Customer Reviews

M Is for Malice

5 star:		(31)
4 star:		(30)
3 star:		(18)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

I've looked over the reviews and for the most part they are either of the "loved it" or "hated it" type. I fall somewhere inbetween. I've read all the books in order. Some are certainly better than others but I have to say that once I got into this one I kept thinking "Wow! This is the best one yet!" There were a couple of scenes in which Kinsey might have been encountering a ghost that genuinely creeped me out. Another reviewer complained about Ms. Grafton's thorough descriptions of surroundings but that's one of the reasons why I love her series so much. I feel as though I'm there or I'm watching a movie but I also get the psychological aspect too. Also, I was at a total loss as to who might have done it and I hate it when I read a mystery and figure out who the bad guy is before the author reveals them. However, typical of the Grafton novels, you don't find out until the last few pages who committed the crime. When that revelation came my praise of the book went out the window. I won't give it away but I'll just say that it was a total soap opera twist and VERY UNBELIEVABLE and silly. If the ending had just been more convincing I'd laud this book to high heaven but the climax was just straight from a Day's Of Our Lives episode.

This book seems to be all about the possible pitfalls of catching up with relatives you haven't met before, or see for years. At the same time that Kinsey Millhone finally begins catching up with her long-lost Howard cousins, Robert Dietz drifts back into her life - and she is hired for case to find a family's long-lost brother.

It is through her new found cousin, Tasha, a lawyer, that she is bought into a case to find a Guy Malek - tearaway, drug addict and all-round fraudster who has been missing for 18 years. He has to be traced as he is mentioned in his father's will and Kinsey is brought in to help the three remaining Malek brothers track him down to settle the will. Its a straight-forward case and it hardly takes her a chapter to do - but all is not well in the Malek household. There is bitterness there that dates back to well before Guy left - and it all seems to be centred on Guy .

However Kinsey seems to think that Guy really is a changed person. So when a murder is committed in the Malek household only a few nights after his return Kinsey must return to find out what happened within those walls. There is unhappiness, malice and old crimes which must be solved before the perpetrator of this latest murder can be brought to justice. This is another story of Loyalty which reminds of C is for Corpse - where she is investigating for love as well as for money.

Sue Grafton cleverly (I think) dovetails Kinsey's life and issues with those of her new cousins, and the case she is trying to address. The return of her Dietz into her life and the conflict of emotions she feels in herself for Guy Malek, the man she was hired to find, and also her relationship - or lack of it, with Jonah Robb who is now Lieutenant, made this quite sad for me. In each book we are given further tantalising flashes of Kinsey's personal life.

I found the mystery quite complex, there were quite a number of leads to follow - some of which ended in dead ends. One thing I found a little hard to take was the supernatural aspect of it but it only intruded a little into the book. I think this is the best Kinsey Millhone mystery so far.

I read A Is for Alibi when it first came out--and will continue to read each new Sue Grafton book as it come off the press--but let's be realistic: some are better than others. I number myself among the ranks of those addicted Sue Grafton readers who don't like a lot of change going on with their favorite character. And I have been disappointed a lot lately. There were actually 4-5 Kinsey books published receently that I truly did not enjoy because Kinsey was not Kinsey. But now she's finally back! The crisp wit (a la Sam Spade and the hard drinking, wise cracking PIs of the 30s and 40s) and acid tongue are still sadly muted, but some of the old characters are back and the mystery is at the center of the plot again. A good read--one that is close to being up there with the best of Sue Grafton

I have to say that I am very disappointed in M. I have loved the series so far but I have picked up and put down this book at least 15 times. With the others, I barely stopped reading long enough to run to the bathroom!! The characters lack depth, the most interesting character gets murdered, and quite honestly, the other characters are so ..., I didn't even care who did it. Overall, great series, poor book.

M is for Malice by Sue Grafton comes from a series of books for each letter of the alphabet, and this is the 13th book of the series. The book is adult fiction about a private eye named Kinsey Millhone, who was hired by a rich family to find the their brother. He was kicked out of the house 18 years earlier, and is now wanted back to discuss his fathers will. When the brother named Guy gets home he is murdered and everyone in the house is a suspect. I was shocked when I found out who was the murderer of Guy was. As a student I thought that is was easy to read, and I would recommend the book to teenagers and adults. If you enjoy reading books that will keep you in suspense and you like to guess what might happen next, you should read this book. M is for Malice is a book I never wanted to put down, and just wanted to keep reading. I think that this book is a great book to read, and you don't have to read the rest of the series to understand it, which I think, is great.

M is for Malice is another entry in the alphabet murder mysteries by Sue Grafton. The novel is narrated,as are all the other books in the series, by Private Investigator Kinsey Millhone. Millhone lives in the fictional town of Santa Teresa California. She is in her 30s, twice divorced and a former police officer. Kinsey is addicted to early morning jogging along Cabana Boulevard on the beach, munching McDonald's Quarter Pounders with cheese and driving her old Volkswagen on stakeouts. Her friends include Henry Pitts her landlord who is in his 80s. Another friend is Rosie the Hungarian restaurant owner who is wed to Wlliam Pitts the brother of William.
M is for Malice is a case involving a missing will and a dysfunctional family which is wealthy but far from wise. The Malik family consists of:
Donovan: The oldest brother who is wed to Christie. He is a businessman who takes after his late father in being a workaholic
Bennet: A lazy brother who likes to daydream about life in the 1960s.
Jack is the golf playing pro who has never married.
Guy-He was a troublemaker as a young man. Kinsey's assignment is to find his whereabouts after 18 years of being missing from the family circle. Guy is due to inherit 1/4 of his late father's will estimated at five million dollars.
The novel also features the rekindling of romance between Kinsey and Robert Dietz who is himself a private investigator. The book is a puzzle as we join with Kinsey in discovering the murderer. The ending is suprising. Enter the wonderful world created by Sue Grafton by reading a Kinsey Millhone alphabet mystery and enjoy a fine reading experience. Recommended!

In M for Malice, Kinsey has been hired to find the whereabouts of a Guy Malek. For the last 18 years, Guy has been missing after being ostracized by his family for his reckless lifestyle. When he returns home, his brothers' believe he has come to claim his portion of the inheritance their father left him, while Guy's true motive is to resolve their family differences. The family tension increases when anonymous letters sent to the newspaper publicizes Guy's return to claim his inheritance. Just when Guy's life couldn't get any worse, he's killed. In the end Millhone finds the clues that lead her to the killer and bam, it's done.
This was the first book I've read by Sue Grafton and it might be the last. I guess I grabbed the wrong "letter" off the shelf. I was excepting ingenious detective work, brutal integration of witnesses, and Kinsey always nearly escaping death. Instead, M for Malice provides a lengthy plot that has an ending that is far fetched and evolves more around Kinsey's love life with Robert Dietz. So if you're looking for the hardcore P.I. story, move on to another letter. However, if you're into the semi-sappy romance novel, this is the one.

Sue Grafton's alphabet series featuring Kinsey Millhone can usually be relied upon to provide an entertaining read. However, some of the most recent installments in the series have proven to be somewhat weak efforts. M is for Malice is an example of these weaker efforts. The mystery just never hooks you and if you have never read Grafton before you will find little to catch your interest. Some of the earliest books in the series were among the best mysteries I have ever read. The last couple of books have fallen way short of that. Let's hope this trend ends soon or Z may be for Zero Interest.

Grafton has produced another interesting mystery to add to such a great series - I've read and enjoyed them all. As for M is for Malice, this plot kept me intrigued and the characters came to life with Grafton's vivid descriptions and (lead character) Kinsey's often humorous observations. There is a comfortable familiarity with the recurring characters of Henry and Rosie, who have been present throughout the series. However, M is for Malice stands independently of any of the series' previous books and provides enough character information to make the new Grafton reader feel familiar with past events that have caused Kinsey to evolve to her current self. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good mystery peppered with liberal doses of humor.

Love her books and Judy Kaye is an awesome narrator - she really fits the main character at least in my mind she does.