Whatever Wednesday - Kinsey and Me - Sue Grafton

 Sue Grafton     RIP

Kinsey Millhone    ABC Murder cases. 

She was an awesome writer.   This book has  some of her beginning stories - just crafting the Kinsey character.  It also involves some autobiographical material

Insights into the woman behind a HUGE bestselling series. 

Thank you Sue Grafton.  'Nuff said. 

RIP - Sue Grafton

Alas, Sue Grafton passed at age 77 before completing her alphabet mystery series. A fun, decent writer gone too soon.

A Is For Alibi started it all in 1982. Kinsey Millhone, a young private detective, let us into her life in Southern California and led us through a lot of puzzles. She was dogged, intrepid, smart, wily, and also keenly perceptive about the human condition.

Ms.Grafton said, "I find it more interesting to see what the constant exposure to violence and death really does to a human being, how a person incorporates that into their psyche." (from The Times interview 1985)

Y is for Yesterday was published in August, 2017. That is her final book. According to her family, Sue Grafton never wanted the series turned into movies, TV shows, or allow a ghost writer to continue in any vein. Thus, the alphabet ends at Y. (from her DMN obituary).

Sue Grafton was a solid author with a unique character in Kinsey. She grew in confidence in front of our eyes. By keeping the series in the 1980s, Grafton avoided the ease of too much technology. Old fashioned,hardcore beat footwork was the name of the detective game.

I hoofed along with Kinsey and enjoyed the ride, cruising up and down the CA highways, stopping for a run at the beach, and trying to guess the outcome of the mystery. Sue Grafton's work lives on.

R.I.P.

Book Review: T is For Trespass

The alphabet series by Sue Grafton is classic in the mystery genre. As you can tell by this wrinkled cover, I picked up this book for fifty cents. I've read from A to T, but could probably start over as I don't remember one plot from another. The key is our heroine, Kinsey Millhone. She's a private investigator with a lack of dating skills. The series is set in the 1980s so there is a lack of instant technology. Kinsey must use library resources and her own crackerjack intuition. No instant Google answers or texting. Her friends include Rosie and Henry - seniors who care for her as much as she helps them.

The plots are seamless, the dialogue witty, and you are entertained from start to finish. If you've never read Ms.Grafton, you are in for a treat. Start with A is for Alibi and look forward to T is for Trespass and beyond.