Customer Reviews

I Is for Innocent

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.

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.

"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!

Very good book, in the alphabet series, but one of the more complicated ones. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good mystery!

"I" has got to be one of Grafton's best! You begin with such elusion and then it all becomes so clear! Millhone takes you on the step by step tour of events and never lets you down! Tremendous!

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.