‘K’ Is For Killer by Sue Grafton

Synopsis:

Lorna Kepler was beautiful and willful, a loner who couldn't resist flirting with danger. Maybe that's what killed her.

Her death had raised a host of tough questions. The cops suspected homicide, but they could find neither motive nor suspect. Even the means were mysterious: Lorna's body was so badly decomposed when it was discovered that they couldn't be certain she hadn't died of natural causes. In the way of overworked cops everywhere, the case was gradually shifted to the back burner and became another unsolved file.

Only Lorna's mother kept it alive, consumed by the certainty that somebody out there had gotten away with murder.

In the ten months since her daughter's death, Janice Kepler had joined a support group, trying to come to terms with her loss and her anger. It wasn't helping. And so, leaving a session one evening and noticing a light on in the offices of Millhone Investigations, she knocked on the door.

In answering that knock, Kinsey Millhone is pulled into the netherworld of unavenged murder, where only a pact with the devil will satisfy the restless ghosts of the victims and give release to the living they have left behind.

I just need to mention how much I love Kinsey as a character. I feel like I identify with her and her sassiness and general inability to deal with people’s nonsense. She makes me laugh every time I read one of the books. She also has actual deep feeling though, and those were on display in this book with Danielle. It is a shame we will not be able to know whether they could develop a deeper friendship or not.

This was one of those mystery books were everyone seems like they are guilty. They are all a little bit off, and I was almost positive that everyone was guilty at one point. I am extremely dissatisfied with how this novel closed though. I feel like there was no real conclusion and that it wasn’t actually solved.

I wish we would have figured out more about the motive of the murder, more about the relationships that Lorna had with people, and who the heck she was getting married to. There were a lot of things that I wanted more of, but I guess it would have been too long of a book at that point.

Reading about Kinsey barely sleeping and then messing up her sleeping schedule was also hilarious and I felt myself identifying with her more.

If we could  have gotten more of a resolution and a deeper dive into the relationships, this book would get a full 5-star rating.

3/5 Stars

Memorable Quotes: "I'm the current ranking expert at reading upside down and seldom hesitate to insert myself into matters that are not my concern."

“Sometimes anxiety and caffeine have the same effect.”

“I could feel my stomach lurch at the thought of more coffee. The cups I’d consumed were already making my brain vibrate like an out-of-balance washing machine.”

“I fell asleep wondering if there was a cause-and-effect relationship between memory loss and abstinence. Apparently so, as that was the last thing I was aware of for the next four hours.”

“If I’d gone to bed at nine or even ten o’clock, I could have slept through the night. But now my sleep permit had reached its expiration point. Having stayed awake this long, I was consigned to further wakefulness.”

“’I didn’t actually say that, but if I did, I lied. I’m really a wretched person. I’m sorry you didn’t understand that. Now get out of my car’”

“My phone rang at noon. I’d been awake for an hour but unwilling to stir. Having completed my transmigration into the nocturnal realms, I found the notion of getting up any time before two repugnant.”

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“I” Is For Innocent by Sue Grafton

Synopsis:

When David Barney was acquitted in the shooting death of his wife, Isabelle, a good many thought that justice had not been served - including Kenneth Voight, Isabelle's former husband. Now, five years later, Voight is the plaintiff in a civil suit in which Barney stands accused of Isabelle's wrongful death. The stakes are high - Isabelle's estate is worth millions - but time is running short: the statue of limitations will cut Voight off in only a matter of weeks. Enter sexy, savvy ex-cop turned P.I. Kinsey Millhone, brought in by Voight to gather the necessary damning evidence. It doesn't take long, however, for Kinsey to find that while a lot of people hate David Barney, a lot more hated Isabelle. Suddenly a simple civil case becomes a deadly hunt for someone who once got away with murder . . . and may again . . .

Why do I read crime novels? Why do I read the Kinsey Millhone series? The answer to both of those questions is – I read them for books like this. I love any book that keeps me guessing until the final page. I love thinking I have the answer and then changing my mind every few chapters.

“I” Is For Innocent had so many twists and turns, it is incredible that the book didn’t fall right out of my hands.

The one downside I found with it is that there were so many different characters involved that I found myself getting confused at times and not remembering who was who.

Other than that, it was everything you look for in a crime thriller.

Kinsey was her typical badass self. Despite her doubts because of softening up after getting fired, she is still a badass – increasingly more so as the novel progressed. Her sense of humor is one of biggest things that got me hooked to this series. I find myself chuckling out loud often while reading these books and it adds to the joy of the experience.

Henry and William added even more comedic relief to the book. We all know and love Henry as Kinsey’s landlord and friend. When his brother comes to visit, things go to hell for him pretty quick and I found myself laughing a lot at them too.

For the actual crime solving, the case went from trying to put away the “known killer” to Kinsey trying to piece together a seemingly botched investigation by the previous PI (RIP). With so many people tangled in this messy web and so many loose ends to tie up, it seemed like it would never be solved. Of course, Kinsey comes through once again, and while it may not have ended as everyone would have hoped, it ended with the right person paying for their actions.

At different parts of the novel, it seemed like everyone involved was guilty. That is what kept me guessing, and I honestly couldn’t figure it out until it was revealed. The only thing I wish from the conclusion is that we would have gotten some answers, but sometimes you just have to be left guessing. The final scene had my heart racing.

For being the 9^th book in the series, it is one of the best. I really enjoyed the ride it took me on.

5/5 Stars

Memorable Quotes:

“Let’s face it, life is trivial, and my guess is that dying imparts very little wisdom on those in process.”

“It’s hard to have faith in your fellow man when you’re forced to look at some of his handiwork.”

“Unplug yourself often and you risk losing touch with your feelings altogether.”

“The dead are mute, but the living still have voice with which to protest their innocence. Often their objections are noisy and pious, impossible to refute since the person who could condemn them has been silenced forever.”

“There’s no point to anything if you get right down to it. We could all blow out brains out, but we don’t.”

“Growing up had made her crabby, which happens to the best of us.”

“I’m not cute at all. I’m a very cranky person.”

“What I wanted was to bang by forehead against the steering wheel till it bled. Maybe the self-inflicted pain would help me clear my thought process.”

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