Customer Reviews

I Is for Innocent (Kinsey Millhone Mysteries)

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

"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.

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.

"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"!

The authenticity of character development makes this a fantastic read, however, I gave it three stars for two reasons: 1. the section where the girl from the motel says she can identify the truck from a moments glance at it from an accident that she witnessed 5 years ago was unrealistic and 2. when it was discovered who "dunnit" we never got to find out why from the "horse's" mouth (just left to assume she was murdered for reasons made obvious from earlier descriptions of the relationship between Isabelle and her killer). I would have liked to hear more from the murderer but overall I would recommend this book for fans of Grafton. I will definitley go on to indulge in J is for Judgment!

Grafton has written yet another fun mystery of the Kinsey Millhone variety. After being acquitted of the murder of his wealthy and artistic wife, an architect is sued in civil court for wrongful death by the victim's obsessed first husband, and Kinsey is hired to solidify the evidence against him (remind you of OJ?). I was particularly impressed with the skillful way Grafton wove the development of the murder victim's character through interviews with those who knew her. This is definitely one of the better of the alphabet mysteries. I naughtily stayed up way past my bedtime to finish this one.

This book is excellent-as all of Sue Grafton's Kinsey Millhone books that I've read. Sue really knows how to make the story intriguing, yet without making it too suspenseful. And Kinsey is not the most typical P.I. either; for one thing she's a woman and for another thing, she's the hard-butted detective that we all crave for in our books. She's also bitingly funny even at the most mysterious moments. So let's give Sue and Kinsey a high-five.

The novel is a quick read & will keep the reader guessing till the end. A few characters wind up meeting their demise in various ways. Kinsey Millhone keeps her quick wit about her, as usual, as she sets to digging for the truth. Any number of characters in the book is suspect until the final pages. Ms. Grafton weaves the story well.
I did find the first half bogged down a bit. The book took off nicely in the second half. At this point in the series, I think a bit too much time is spent on secondary characters such as Rosie & Kinsey's landlord

Kinsey is not enjoying her present state of unemployment, but she gets an opportunity when she pretty much inherits an older case of a man convicted of murdering his wife over money. Grafton cleverly battles the lifestyles of the rich and famous as well as intrigue that is both classic and surprising.

As Sue Grafton continues her alphabet series, we've seen many changes in the main character, Kinsey Millhone. If you've been with Grafton since A IS FOR ALIBI like I have, you'll notice a more subdued Kinsey in this book. Since Kinsey no longer works for California Fidelity doing all of their investigative work, and her future is uncertain, her usual "edge" seems to have been dulled. This is a disappointment - I enjoy the feisty Kinsey!

Sue Grafton introduces a new support cast to liven things up a bit as her detective series continues along its journey. Kinsey is hired to take over a seemingly boring case when a local private investigator dies of a heart attack and she must find the facts quickly before the statute of limitations runs out! She stumbles into a "whodunit" involving a dead artist, a husband tried and acquitted, and an ex-husband screaming "foul". It's up to Kinsey to figure it all out in the few weeks allowed by the court, and in the process to keep herself safe. This proves to be easier said than done in the writing style that we've come to enjoy and expect from Sue Grafton.

One of the things that I enjoy about Grafton is that she not only tells a great story, but at the same time she lays the foundation for future books. After becoming familiar with her writing style, you'll start to pick up on the tidbits of information that she brings out in the open only to read about those same facts in more detail in a future episode. It's almost as if her alphabet series is one very long novel with each letter of the alphabet being a chapter instead of a separate book - these read almost like Kinsey Millhone's diary. But then again, I can see why she's done it this way -- who would buy a book of 8,000 pages or so? It would be a little difficult to carry it to the beach, park or on an airplane!

Grafton has created yet another fantastic masterpiece with this tale. She's definitely on a hot streak with this book and it keeps you on the edge of your seat with a few twists along the way until the end!

Milhone has left California Fidelity. Lonnie Kingman gives her a much-needed job investigating a six year old murder. The probable killer was acquitted and the victim's family want to bring a civil action against him. Henry's older brother William has arrived and is invloved with Rosie
This is one of Grafton's more classical mysteries. There's an ingenious collection of suspects.If you read chspter 11 very carefully and look at the times of the events on the night of the murder you might be able to figure out whodunnit. She gives us lore about mushroom poisoning (but Amanita phalloides is found in upland coniferous woods - not the kind of coastal California garden she describes).
One of the funniest passages is her paraphrase of a modern version of the 23rd psalm read at a liberal non-denominational funeral. Grafton is sometimes accused of being anti-Christian, but only someone with a profound respect for the King James Bible could have come up with this hilarious parody of a travesty.
The trademark final Kinsey Milhone in peril scene is one of her most convincing (assuming Santa Theresa police are slow about responding to gunfire) and suspenseful.