Rating: 
Summary: P is for Perfect
Review: As a fan of Sue Grafton, I always wait with anticipation for the latest book in the "Alphabet Murder" series. From "A" to "P" Grafton never disappoints. In fact, I think her writing has gotten better with each book. Kinsey Milhone is a single, tough, intelligent private investigator in the town of Santa Teresa. Each book is a continuation of sorts of the last, but you don't need to start with A is for Alibi to appreciate the story. Unlike Lilian Jackson Braun, who spends three chapters explaining the background of her characters with each book, Grafton gives the reader credit for having some intelligence and offers up a rough explanation, and only when needed.Kinsey Milhone is the kind of woman I'd like to be; tough, intelligent, independent, and interesting. She doesn't bother with superficial people and with her, what you see is what you get. In "P is for Peril," she is hired to find a man who has gone missing. The police have failed to turn up any leads, and his ex-wife wants to make sure that all the bases have been covered. After interviewing all the people in his life, Kinsey comes to the conclusion that he's probably dead and was involved in some shady dealings in his business practice. She accidentally discoveres the body, but proving he was murdered and who murdered him turns out to be a difficult task. Meanwhile, she has to move her office and in the process gets involved with some shady characters of another sort. Things are never dull in a Grafton book. I really like her stories. They are well-crafted and you are guessing right up to the end who the murderer is. All books have flaws, whether they be minor or major. Grafton's books have a lot of well-described characters, but my feeble mind has a hard time keeping track of who's who. I need to read it twice or take notes, but this is my problem, not a problem with the writing. This book was a slow starter, with Kinsey running around in circles not making much progress for the first half of the book, but the second half about makes up for it. Also, Kinsey's involvement with the characters from whom she rents a new office seems to have no relevance to the story. It seemed like an unnecessary, if somewhat riviting, diversion from the main plot. I give this book 4.5 out of 5 stars.
Rating: 
Summary: A good read...until the end
Review: After reading R is for Ricochet, I was drawn into the Kinsey Milhone series and tried P is for Peril. I love everything about Kinsey -- her place in Santa Teresa, her attitude towards life, her friendship with Henry -- and was drawn into the plot from the beginning. In fact, this was a book I found hard to put down...which is why I was disappointed with the ending. It seems after weaving such a great story with the quirks of Kinsey's personality, Sue Grafton was in a hurry to tie up the end of the story. All of a sudden, there's a big flurry of activity - the two brothers kidnapping Kinsey, one brother being shot by the other and eventually being caught driving down Hwy 101 - all within 10 pages. Then comes Kinsey's epiphany about whodunit in the main mystery plot - she makes a phone call to the detective and the book is over just like that. I'm left feeling sorely wanting for a little more detail in the resolution and not sure I'll find it by continuing with Q.
Rating: 
Summary: Good Until Near the End-What Did Happen?
Review: This book was good until I came toward the end-then it was lost. It didn't really have time to build the final climax. So it was disappointing to me.
Dr. Dowan Purcell has been missing, and his ex-wife, Fiona is the one who hires Kinsey to find out what really happened to him, not Crystal his current wife. So Kinsey begins to search back into Dowan's background, and the longer she traces back to what may have happened to Dowan, the more it seems Fiona is the suspect. Or it may be Dowan's troubled teenage daughter Leila, who had everything against her dad. Kinsey doesn't know what to make of the whole thing, at least not for a long time.
Then Kinsey puts herself into another type of danger as well that has nothing to do with the case. She answers an ad for apartment space that two gentleman are offering. She ends up with the apartment, only to find out that these two men who are brothers, are very dangerous. One of them, Tommy, makes the moves on Kinsey and starts to follow her around. Kinsey better watch her back when she decides to break the lease, and these guys come after her.
Rating: 
Summary: It was the first I read but...
Review: This was the first Sue Grafton book read so I went in with an open mind. The writing is drawn out but the mystery is even worse, it seemed all over with nothing really tieing together. I kept waiting for some expose or conclusion. Then the 2 brothers seemed totally pointless. It seemed like they'd tie to the other crime.
Maybe it's just because this was my first novel, I got annoyed when half through I realized it was set in 1986. Odd since it was written/published in 2001 and until then all references were as if the story was taking place today. That's her choice I just wish the time frame was specified at the beginning.
Rating:
Summary: Entertaining to Awful
Review: In the beginning, I thought this was the best novel that Sue Grafton had ever written. There was a great plot, numerous twist and turns and just enjoyable reading. Then the end of the book came and what a disappointment. It was confusing and left you feeling that you had just wasted your time reading the book.
Rating: 
Summary: Art Deco
Review: Dr. Purcell has been missing for nine weeks. Kinsey Millhone had followed the disappearance in the newspapers and then his former wife sought her services. He was the director of a care facility. The client collects art deco. Sue Grafton's character is an effective protoganist. She represents good in the war waged in genre fiction of good against evil. She is refreshing, not rule bound, considerate of others, her elderly neighbors for example, and seeks to cut through the noisy insincerities of social intercourse to reach the truth. She is a sort of Western star, a loner, she explains, in female garb. Her roughness is meant to be endering and one has to admit that Grafton is successful. Kinsey Millhone is looking for a new office. Kinsey discovers the nursing home was under investigation when Dow Purcell disappeared. The investigation was being conducted by HCFA on medicare billing. An associate wondered if the missing man could handle the loss of face in the event of prosecution. Dow may have been a good practitioner and an incompetent adminstrator. A former employee certainly held such a view of the situation. In the midst of the investigation into his disappearance, which at least from a reader's perspective finally seems to be going somewhere, Kinsey learns of questionable conduct on the part of her prospective landlords. She does not know if she is inclined to use her investigative skills to discover their crimes to help an insurance company, but at a minimum decides to back out of the rental. She continues to have a contentious relationship with her client and feels that spending time on the case in order to justify the retainer accepted is a form of indentured servitude. Kinsey locates the dead man's car in water. The most interesting parts of the story are the medicare fraud strand. The villians portrayed are pretty convincing. Peril is a good word for the position of the characters in this yarn. Under the circumstances Kinsey Millhone would be a good person to know. The book is a nice job of writing.
Rating:
Summary: Enjoyable Read
Review: I have been reading all the alphabet mysteries and thoroughly enjoyed them. P is for Peril is no different. The ending has no epilogue as others have had and I enjoy figuring out for myself what Kinsey finally figured out. The flirtation with the landlord was fun to read about and the results very surprising. I love the way Sue Grafton writes, although sometimes at the end the descriptions get tiring when I want to know WHO DUN IT? I look forward to reading Q is for Quarry and then what's next? I have gotten my daughter and friend into these books as well and they love them too!!
Thanks to Sue Grafton for a thoroughy entertaining read. Peace.
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