‘D’ Is For Deadbeat by Sue Grafton

Synopsis:

When Alvin Limardo walks into P.I. Kinsey Millhone's office, she smells bad news. He wants Kinsey to deliver $25,000. The recipient: A fifteen-year-old boy. It's a simple matter. So simple that Kinsey wonders why he doesn't deliver the money himself. She's almost certain something is off. But with rent due, Kinsey accepts Limardo's retainer against her better judgment…

When Limardo's check bounces, Kinsey discovers she's been had big time. Alvin Limardo is really John Daggett--an ex-con with a drinking problem, two wives to boot, and a slew of people who would like to see him dead. Now Kinsey is out four hundred dollars and in hot pursuit of Daggett.

When Daggett's corpse shows up floating in the Santa Teresa surf, the cops rule the death an accident. Kinsey thinks it's murder. But seeking justice for a man who everyone seemed to despise is going to be a lot tougher than she bargained for--and what awaits her at the end of the road is much more disturbing than she could've ever imagined…

Wow… and I thought that ‘C’ had a dark tone to it. The ending of ‘D’ Is For Deadbeat is one of the most somber book endings that I have read in a long time.

It made me an even bigger fan of Kinsey Millhone, though. I must say that.

This book also took me back to not being able to guess the twist until it was revealed which was nice to encounter after I had guessed it earlier on in the previous book. I had hoped that wouldn’t continue, and Grafton delivered immediately with the next installment.

I found this to be a really quick read even though it was a touch longer than the previous ones. Something about it just really gripped me and wouldn’t let go.

This is a book that is going to stick with me for a long time.

5/5 stars.

Memorable Quotes: “I’ve never rhapsodized about exercise and Id avoid it if I could, but I notice the older I get, the more my body seems to soften, like butter left out at room temp. I don’t like to watch my ass drop and my thighs spread outward like jodhpurs made of flesh.”

“Sometimes I picture death as a wide stone staircase, filled with a silence procession of those being led away. I see death too often to worry about it, but I miss the departed and I wonder if I’ll be docile when my turn comes.”

“I’m capable of screwing things up by trying to solve all the problems in advance instead of simply taking care of issues as they surface.”

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