G is for Gumshoe (The Kinsey Millhone Alphabet Mysteries) [Mass Market Paperback]

Sue Grafton (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 27, 2007

For #1 New York Times bestselling author Sue Grafton’s PI Kinsey Milhone, danger comes with the job—but she never expects to find herself at the top of a hit man’s list…

G IS FOR GAME…

When Irene Gersh asks PI Kinsey Millhone to locate her elderly mother Agnes, whom she hasn’t heard from in six months, it’s not exactly the kind of case Kinsey jumps for. But a girl’s gotta pay her bills, and this should be easy money—or so she thinks. Kinsey finds Agnes in a hospital. Aside from her occasional memory lapses, the octogenarian seems fine. And frightened.

G IS FOR GUN…

Kinsey doesn’t know what to make of Agnes’s vague fears and bizarre ramblings, but she’s got her own worries. It seems Tyrone Patty, a criminal she helped put behind bars, is looking to make a hit. First, Kinsey’s car is run off the road, and then days later, she’s almost gunned down, setting in motion a harrowing cat and mouse game…

G IS FOR GUMSHOE

So Kinsey decides to hire a bodyguard. With PI Robert Dietz watching her 24/7, Kinsey is feeling on edge…especially with their growing sexual tension. Then, Agnes dies of an apparent homicide, Kinsey realizes the old lady wasn’t so senile after all—and maybe she was trying to tell her something? Now Kinsey’s determined to learn the truth…even if it kills her.

 

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

California PI Kinsey Millhone, hired to investigate the disappearance of a client's eccentric, elderly mother, must also evade a vengeful criminal whom she helped put away four years earlier. "Grafton creates . . . a twist in the complex plot to tease Bronte fans, and a new, vulnerable side to the still-sardonic Kinsey," said PW. "The only complaint is that it ends abruptly." Author tour.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

Feisty private investigator Kinsey Millhone continues to solve mysteries, in this case finding and taking an elderly woman to a nursing home near her daughter. But the lady mysteriously disappears within hours of her arrival. Painfully aware of the fact that a contract has been arranged for her own murder, Kinsey unravels the events of the past clue by clue, narrating the action-filled story in a realistic, easy-to-read, informal style. Less motivated students are sure to appreciate a character with a respectable, exciting job without having had a college education; although Kinsey had police training, her bodyguard freely admits he left high school but later took an equivalency test. This light mystery maintains interest to the end; everything happens quickly. --Claudia Moore, W. T. Woodson High School, Fairfax, VA
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Paperbacks; 1st edition (November 27, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312946201
• ISBN-13: 978-0312946203
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (67 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #37,838 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #24 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Mystery & Thrillers > Mystery > Hard-Boiled
  • #98 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Mystery & Thrillers > Mystery > Women Sleuths

More About the Author

New York Times-bestselling author Sue Grafton is published in twenty-eight countries and twenty-six languages--including Estonian, Bulgarian, and Indonesian. Books in her alphabet series, begun in 1982, are international bestsellers with readership in the millions. And like Raymond Chandler and Ross Macdonald, Grafton has earned new respect for the mystery form. Readers appreciate her buoyant style, her eye for detail, her deft hand with character, her acute social observances, and her abundant storytelling prowess. She has been named a Grand Master by the Mystery Writers of America (2009) and is a recipient of the Ross Macdonald Literary Award (2004).

Sue Grafton has been married to Steve Humphrey for more than thirty years, and they divide their time between Montecito, California, and Louisville, Kentucky, where she was born and raised. Grafton, who has three children and four grandchildren, loves cats, gardens, and good cuisine.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars G is for Good, but not as great as the usual Grafton book, May 5, 2001

By 

Paul Skinner (Manassas, Virginia United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: G Is for Gumshoe (Kinsey Millhone Mysteries) (Mass Market Paperback)

Kinsey gets herself into two stories, intertwined, but not really related. I kept wanting the two plotlines to link up into a single story, but this never happened. There were several things about the book that were lacking. First, I never understood how the hitman got ahead of Kinsey in her trip down to the Salton Sea. I mean, come on, how could he anticipate which rest stop she would use? The killer seemed to have passed up several opportunities to get her, which also didn't make sense. And the Dietz character also didn't make sense. Yea, right, he decided to be her free bodyguard, then without much todo, he leaves at the end. The story was well written, however, and the connection to the 19th century sisters was well thought out. I hate to give Sue Grafton anything less than 4 stars, but this was the most dissappointing of the series so far (A-G).

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars G is for Gumshoe is a fine addition to the alphabet series of mysteries featuring Kinsey Millhone by Sue Grafton, March 9, 2011

By 

C. M Mills "Michael Mills" (Knoxville Tennessee) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: G is for Gumshoe (The Kinsey Millhone Alphabet Mysteries) (Mass Market Paperback)

G is for Gumshoe is another in the series of Kinsey Millhone Private Investigator mysteries by Sue Grafton prolific New York Times bestselling author. The novel is narrated by Kinsey Millhone. Kinsey is in her early 30s, twice divorced and is a private investigator in the a small California city.
The Plot: Frail Irene Gersh employs Kinsey to find her elderly mother Agnes. Agnes is in poor health living in a desert town in California. Kinsey locates the old woman after being nearly run off the road by a would be hit man. Kinsey is targeted for death by Tyrone Patty who has bent sent up the river due to Kinsey's good detective work. Kinsey finds protection in the arms of PI Robert Dietz. There are several close calls and a surprise ending to this tale.
The book moves along at a jaunty pace with several twists and unexpected turns before the nettlesome case is solved. I found this novel to be interesting in its depiction of how a PI investigates happenings from 70 or more years ago by studying microfilm and newspaper records in the public library. A good quick read to make the hours and pages fly on an otherwise boring day. Grafton is good!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Really terrific, April 16, 2000

By 

Shannon Byrd - See all my reviews

This review is from: G Is for Gumshoe (Kinsey Millhone Mysteries) (Mass Market Paperback)

Plowing ahead with the series, I found 'G' to be engrossing and chilling. I enjoyed the double plots and also very much liked how Grafton brought in many of the characters from past novels and fleshed them out a little. Bringing back Dietz was a stroke of genius as it allows Kinsey to play off of a male version of herself. I see from other reviews that he will be in future books - can't wait. Overall the plot and suspense of the story were one of the best...it's definitely a don't-miss in the Kinsey series.