L is for Lawless

Kinsey Millhone #12

by Sue Grafton

Alternate cover edition for ISBN 0449221490

Both new readers and old fans will welcome this 12th Kinsey Milhone adventure in the "A" is for Alibi series by Sue Grafton. In this case, Kinsey agrees to do a favor for a friend of a friend and gets herself into so much trouble that she promises at the outset never to do such a thing again without careful consideration.

Henry Pitt, her longtime landlord asks her to help a fellow neighbor find evidence that his grandfather served in the military during the Second World War. With such proof, the man can be decently buried, courtesy of the U.S. government. It seems such a simple thing, but with Kinsey, it rarely is. Before long she finds herself entangled with an eccentric and quarrelsome family as well as a long lost buddy who has turned up just in time to get himself beaten up in a robbery attempt of the alleged veteran's apartment. It seems there is a reason the Armed Services have no record of the dead man's service. Kinsey sets out to determine what he might have been doing instead of fighting against the Japanese and why someone might think his shabby apartment worth a burgle.

Typical of the series, the mystery is not the central point of the story, but rather a starting point for Kinsey to become embroiled in a suspenseful (and delightful) search-and-rescue operation, usually against her better judgement. In this case, a gun-toting, arthritic octogenarian and revelations of the inner workings of bargain-rate motels are all part of the adventure. This is an easy and enjoyable read, and a solid addition to Grafton's string of alphabetical hits. --K.A. Crouch

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Crime, Mystery Thriller, Audiobook, Detective, Thriller

322 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published September 15, 1995

About the author

Sue Grafton was a #1 New York Times bestselling author. She is best known for her “alphabet series” featuring private investigator Kinsey Millhone in the fictional city of Santa Teresa, California. Prior to success with this series, she wrote screenplays for television movies. Her earlier novels include Keziah Dane (1967) and The Lolly-Madonna War (1969), both out of print. In the book Kinsey and Me she gave us stories that revealed Kinsey's origins and Sue's past.

Grafton never wanted her novels to be turned into movies or TV shows. According to her family she would never allow a ghost writer to write in her name. Because of these things, and out of respect for Sue’s wishes, the family announced the alphabet now ends at “Y”

Grafton was named a Grand Master by the Mystery Writers of America and received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Private Eye Writers of America, the Ross Macdonald Literary Award, three Shamus Awards, and many other honors and awards.

Grafton had three children from previous marriages and several grandchildren, including a granddaughter named Kinsey. She and her husband lived in Montecito, California, and Louisville, Kentucky.

Reviews

[Luffy Sempai · Rating 3 out of 5]

My faith in this series has been renewed. But I'm giving the book 3 stars because there were some quite filler chapters in the middle.

The ending was shocking. Some might say underwhelming. But I believe the opposite. It's a wonderful book. More bonus points is attributed due to the lack of the word 'patio' in the novel.

I felt both happy and indignant for Kinsey Millhone. She solved part of the puzzle, but was more of a witness to the entire case. Hats of to the author. What a nice book.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book Review
4 out of 5 stars for L is for Lawless, the 12th book in the "Kinsey Millhone" cozy mystery series written by Sue Grafton in 1994. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, as it covered a lot with Henry, Kinsey's landlord and friend. He asks for her help to find the military records proving a good friend of his was in the service, in order to properly bury him. But this is where it takes a turn... Kinsey goes dark... well sort of... she's on a trip around the country to find the answers, stuck side by side with some ruthless characters whom she has to pretend to like. Less about murder more about mystery and past background checks, your mind works overtime to try to solve this one. It's complex but soft at the same time. Kinsey's personality makes these books.... you always root for her. In this one, she has to take more risks than usual, but it thankfully pays off. A must-read in this series, but there are a lot of those!

About Me
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[Jilly · Rating 2 out of 5]

L is for Loser. Holy crap, how stupid can this girl be?

Kinsey is simply doing a favor for a neighbor. She said she would look into why the paperwork on a dead veteran's funeral claim wasn't going through. She looks into it, doesn't have answers and that should be it. Especially when things start getting ugly.



That baby is smarter than Kinsey. Also, that baby is adorable and I want to pinch his little cheeks.

Kinsey keeps getting more and more involved with a situation that really has nothing to do with her.
Why? The people she's doing the favor for? They are jerks. They accuse her of trashing the dead guy's house at one point and stealing. They are the redneck trash that keep old appliances in the front yard and marry their relatives. These are the kind of people that you find fascinating to watch from afar, for entertainment value, but would never get within 50 feet of.



But, on and on it goes, with her making one idiotic decision after another - over and over again.
There are so many times in this book that she could have done the smart thing and walked away, but she didn't.


Cartoon guy is smarter than Kinsey.

Did I mention how these books always make lists of the things that Kinsey sees? It's really strange. Like we need a 20 item list of what's in a room to understand the setting. I'm starting to wonder, at this point, if Kinsey is actually mentally ill and these books are her way of crying out for help.


Looking back, it was so obvious. Lasagna isn't good for kitty digestion. He was trying to off himself.

By the end of this idiot-fest, I was actively rooting for Kinsey to get killed.... which I admit is something I do during all of these books... Instead, we get a terrible ending with no resolution at all. The only thing more pointless than this book must be my life for reading it.

Okay, on to the next one...
Hahaha, that stupid Kinsey doing the same stupid thing over and over again and not knowing when to give it up. She's so stupid.

[Phrynne · Rating 3 out of 5]

This series has good books and okay books and L is for Lawless only rated okay for me. This was mainly because I spent most of the book wondering what on earth Kinsey thought she was doing! No one was paying her, the people she was helping did not deserve to be helped and she was supposed to be at home enjoying a wedding, not dashing all over the countryside trying to get killed. Personally I wanted to be at the wedding too but the author chose not to take us there.

Despite this it was a good story, lots did happen and Kinsey did some good detective type work. Just a pity no one appreciated it and she did not get paid.

[Tina Loves To Read · Rating 4 out of 5]

The beginning of this book starts out with Kinsey talking to a man that is trying to find out what his father did and what happen to him. The man believes that is father was in the military and the military says he was never in the military. The man is a person that believes that that government is hiding things for him and the government is out to get him. Personal I did not like that part. The middle and end was Kinsey following a woman that took some stuff out of the man's father's house. There was so much action and fast pace craziness in this book. Which I loved so much. (*)

[Mansuriah Hassan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author, Sue Grafton delivers another great astounding mystery in her alphabet series - L is for Lawless. In this book, the main character, Kinsey Millhone (a private investigator), is asked by her good friend/landlord, Henry, to help out a friend of his on a simple matter. She needs to show that Henry’s friend served in the military during World War II so he can be buried as a veteran. It was such a simple request but the problem is that the military has no record of the man ever being in the army.

The family of the deceased is too busy fighting among themselves to be much help to Kinsey. Then an old friend of the deceased shows up and gets attacked at the dead guy's apartment. Once again we're on a race to see what's around the next corner for Kinsey and to find out why the government has no record of this veteran serving his country.

What should have been nothing more than a few hours of going through the man's papers soon turns into days with Kinsey taking a sudden flight to Texas, pretending to work in a hotel, running around in a cemetery, oh yeah, and being shot at. And this was a pro bono case! She wasn't even getting paid. Talk about dedication to one's work.

There's a little bit of mystery, but more suspense in this book filled with interesting characters. And more laughs than we've seen in the past with Grafton's other books. I'd recommend this easy read to anyone wanting a few hours of enjoyment as it's definitely one of Sue Grafton's better books in this series.

[Brenda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kinsey Millhone was drawn into her latest case in an unexpected manner. Soon she was chasing across the country, following a "person of interest" in her quest for answers. Forty years ago there was a bank robbery; one of the robbers was finally free from prison and now in his 60s. He crossed paths with Kinsey and the chase was on. Finding the cruel, brutal and cold Gilbert would be a challenge for them all; would anyone lose their life? Would the spoils from the robbery be located? And would she make it back home for the Halloween wedding where she was to be a bridesmaid?

L is for Lawless is the 12th in the Kinsey Millhone series by Sue Grafton and it was another fast paced, action packed addition to the series. I wonder what she'll get up to next! Recommended.

[Louie the Mustache Matos · Rating 2 out of 5]

So I decided to take on this challenge of reading the Sue Grafton alphabet series that has Kinsey Millhone as the star detective. L is for Lawless is the 12th offering to the mystery genre. This one is not that great. (If you do not get paid, can this truly be considered a case?) This one tried my patience a little because it begins with an innocuous ask by her landlord, Henry Pitts. He is concerned about the welfare of a neighbor and asks Kinsey to investigate. When there appears to be no way to proceed, Kinsey should have waved the white flag, but she is intrepid, a busy-body, nosy, curious, prevaricator that pissed me off because the case was a dead end. She continued digging and “No good deed goes unpunished,” is all I will say about the ending.

This book is an off-beat deviation from the established path of a Kinsey Millhone novel. I did not enjoy this one because there really are a number of times when I was screaming at my book, saying stop right there; go no further. Your job is done. Proceeding is sheer stupidity. I understand why the story continues, but this should have been a much shorter book, because Kinsey is not stupid and she behaves like an idiot in this one. Ugh!

[Kelly · Rating 2 out of 5]

My enjoyment of this book was really diminished by the fact that Kinsey NEVER punched Laura in the face. She needed punching repeatedly. Also, we're on book 12; Kinsey should not be getting tricked quite as easily or as frequently.

But I want to hang out with the grandmother. She rocked.

[Darinda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kinsey helps a neighbor discover why his grandfather has been denied veteran's benefits. It seems like an easily, but boring case. Things change quickly when break-ins start occurring, and Kinsey starts to wonder what the burglars could have been after.

The 12th Kinsey Millhone mystery in Grafton's alphabet series. Kinsey traveled away from Santa Teresa in this book, and I wasn't a big fan of the cross country chase. I wanted more of her crazy neighborhood stories, and less of the crazy characters involved in the case she was working. Kinsey acted a little impulsively in this one, and she continued to make poor decisions. I prefer a smarter Kinsey, though she stayed independent and sarcastic.

I listened to an audio version of this book.

[Quenya · Rating 3 out of 5]

A better title for this book should be Kinsey and her misadventures with the Clampetts. Even though this book is one big Murphy’s Law event for Kinsey, I still liked it. When main characters can’t seem to catch a break in a book until the very end, I usually get very annoyed but not so with L is for Lawless. I give the credit to Sue Grafton for giving this book a more light-hearted feel to some of the other books and Grafton didn’t allow Kinsey never to catch a break even in the end.

This book’s story is a jigsaw puzzle which each piece slowly bringing the story full circle. It didn’t feel like one of Kinsey’s normal cases because she had no adversary to chase. The story is wrapped totally around Kinsey’s sense of curiosity and desire to know the truth. The Rawsons are not the best supporting characters but Grafton made it all work and kept me engaged in the answers just as much as Kinsey.

If there was one thing I didn’t like about the book it was the split personality Kinsey has to family dynamics. She seemed to enjoy being stuck with the Rawsons and observing their antics while totally being determined not to interact with her own family. Not sure why she was this way, but I just couldn’t understand it

[Ouija · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is probably my least favorite Kinsey Millhone book. I guess it was the author's attempt to get Kinsey out of her familiar setting. This is admirable, but not always successful. (Remember when Jessica Fletcher left Cabot Cove and moved to Manhattan? Blecch.) I dearly missed Kinsey's familiar setting and familiar friends and after they left Dallas, found my interest flagging. There were some interesting characters and situations but other than Kinsey, no characters to root for or really care about. The plot was not exactly riveting and too complicated for the ultimate payoff. Oh wait...there was no payoff. Very abrupt and unsatisfying ending. Still Grafton on her worst day is still better than a lot of authors on their best.

[Mark Baker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kinsey is taking a rare week off from her PI business for William and Rosie’s wedding, but before she can get too relaxed, Henry asks her for a small favor. One of their neighbors has recently passed, and his family is having a hard time getting the death benefits from the government since they have no record of this man having been in the service during World War II. Kinsey doesn’t intend to get too involved, but when the man’s place is broken into and searched, she becomes curious. Just what is really happening?

I love it when a book takes off in ways I don’t expect, and that’s just what happened with this one. The plot was great, and even when we have most of the answers, there is still the question of what will happen next to Kinsey to keep the pages turning. It is fun to meet the rest of William and Henry’s family, and the character involved in the mystery are as strong as always. A series thread introduced a couple of books back comes into play here again as well. Fans of the series who have missed this one won’t be disappointed.

Read my full review at Carstairs Considers.

[Obsidian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Have to say that this one was pretty good though the usual suspects are not in it much (Rosie, Henry, William, etc.). We have Kinsey following someone who stole something from a neighbor/client's home and then gets caught up with I guess you can just say are a family of not so bright thieves.

Kinsey is still prepping for Rosie and William's wedding in this one. She is asked by Henry to do a favor for the family of an old neighbor of both of them which causes her to go down a long winding path of ill gotten loot from decades ago.

Kinsey is still smarting over finding out about what went down with her mother's side of the family after her father and mother died. She found out a few books ago that she has relatives that she never knew about and that her Aunt Gin had never told her about them. One wonders about Aunt Gin at times. Kinsey rejects any notion of family and then gets yanked into a case that is all about it. Irony. We still have Kinsey being a smart ass here and there, but she's mostly out of depth in this one. Most of the book is just her running from place to place it seems.

I can't say much about Henry or Rosie. They are in this one, but barely. It was interesting to read about Henry's siblings and loved hearing how they celebrated their birthdays. However, we don't spend much time with them which I thought was a shame.

The writing is good though at times the plot gets way too complicated. We have the missing money as a plot and it never made much sense to me why Kinsey still sticks with the people she does though. The Kinsey we have known to this point would have peaced out and and minded her own business. The flow was a bit off though. I just found myself getting bored towards the end (hence the 4 stars).

The setting of the book is mostly in Texas and Kentucky of all places. Since I am used to reading these books and thinking of California, it was a weird to have all of the action away from home and Kinsey's usual band of merry men and women.

The ending was sweet though and I did laugh at Kinsey having to suck it up and reach out to her mother's side of the family.

[Jack Heath · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 Stars. Just not up to some of the great Kinsey adventures, but still enjoyable. More of a chase than anything. Our hero will perform almost any task her adorable, grandfatherly landlord Henry asks of her. So, she agrees to help by looking into a problem the neighbours down the street are having collecting a small veteran's burial allowance for their deceased father. Has someone in one of many government agencies screwed-up the dates Johnny Lee was in the air force during WW2? Has a bureaucrat misplaced his file? Kinsey determines that his information can't be found for a very good reason; he never actually enlisted and has been telling this fabrication for decades! If not overseas in the service, where was he? At the same time, a break-in occurs at his squalid apartment over the garage in the neighbour's back-lot. What's going on? We discover that there's an elusive fortune in cash and jewellery somewhere and it is being pursued by several ne'er-do-wells. Our favourite Kinsey is along for the ride! This is a sad tale, and it's not only because she never gets paid for her work. All I can say is, keep an eye on the keys. (February 2019)

[David Highton · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had not read a Kinsey Millhone book for a while, and enjoyed catching up with the character, although I did not find this the best of the stories so far - the accidental features of the plot and her inability to extricate herself from a gang of criminals lacked credibility.

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Initially I found this book to be a tad better than its most recent predecessors, but then we got to Dallas and the stupidity hit. The longer our heroine hung out with this book's gaggle of ancillary characters, the more idiotic she herself became. By the end I was wishing Granny would take both her shotgun and her Louisville Slugger to the whole lot of 'em.

[Sabrina · Rating 1 out of 5]

Didn't like this book at all. I thought the last book K is for Killer was the worst but I take it back, this one is. Totally unbelievable story line with characters I hated and would love to see get what they got coming to them. Kinsey is a complete 180 from her usual self in all the other books and not in a good way. She went from smart, sassy and cautious to stupid, annoying/mean spirited and dangerously impulsive and a criminal herself to boot. I'm surprised she didn't die or get arrested with all the dumb choices she made in this book. She had numerous choices all through the book to leave this mess of a case behind but she never does and each time I wanted to jump into the book and beat some sense into her! By the time I got to the end I was half wishing she would get offed and this would be the end of it but since the alphabet goes on so does she. Also there were a shit ton of dog references in this book that made me wonder if the author got a new dog of her own while writing this book.

In the beginning of the story Kinsey decides to do a favor for her landlord Henry right before the wedding of Henry's brother in which she will be a bridesmaid and after she turns down an invitation to Thanksgiving by her newly found relatives. (For reasons unknown she's been as nasty to these people as can be ever since she found out they existed even though they haven't done anything to her). She is supposed to help a neighbor who is trying to find some information on his veteran grandfather so that he can be buried with benefits. While going through the house for any papers that might help Ray, a friend of the dead man shows up. From there this story goes downhill. While looking around the house Ray tells her a tale about how he and the dead guy knew each other. After she and Ray leave the house it's broken into and she gets blamed. She clears her name but thinks Ray did it and is let in on what the dead man's son thinks is a conspiracy that his father (the dead guy) was a spy and now the government is looking for something he maybe had or stole. They do find a hidden safe in the closet but it's empty except for an old key which no one know what it belongs to. While driving by the house later Kinsey see's a man leave with a duffel bag it when no one is home and knows that this is the person who broke in before. She follows him and when he picks up a pregnant woman and heads for the airport she makes a rash decision to keep following. She calls the dead guys family to report what's going on from the airport as the couple prepare to leave.

She is hired to follow them and get back what they took and hoping they might figure out what the key is for, which Kinsey has. She maxes out her credit card to do so. The man doesn't get on the plane but the woman does and she has the duffel so Kinsey follows her. The woman gets off at a layover and checks into a hotel. Kinsey does too and while there finds out that Ray was found beaten at the house of the dead guy and that Henry's brother told him where she was. She steals a maids uniform to get to the duffel. Before she has it Ray shows up and tells her a different story about how he knew the dead guy and convinces Kinsey to team up with him to get the duffel which she now knows is full of cash. So she starts working for the bad guy and becomes a criminal. After she gets the duffel and doesn't find any money she figures out that the woman isn't pregnant but has the money in a fake belly. Also the money is old so something is off about the whole situation. Kinsey drags Ray up to confront the woman and finds out that she is Ray's daughter Laura (and dumber then a box of rocks, her IQ is so low I wonder how she functions) and the man whole broke into the dead guys house and beat Ray up is an old acquaintance Gilbert. Ray tells her another story now about how he and the dead guy met and that the money is stolen from a bank robbery! Laura is now dating Gilbert and that was how they knew to go after the money when Ray did. But she was going to double cross Gilbert who beats her and run off with the money and Gilbert's nephew. The key might unlock the rest of the money from the robbery that wasn't in the dead guy's house. Kinsey has finally decided she's had enough with Ray and Laura and has been fired so she wants to go home.

She gets to the airport only to find Gilbert getting off the plane she was going to fly out on. He assembles a gun (in front of everyone at the airport) and goes off to find a way to the hotel Ray and Laura are at without anyone stopping him. Kinsey tries to call and warn them but can't get through so has to go back and tell them of Gilbert in person calling the cops to meet her at the hotel. When she gets there the cops haven't come so she helps them get out of the hotel alone. But while doing so is chased by Gilbert who sets the hotel on fire. They all get away and drive to Ray's mom's house in Kentucky. She want's to get away and go home in Arkansas but Laura doesn't stop to let her out. Kinsey agrees to go the rest of the way with them as Ray promises he'll pay for her way home if she does. (Ray has been lying to everyone from the start and has lied to Kinsey with almost every breath so why she believe's him I have no idea and she should be locked up in the loony bin if she trusts any words coming out of his mouth.) They reach Ray's mom's and she is happy to see Ray and Laura. Ray has a letter waiting with another key in it. During dinner Ray, Kinsey and Laura discuss the keys and the money in front of Ray's mom like she has know everything all along which she hasn't. Laura then tells them that she called her mother to tell her where they were and Ray is mad because Laura's mom will tell Gilbert. They get ready to leave but Gilbert shows up and stops them.

Gilbert has Laura tie up Ray and admits that he killed his nephew and plans to kill them. He is a psychopath and enjoys making others squirm. He takes the keys and the belly bag of money and demands the rest. Ray tells him that he doesn't know about it but that his mom has gotten money to be taken care of since the robbery. Gilbert is outraged that the money is gone and thinks it's all his. Before he can do anything else Ray's mom pulls a shotgun out from under the table and shots Gilbert. He is hit in the neck and shoulder loses his gun and takes Laura hostage. Gilbert leaves with Laura, the keys and the money. Kinsey and Ray track down what the keys might belong to and a note the dead guy sent with the key. Ray tells Kinsey about the robbery and aftermath and also that he is actually not on parole but escaped custody so they can't call the cops. The next morning Gilbert shows up and demands his gun back which Ray gives him bullets in all! (What an idiot!) They all go to a cemetery they figured out from the note. They get to the cemetery and find the loot from the robbery and Gilbert tells them he called the cops on the original robbery and killed one of the guys on the crew as he prepares to shoot them. But Ray pulled the firing pin from the gun so it doesn't work. Ray pulls a gun and shots Gilbert several times before Laura hits Kinsey in the head with a baseball bat (I again hope she's dead so this will end) but Kinsey wakes up in the hospital. Ray, Laura and his mom are gone with the loot and Kinsey lies through her teeth about her behavior so she won't go to jail (I hoped she would but alas no). She calls everyone she can so she can get money to fly home but no one answers so as a last resort she calls the cousins she hates and had rebuffed for cash. They give it to her....and she gets home in time for the wedding. Even though she was fired she doesn't tells the dead guys family about what happened and what they didn't get or what the dead guy did a long time ago.

The End. I wish I could have set this book on fire but I got it from the library so I was more then happy to return it as quickly as I was able.

[Ed · Rating 5 out of 5]

Over the years of my reading, I have enjoyed the different entries in Sue Grafton's Alphabet Mystery Series. "L" is also a winner. Her intrepid private investigator, Kinsey Millhone, this time ends up going on a treasure hunt for missing stolen goods. The nasty villains get in her way, and I hoped that she'd pull through. I look forward to continuing to read deeper into her series.

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s been a long while since I stalled on this series and I’m glad I got back to it. Thoroughly enjoyed!

[Ivonne Rovira · Rating 5 out of 5]

Much of the action takes place in Sue Grafton's hometown of Louisville. Regardless of setting, Grafton always has a great story. It made me think of the Germantown neighborhood of Louisville, where my mother lived in her own shotgun house!

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this one! Cross country trip while chasing down stolen loot from forty years ago. Lots of twists and turns and action.

[SuperWendy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Another middle alphabet book that I had no recall on and...I didn't like it much. Kinsey gets sucked into a job that's not paying her and instead of bailing ends up sticking around because she just can't seem to help herself. Also we spend a lot of time with "the bad guys" here and I don't care how much time you spend and how much Grafton tries to make them likeable enough for me to care about them - they're still the bad guys. They lie constantly (more than Kinsey, which takes some doing) and the lack of complete closure at the end bugged me. It lacked of sense of justice that bugged me.

[hotsake (André Troesch) · Rating 2 out of 5]

After coming off one of the best books in the series with the previous book this one was a big disappointment.
The story started off decent with a small favor turning into an interesting mystery romp until the story took a turn and fell completely on its face about halfway through after which Kinsey became a useless side character who is only there to be an observer to chronicle the events. To make matters worse she gets outclassed by a nearly blind 85-year-old woman not once but twice. Another dud like this and I am abandoning the series.

[Badseedgirl · Rating 2 out of 5]

This twelfth novel in the Kinsey Millhone series was the first one I have not really enjoyed. I felt Kinsey was incredibly naive in almost all her interaction, and that is not how I enjoy my Kinsey.

[Jaksen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three stars for this one and a sort of 'necessary' read for those reading the entire Sue Grafton alphabet, minus 'Z' which she never got to. (And never authorized anyone to finish for her, either!)

Kinsey's up to her neck doing favors for her elderly landlord - who is a 'hoot' btw, to use a word I never use but fits perfectly here. Seems landlord Henry has a recently-deceased friend whose family is having a hard time finding the right papers, info., etc in order to qualify for the burial benefit given to veterans. And why not? Why not just shovel right into a dirty old room, dirty old boxes full of dirty old papers trying to find out why the US government refuses to give the family their paltry $300 or so bucks? I mean, come on, Kinsey's our gal.

I feel about Kinsey Millhone, the PI at the center of these novels, as I did about Nancy Drew as a child. Kinsey's plucky, indefatigable, nobody's fool. She runs by her own barometer, too, and unlike N. Drew, doesn't care a fig about how she looks, what she eats, who she sleeps with...

(Nancy Drew never got old enough, not in my books, to kind of sleep around. Kinsey is 35 in this one.)

And so, just by helping out, gratis, a friend of a friend, Kinsey is soon up to her neck in deep water as she gets involved with an entire crime family, so to speak. She actually chums around with them. They sorta kinda like her. There's a mystery at the center of all this and lots of running around just ahead of a really big BAD guy and so....

No spoilers here. Just a general overview. This is an entertaining read, often more on the light side than the other books (so far) in the series. Currently I've done G-L, moving on to M.

Three plucky stars.

[Jaret · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the comic caper style of this episode in the Kinsey Millhone series. The beginning was a good build-up, but not near as much fun as the end. I could understand Kinsey's appeal to some of the characters. Her instant attraction (family-style) made the plotline even more humorous. I hated the character, Laura, but enjoyed Kinsey's sister-style bantering with her. The mystery was more of a treasure hunt, but the true treasure was the character Helen (aka Hell on Wheels). She reminds me a lot of my grandmother and I found myself laughing out loud at moments. This is definitely a character-driven story and I enjoyed the characters in the second-half of the story.

[Baba · Rating 2 out of 5]

Kinsey Millhone mystery No. 12:
Henry asks Kinsey to look at a deceased man's home, which leads to her continually breaking the law as part of the case! Getting caught up with a modern-day Bonnie and Clyde, we get to see another side of Kinsey... all in the name of the case, right?

[Jeff Tankersley · Rating 2 out of 5]

Private Eye Kinsey Millhone's landlord asks that she lend a hand to a local bum who is trying to get some benefits to pay for his dead grandfather's final expenses. Her 80-year-old landlord is also bustling about preparing for a family wedding taking place on Thanksgiving; his older brother is getting married. Family drama also is going around Kinsey herself because some of her own estranged family are trying to wedge into her life.

When Millhone notices a suspicious character sneaking out of the dead grandpa's home with a heavy duffel bag, she decides to follow him and ends up on a cross-country chase with a potential hidden treasure mystery to solve while surrounded by two other characters who are having their own little family drama crisis.

Verdict: A light tale with a lot of private eye procedural machinations that cross into mundane yawn-inducing segments at times, with those family dramas doubling down on that mundane territory as well. "L" fits the series overall but is mostly boring.

Jeff's Rating: 2 / 5 (Okay)
movie rating if made into a movie: PG-13

[Taryn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Either grafton is faltering or I'm getting better. I had this one figured out way before Kinsey did (and I'm not usually the first to figure things out). Not only that but the plot didn't ring as true for me for a couple reasons: *spoiler* 1.) i didn't get why kinsey would stay involved when she wasn't getting paid, even if she did start it as a favor to Henry; and 2.) there wasn't even a partial resolution at the end--the "crooks" seem to get away and the family who she was originally trying to help were never even mentioned again. I can't say I didn't enjoy the ride, but it seemed a bit more careless than her usual fare.