Rating: 
Summary: She's got the writing cojones
Review: Sara Paretsky, Janet Evanovich, Patricia Cornwell. Blech. Ptui. Sue Grafton, on the other hand, has got the writing cojones.
Nobody out there has the imagistic flair that Grafton flaunts. Sure, sometimes she overdoes it. Early on in this one, she describes a new office she's renting. The paint, the molding, the carpeting, the lighting, the view, the dimensions. The story comes to a screeching halt, and I'm saying to myself, "This damn well better be important!" It was, kinda.
The storyline of 'P' IS FOR PERIL deals with the disappearance of Dr. Dowan Purcell. Kinsey is hired by the doctor's ex-wife. She doesn't like her; she's not sure she wants to take the case, although she's hard up for cash. Kinsey takes the retainer, agrees to work on it for a few days. The doctor's disappeared before; he's had an alcohol problem. He could turn up. Kinsey discovers someone at the doctor's clinic was cooking the books, charging the government too much for medi-care. Purcell was only the manager; the owners of the clinic become suspects. So does Purcell's new young wife, Crystal.
I wasn't too impressed with the scene where Kinsey discovers what happened to the doc. It involves a telescope. I've read a lot of mysteries and the telescope led me to believe that someone was watching the ex-wife's house. Nope, just a telescope. Must've been a star watcher.
For me the book was salvaged by Kinsey's octogenarian landlord, Henry. I was worried she was going to kill him off. The sweet old guy unravels a co-worker's billing problem and in the process provides a clue implicating the person at the clinic responsible for the medi-care scam. I'd like to see Grafton do a book where Henry's the star.
I thought I had this one figured out half way through the book; I wasn't far off. The motivation for the murder will really surprise you, though. Watch the foreshadowing. She does drop a few hints.
Rating: 
Summary: One of the best
Review: I agree with the reviewer who said the series started to decline round about the letter L, but this book was back to Sue Grafton's high standards. Our old friend Henry is still alive and kicking, and had an important role in the plot.However, the ending was a bit sudden and left questions unanswered, unusual for a Kinsey mystery. But on the whole this was one of the best books of the series in recent years.
Rating: 
Summary: Has it Ended Yet?
Review: I was very unsatisfied the ending or should I say non-ending of this book. I even went to my local book store and scaned several copies to make sure my copy wasn't missing the last several pages. As avid Sue Grafton readers know, Kinsey always writes a summary of her report at the end of the book. This ties up all the loose ends. This book left us all hanging and my only hope is that Ms. Grafton's next book is titled Q is for Question no more the ending of P . . . I will clear it up for you in this book.
Rating: 
Summary: Much Better Than Other Recent Books
Review: Unlike some reviewers below, I had become increasingly disappointed in this series, somewhere around letter L. No more! P is interesting, well written, and well plotted, and Kinsey Millhone doesn't act like a dunce half the time, as she has in some of the earlier books. There is also not a lot of grousing on the side from Kinsey about what are supposedly topics of interest to females--that I'm-so-fat-but-I-love-chocolate patter that this reader finds a turn-off. If you had just about given up on Grafton, don't give up yet! Try P Is for Peril. You may be pleasantly surprised.
Rating: 
Summary: sue disappoints with this one
Review: i am generally a big fan of Grafton's work. to tell you the truth, i have doubts that she wrote this one herself. the voice seems to switch back and forth in an odd manner; the plot line shakes and shudders; the quality and style of most of her work was simply missing. I hope she gets back on track.
Rating:
Summary: Disappointing and self-indulgent
Review: This letter mystery goes no where. The characters are unappealing and uninteresting, the "case" has too many parts, and the B story is contrived. All in all, it wasn't worth the effort to read.
Rating:
Summary: Please Kinsey - Get a Cell Phone!
Review: I have read many of the previous reviews; however, I really did like this novel. I found it enjoyable, and totally engrossing. There were two threads to follow in this story. One was explained (although it was not spelled out ad nauseum, you could certainly figure it out!) and the story with the brothers was left kind of open, but I don't mind mulling that one over every once in a while when I think about it. I do agree that the one brother leaving the gun around would not be a typical action for a true sociopath who has covered up so cleverly up to now. Some things seemed like Kinsey should know better, but then again, all mysteries seem to suffer from the same thing.But basically, this was a well-written page-turner. I would recommend it.
Rating:
Summary: P is also for Pair
Review: If P is for Peril, it is also for pair - a pair of wives (current and past), a brotherly duo, several pairs of friends, a pair of daughters, a pair of policemen, a pair of business partners, and a pair of plots (as well as a pair of Saucony trainers). The eternally 30ish Kinsey zips along in her VW in a rainy and cold California November, searching for a missing husband as well as a new office space. While attempting to untangle a myriad of complications, Kinsey finds herself personally indulging in peril. Grafton's writing had me smiling once again - I just ADORE Kinsey and her smart mouth and some of her more anti-social ways. And I covet that tidy apartment, her neighbor Henry and the black dress - but I might skip dinner at Rosie's. Grafton delivers a wonderful flash-back Kinsey tale, a convoluted crime, numerous surprisingly despicable characters, and a taste of California that isn't all sunshine and surf. Set in the 80s, this latest story also illustrates just how much computers and cell phones have changed our lives.
Rating:
Summary: P is for PATHETIC ending...
Review: We have read all of the Sue Grafton Alphabet mysteries. Up until "P Is for Peril" they were all very engrossing and we could hardly put them down till we were finished. This one is the first of the series that we didn't like very well. We had trouble staying with it. And the ending was unlike any of the previous books. It was as though Sue Grafton forgot to finish the story. We hope and pray that she has not forgotten how to write! "Q" should give us the answer.
It is rather scary what Sue says in her statement on the copyright page. Is she joking? We hope so. Her previous works were excellent. We pray this book is not the first of her works that a new reader may pick up. We would hope they would want to start with "A". If they do, they will get hooked as we were, and have many great books too read...till this one. This book is definitely not up to par for Grafton. Corrine and Ray
Rating:
Summary: P is for Painful
Review: I've read/listened to every other Kinsey Milhone story and liked most of them, but this one really disappointed me. This is the only Sue Grafton book I would say was a stinker. It was rambling and crammed with dull details and I had to make a real effort to finish the book. I listened to the unabridged audio version and when I got the "end" I was afraid that perhaps I had listened to the tapes out of order and had missed something. The narration was also pretty flat. It was lacking in the usual wit and cleverness, with too many characters to keep straight, vanishing plots, a whole book of red herrings. Kinsey came off as pretty unlikeable. It was as though Sue Grafton got tired and decided to just stop where she was and say "The End". I hold out hope for "Q" but will read the reviews before buying instead of after. New readers to the series should start with "A is for Alibi" and just skip "P" altogether.
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