friend to read and i regret that i did. it was very boring and the description of every thing in the surrundings is so tedious. i was amazed at how the writer reached I . this book reminded me of those boring mystery tv serieses that u know u will regret watching as soon as u change the channel to it. How the series got started and continues only shows u why people r having a hard time finding good books out there.
Rating:
Summary: THEY GET BETTER AND BETTER!
Review: I have read "A" through "I" and "I" think I may be the best one yet. Kinsey is asked to help investigate a murder of six years ago. Isabelle Barney was murdered, her husband David was tried and acquitted. Now Isabelle's ex-husband is suing David in civil court,not criminal court, saying the jury made a mistake. Kinsey is hired because the previous PI died of a heart attack, or was it a heart attack, was he to close to the truth. David Barney talkes to Kinsey claiming to be innocent and everything he says appears to check out. So who did kill Isabelle and did the other PI have a heart attack. All makes for a very good book. The ending is great, a surprise to me, not so much for who did the killing but for the way it ended. If you are going to read these you really need to start with A and take them in order.
Rating:
Summary: Great as a book on tape.
Review: If you have not heard Grafton's alphabet mysteries as a book on tape, do yourself a favor and get hold of one and enjoy! Judith Kaye IS the voice of Kinsey Millhone. She has the attitude and the wit down perfectly.
Of course, a great performance with a lousy story still makes a lousy story. Fortunately, this is a great story. The mystery is interesting and puzzling. Kinsey misses some obvious clues but, even though I had them way before she did, I still couldn't figure it out! A pleasure.
Rating:
Summary: Kinsey Always Finds the Right Answers!
Review: In this Kinsey Millhone mystery, Kinsey solves yet another puzzle. This time she has to tie up the loose ends of a murder investigation. Is David Barney REALLY guilty? Or did someone else really kill Isabella? Kinsey takes every shred of evidence that there possibly is to solve this strange puzzle. David seems innocent enough, and there seems to be other suspects involved. But as Grafton ties up the story, the answer will surprise you!
A great book, and one of Grafton's very best!
Rating: 
Summary: Irresistable
Review: Kinsey Millhone is a wonderfully engaging detective, with satisfying mysteries to solve and this is very strange case indeed. In case you haven't read any of the other Grafton books in the alphabet series, Kinsey Millhone is a private detective and single woman in her mid-thirties. This one starts as she has one of those life-altering times when the company she is contracting too, California Fidelity, cancels her contract. Its nothing to do with her performance, simply restructuring. This is the mid-1980's and Kinsey is not only out on her ear and with it her self-confidence takes a beating. She is renting rooms in a law office of Kingman and Ives and has struck up a professional relationship with Lonnie Kingman "early 40's, five foot four, 205 pounds, a weight-lifting fanatic" and pretty sharp lawyer to boot. He is known to take flashy criminal cases and this is one of them. Kingman is hired by Kenneth Voigt for a civil case of wrongful death of his first wife. Six years before his wife, Isabelle Barney, had been murdered. The prime suspect in the case, Isabelle's second husband David Barney, had been acquitted in a criminal trial but Kenneth is positive David murdered her and wants him brought to justice. A civil trial is all that is left to pursue, and pursue it he will. Kinsey if brought in when the detective hired to deliver the subpoenas and follow up the investigation, Morley Shine, dies of a heart attack. Kinsey soon discovers huge discrepancies in his work, paperwork is missing, people haven't been contacted and it seems that the case will not be ready in time. Even worse, in the course of her investigations she herself finds she is only proving David Barney's innocence, much to the ire of Voigt - especially when she manages to undermine Voigt's star witness jailbird, fraudster and on-the-take perjurer, Curtis McIntyre. I also seems that Curtis McIntyre could be more caught up in the case than he is letting on. As usual not everyone is telling Kinsey the whole truth, or the truth at all. What if David Barney didn't kill Isabelle? It seems he had a rock solid alibi that is only now coming to light - so if Barney didn't kill her, then who did? Isabelle's sister lived behind the main house and certainly had reason to hate her sister, then there Isabelle's friend Rhe and her daughter Tippy who cannot explain her presence in the area the night Isabelle was killed, and what about Isabelle's old employer Peter Weidmann and his managing wife, Yolanda? - they had every reason to dislike Isabelle too - even want her dead. Then it seems that Private Investigator Morley Shine had been on to a something quite new in his investigations and in fact might not have been letting things drop after all. Kinsey must find out what he knew to solve the case herself. As usual there with Grafton's mysteries the book is layer upon layer of information and misinformation to be filtered through. A number of crimes and questions which need to be solved to figure out the answer to the mystery. I like the fact that we tick over the evidence with Kinsey, that we get to see exactly what she does, and we are taken along with her thought processes. The ending is quite dramatic and a bit like one for C is for Corpse (I thought). I also felt there were a few loose ends in this. I never quite figured out how Morley found out about the trucks. Luckily the final ending the killer discusses the crime with Kinsey and ties up any loose ends there (a handy tool really - what killer doesn't seem to want to boast?) Kinsey never seems afraid to do things on her own, and while she calls for backup in this book from Jonah Robb he doesn't appear on the scene and the resolution of that is left hanging - well for me. Grafton doesn't tie up the loose personal ends at the end of her books and you have to wait for the next one to find out what happened. I think the thing I like most about Sue Grafton is she is not into the Gruesome pleasure of hideous crime that many mystery writers seem to enjoy. I really loathe torture and agony scenes in books which is one of the reasons I don't read many crime stories. Grafton's books seem very real to me, and without having to endure hearing about someone else's pain. They are more about the mystery than anything else.
Rating:
Summary: Amanita phalloides
Review: Milhone has left California Fidelity. Lonnie Kingman gives her a much-needed job investigating a six year old murder. The probable killer was acquitted and the victim's family want to bring a civil action against him. Henry's older brother William has arrived and is invloved with Rosie
This is one of Grafton's more classical mysteries. There's an ingenious collection of suspects.If you read chspter 11 very carefully and look at the times of the events on the night of the murder you might be able to figure out whodunnit. She gives us lore about mushroom poisoning (but Amanita phalloides is found in upland coniferous woods - not the kind of coastal California garden she describes).
One of the funniest passages is her paraphrase of a modern version of the 23rd psalm read at a liberal non-denominational funeral. Grafton is sometimes accused of being anti-Christian, but only someone with a profound respect for the King James Bible could have come up with this hilarious parody of a travesty.
The trademark final Kinsey Milhone in peril scene is one of her most convincing (assuming Santa Theresa police are slow about responding to gunfire) and suspenseful.
Rating:
Summary: Really not much here.
Review: Sue Grafton has written many good books but this one is weak, weak, weak. Try 'A is for Alibi' or 'J is for Judgement'. They show off Grafton's writing talents much better.
| 
