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17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Sue Grafton doesn't let you down., August 3, 1997
By A Customer
"I" is also for impressive, interesting and intriguing.
Sue Grafton's ninth book in the Kinsey Millhone series is all these and more.
In this installment, Kinsey is asked to take over the investigation of the five-year-old Isabelle Barney murder.
David Barney, Isabelle's second husband, was tried and acquitted of her murder. Now he's being sued for wrongful death, and it is Kinsey's job to find evidence that implicates David in the murder.
That turns out to be easier said than done. Kinsey finds out that there are a lot more people who would have liked Isabelle dead than just David. Her employer, her ex-husband, her ex-husband's wife, her best friend and even her sister all held grudges against Isabelle.
Kinsey clearly has her hands full with this one. Everyone is a suspect. Slowly but surely, she puts all the clues together and finds the killer.
This novel is almost identical in style to the other Kinsey Millhone books and that is what makes it so good. Grafton is smart enough to find a formula that works and stay with it. It's a basic mystery story with enough twists, turns and characters to keep it interesting.
The characters in this novel are part perfection and part hindrance. Grafton paints them vividly -- my favorite is Curtis McIntyre, the ex-con who tries more than one to pick Kinsey up. They are more than supporting players.
But, while the characters are wonderfully created, the abundance of them may confuse some readers. I had a little trouble remembering who was married to whom and who was doing what when Isabelle was killed. I was so interested, though, that I flipped back through the pages to find out what I needed to know. Some people may not think it's worth the trouble, however, and give up.
My favorite thing about this novel is that it is almost impossible to figure out who actually did the killing before reading the last page. I guess an experienced sleuth could figure it out, but for those of us who are amateurs it's a great puzzle.
Don't let the fact that you haven't read the eight novels published before this one stop you from enjoying it. In this book, as in each of the ones before it, Kinsey gives a "25-words-or-less" narrative of her past that catches you up and teases you to go back and read the other ones.
This novel is one of those you either deliberately read slowly because you don't want to get to the end, or you read as quickly as possible so youc an go back and read the others.
Either way you do it, Sue Grafton won't let you down.
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13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
"I" is for Number One, January 14, 2001
This review is from: I Is for Innocent (Kinsey Millhone Mysteries) (Mass Market Paperback)
Hands down, this is the best book of the series. That doesn't mean you can necessarily start here, just that this one is a head above the rest. Kinsey is brought into a wrongful death case shortly before trial when the previous investigator dies. She finds out that he was not really doing his job, instead hiding away in his office to sneak a pizza or two. As always there are twists and turns. All of them make sense and are told with the Kinsey's characteristic sardonic tone. The case involves an old murder and the supporting cast, as always, is well drawn and interesting. The nice thing about the Kinsey novels is that the recurring characters, including Kinsey herself, grow and their lives change from book to book. (That's part of the reason why you really can't skip around.) Anyway, the ending is surprising, plausible, and exciting. In fact, you'll probably say "boy the killer was smart and almost got away with it." In short, this one is a keeper. I know it'll be worth your time.
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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Pretty great, April 27, 2000
This review is from: I Is for Innocent (Kinsey Millhone Mysteries) (Mass Market Paperback)
"I" wasn't as fascinating as the usual Kinsey fare, but it was pretty damn good. As noted before, there were so many characters who all seemed like a similar stock of wealthy socialites that it at times did feel like they were cutouts of the same mold. However, the plot was enjoyable and the little subplot with Kinsey's landlord Henry was quite amusing. Nice twist at the end, also, to the main plot. Looking forward to "J"!
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