Rating: 
Summary: "J" is for Judgment and Jaffe
Review: "Wendell Jaffe is about six four, weight maybe 230. He's in his late 50's, but is in good shape," for a dead guy. Around this man and his infamous disappearing acts, Sue Grafton opens the files to a once closed case about money fraud and alleged suicides. Narrator, Kinsey Milhone, along with the Jaffe family paves the way for this suspense filled and invigorating novel. Through Grafton's use of setting, characterization, language and plot she ties this story into a well-written piece of literature. For any aspiring investigator or just a fan of a good mystery, this book along with the rest of the Grafton alphabet series would be appropriate.
Kinsey, ex-California Fidelity Insurance Agency employee, just received a call to open a case from about five years before involving millions of dollars said to be stolen. The suspect's, Jaffe, boat was found off the Californian coast with a suicide note alongside soon after the news of his business' failure. Kinsey immediately launches a tracking excursion and follows him to Mexico. While there, they receive news of Jaffe's youngest boy being arrested and charged with murder. Suddenly, Jaffe disappears, yet again. While Jaffe runs from the cops and searches for the love of his family left behind, Kinsey gets involved with a little family exploration as well.
To get the full affect, go back in time about ten years ago. Take a trip west to the southern part of California and there Ms. Milhone and the Jaffe family's story will take place. Grafton uses so much descriptive language that one feels they are surfing the waves as Kinsey "...drives down Highway 10 with the salty air from the ocean rushing by." In everything Grafton masters imagery, by telling just enough and then letting each imagination complete the picture as it sees fit.
Just as well as Grafton uses the setting to draw the reader into this realistic, yet make-believe world, she takes the reader into Kinsey's head as well. Throughout the story, Kinsey is the omniscient narrator and therefore can only tell us x-number of details. However each character has been used accordingly and created purposefully for every detail in the book. Characters bring not only their actions, but their individual lives and stories to help devise this mystery of love, lose, and revenge.
Each specific character is a unique individual as well as there dialogue should be, too. Grafton uses very likely and everyday language for each specific character and circumstance. Since they live in southern California, quite close to Mexico, Kinsey enrolls in a Spanish class to help further her knowledge of the language and it actually helps her to gain information about the Jaffe case while in Mexico. Another instance, the Jaffe boys receive news of their fathers doings and are outraged. As young adults growing up in this era, both express some extreme and foul language to show their emotions.
Since the main purpose, stereotypically, of a mystery should represent suspense and misleading, Grafton does not leave anything out. She does an excellent job of keeping the book snappy and going, making each chapter significant and exposing new evidence or yet another twist. She tends to lead you to believe one thing, letting the imagination soar, and then veers off course with new facts that turn the whole lot around. The conflicts seem to be mostly external are and easy to pick out. The dénouement and resolution do not appear until the end, making it harder and harder to wait for those last unraveling details.
Putting this all, the setting, characterization, language, and plot, plus everything not mentioned composes quite the tale. With Kinsey's high spirits and Jaffe's well-known disappearing acts, this book is full of apprehension and a shocking ending. Kinsey said, "Put me close to an interesting proposition and my pulse accelerates," and for readers, that is captured.
Rating:
Summary: Kinsey shines, but other characters fall flat
Review: "J is for Judgment," Sue Grafton's 10th Kinsey Millhone mystery, left me with a bit of what I call the cotton candy syndrome. I started with "A is for Alibi" less than a year ago, and the relative proximity in time between my reading each of the others through "J" has given me a panoramic perspective over them. I have enjoyed Grafton's series more than any other, largely because of the edgy heroine, but I found this installment to be one of the weaker links in an otherwise outstanding series.I found the first quarter of the book to be highly promising. Kinsey is hired to identify a man spotted in Mexico who may be Wendell Jaffe, recently proclaimed dead years after an apparent boating accident where the body was never found. This section of the book contains one of the funniest moments I've encountered in the series, showing Kinsey as she's never been before. As Kinsey returns to Santa Teresa for the last three quarters of the book, she encounters the people in Jaffe's life--most of whom are excrutiatingly boring. The primary mystery question posed at the beginning is solved fairy early on, leaving not much left to answer and Jaffe's sniveling family to play out their soap opera. There is a side story that I found much more interesting than the main plot in the second half. We find out something crucial about Kinsey's mysterious family background. Readers of other books in the series are reminded each book that Kinsey's folks died when she was very young leaving her to be raised by a maiden aunt. In "J is for Judgment," Grafton gives us a deeper look into the tragedy of Kinsey's early years. For that, if nothing else, I recommend this book to anyone who is a Sue Grafton fan (or more specifically, of Kinsey). However, starting with "J" would be a mistake and would misrepresent that which Grafton is capable of writing--smooth plotting with side characters that make all the difference. "J" was a worthwhile read in the moment, but like cotton candy, I soon felt empty and unfulfilled afterwards.
Rating:
Summary: A good mystery, and well-written
Review: A good story, and a lasting character in Kinsey Millhone. I think I liked this story because the first person female narrative is so refreshingly different than my regular staples -- Clancy, Demille, Leonard, Crichton, John D. MacDonald...Although I should say that I have some pretty wide-ranging tastes in reading, and I doubt fellow members of the Clancy/DeMille fan club would be engaged by Kinsey's stories. The perspective tends to have a very 'Lifetime Television' feel to it, and that's not for everybody.
Rating: 
Summary: No murder
Review: Actually somebody has been killed by the end, and Brian may have been involved in a murder but the core plot is about embezzlement and a man who fakes his own death.
This is one of the most psychological and philosophical ones in the series. The con man is trying to re-establish a relationship with his family and Kinsey Milhone's long-lost family is trying to re-establish a relationship with her. Henry's bother William is also trying something. The counterpoint and parallels are pointed out, and even to some extent I would have to say, the point is labored. As usual there are a multiplicity of other sub-plots.
All of Grafton's penetrating humor and careful description of every sight and sound and smell and taste. Fans of the classic hardcore hardboiled classics, of Highsmith and of "Double Indemnity" might find it slow, and fans of Hannibal Lecter not bloody enough.
Rating:
Summary: No murder
Review: Actually somebody has been killed by the end, and Brian may have been involved in a murder but the core plot is about embezzlement and a man who fakes his own death.
This is one of the most psychological and philosophical ones in the series. The con man is trying to re-establish a relationship with his family and Kinsey Milhone's long-lost family is trying to re-establish a relationship with her. Henry's bother William is also trying something. The counterpoint and parallels are pointed out, and even to some extent I would have to say, the point is labored. As usual there are a multiplicity of other sub-plots.
All of Grafton's penetrating humor and careful description of every sight and sound and smell and taste. Fans of the classic hardcore hardboiled classics, of Highsmith and of "Double Indemnity" might find it slow, and fans of Hannibal Lecter not bloody enough.
Rating: 
Summary: Unsure
Review: At first this book seemed to be very interesting, with Kinsey hunting down Wendall Jaffee in Mexico, and stumbling upon him. But after the first part of the book, too many characters were introduced that had promise of being interesting but weren't explored up to their potential. It was almost distracting to build up these characters, only to let their stories lag or not close up at all at the end. For example, what becomes of the remaining Jaffees, especially Brian? And what does Kinsey decide about meeting her long lost family? I also was disturbed by how carefree Wendall was when he met Kinsey, not the slightest bit scared or afraid of what she would do. Also Harris Brown, just offers her up info without being afraid she will go to the police. I think it was unrealistic how much information these people just gave up to Kinsey. It was a decent read though.
Rating:
Summary: Unsure
Review: At first this book seemed to be very interesting, with Kinsey hunting down Wendall Jaffee in Mexico, and stumbling upon him. But after the first part of the book, too many characters were introduced that had promise of being interesting but weren't explored up to their potential. It was almost distracting to build up these characters, only to let their stories lag or not close up at all at the end. For example, what becomes of the remaining Jaffees, especially Brian? And what does Kinsey decide about meeting her long lost family? I also was disturbed by how carefree Wendall was when he met Kinsey, not the slightest bit scared or afraid of what she would do. Also Harris Brown, just offers her up info without being afraid she will go to the police. I think it was unrealistic how much information these people just gave up to Kinsey. It was a decent read though.
Rating:
Summary: Keeps yor attention until the end.
Review: For the longest time, I refused to read these "alphabet" mysteries. I thought they would be sappy stories and you'd solve the mystery by page 4. Sorta like a Nancy Drew book. A couple weeks ago, I decided to buy the first book in the series and just see what everyone was talking about. Well, I just finished "J" and I have "K" waiting for me. Kinsey is my kind of girl - a wise cracking, independent, intelligent lady. Funny, too. And I still couldn't figure out who done it until I got towards the end of the book. Susan Grafton is a great mystery writer and I laugh out loud at a lot of the wise cracks.I don't know what I'll do when she gets to "Z"!!! Perhaps, she can start on the numbers...... Buy anyone of these books - you won't regret it!!
Rating:
Summary: J is pretty good, but something is missing
Review: I can't quite put my finger on it. Something was missing to make this another great book. I liked the idea of Kinsey going out of the country, pursuing a missing person who faked their death. Some of the action was exciting, and I liked the question left hanging at the end. There were several surprises along the way, but they didn't all make perfect sense. I didn't like Kinsey's cousins. This side story was a distraction. Usually, Sue Grafton weaves in a clever side story, but this one didn't click for me. Final note - I'm not sure where "Judgement" fits into the story.
Rating:
Summary: J IS FOR JUST FAIR!!!
Review: I can't understand how I can like one of this series so well and then dislike so much. I really liked "I" but I did not even want to finish "J". I did because I thought it had to get better, guess what, it did not. In "J" Kinsey is hired to try to find a man that has been dead for five years. He had been spotted and the Insurance Company wants him found so they can try to recover the half-million dollars in life insurance they have paid out. The man is of course alive and Kinsey finds him and then he is gone again. Along the way she finds out she does have some cousins she was unaware of. I really do like Kinsey Millhone and her human traits. She is not superwoman, which I like. Have "K" bought so guess I will read it. Hope it is better.
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