O is for Outlaw by Sue Grafton, 1999

 

Image only - no review

"I" is for Innocent by Sue Grafton, 1992

 

About the author: Sue Taylor Grafton (1940 – 2017) is best known as the author of the 25 "alphabet series" ("A" Is for Alibi, etc.) novels featuring private investigator Kinsey Millhone in the fictional city of Santa Teresa, California (based upon Santa Barbara). She was the daughter of detective novelist C. W. Grafton.

Major characters:

Lonnie Kingman, attorney

Kenneth Voigt, Kingman's (and Kinsey's) client
David Barney, architect, acquited of Isabelle''s murder

Laura Barney, RN, David's first wife

Herb Foss, David's attorney

Curtis MacIntyre, informant, habitual offender

Rhe Parsons, Isabelle's friend

Tippy Parsons, Rhe's daughter

Kinsey Millhone, P.I.

Dead prior to the story:

Isabelle Barney, David's ex

Locale: (fictional) Santa Teresa, CA

Synopsis: P.I. Kinsey Millhone is settling into her new office, a room leased from attorney Lonnie Kingman. Kingman has a new client, Kenneth Voigt. His ex-wife, Isabelle, had divorced him, then been murdered. Her new husband, David Barney, was tried and acquited for the crime. There is a considerable estate involved, so Voigt, convinced of Barney's guilt, hires Kingman to bring a civil wrongful death case against him; which would deprive Barney of Isabelle's fortune. Kingman hires Kinsey to try to find some evidence, which was lacking in the criminal trial. There is a bit of urgency, as the five-year statute of limitations is about to run out.

Kimsey gets a lead: Curtis MacIntire had shared a jail cell with Barney, who supposedly admitted the crime to him. It looks good, but then MacIntire's story falls apart, and Kinsey uncovers a rock-solid alibi for Barney; making their case much worse instead of much better.

Review: I am working my way through the 25-title 'Alphabet series' for the second time. These are great 'beach reads' and I always enjoy relaxing with one. 

There is an enjoyable plot line running through it, with landlord Henry Pitts having a visit from his overly-health conscious brother William. (If you like Martha Grimes' Richard Jury / Alfred Wiggins byplay, it's the same setup).  

I did find it difficult to unravel the various marriage combinations, but here they are, in order:

• Unnamed man married Isabelle (her #1). Ended with his death in boating accident.
• Kenneth Voigt (his #1) married Isabelle (her #2). Ended in divorce.
• David Barney (his #1) married Laura. Ended in divorce.
• David Barney (his #2) married Isabelle (her #3). Ended with her death by gunshot.

C is for Corpse by Sue Grafton, 1986

 

About the author: Sue Taylor Grafton (1940 – 2017) is best known as the author of the 25 "alphabet series" ("A" Is for Alibi, etc.) novels featuring private investigator Kinsey Millhone in the fictional city of Santa Teresa, California (based upon Santa Barbara). She was the daughter of detective novelist C. W. Grafton.

Major characters:

• Bobby Callahan, twice the victim
• Glen Callahan, his mother
• Derek Wenner, his stepfather
• Katherine "Kitty" Wenner, his stepsister
• Rick Bergen, another victim, and Kitty's boyfriend
• Sufi Daniels, friend of the Wenners
• Dr. Leo Kleinert, a psychiatrist
• Dr. James Franken, M.D. & his cougar wife Nola
• Kinsey Millhone, private investigator and narrator
• Henry Pitts, Kinsey's landlord
• Lila Sams, Henry's new lady friend

Locale: Santa Teresa, California

Synopsis: Kinsey meets 23-year old Bobby Callahan at her gym. He is recovering from a host of  injuries, sustained in a car crash in which he was driving, and his friend Rick Bergen was killed. Upon learning Kinsey is a P.I., he hires her to investigate the accident. He had been forced off the road by someone, and Bobby claims it was attempted murder.

Kinsey meets Bobby's wealthy family: mother Glen Callahan, stepfather Derek Wenner, and stepsister Katherine "Kitty" Wenner  - who is heavily into drugs. Kinsey begins the preliminaries, but no sooner has she begun meeting with the family and doctors, than Bobby is killed in a second car accident, which turns out to be no accident at all.

Meanwhile, Kinsey's landlord, Henry Pitts, has a new lady friend Lila Sams; but she ain't no lady. She is a gold digger out to scam Henry of his savings. 

Review: I really enjoyed this third book in the series. There is a small cast, and the action moves right along. It adds to the enjoyment when Kinsey, as our narrator, constantly thinks-out-loud her comments about the various people. The scenes in the Callahan/Wenner household gave me a good idea of how the other half lives.

Sufi Daniels was a puzzle, she pops in and out but her connection to the story is quite slim and I never quite figured her out.

The sub-plot about Henry and Lila Sams also adds another dimension, even though you know how that is going to wind up.

The book builds to a climax which occurs in a hospital morgue, where Kinsey finds herself alone with the killer. If you enjoyed Robin Cook's Coma, you will enjoy this hospital chase too. 

B is for Burglar by Sue Grafton, 1985

About the author: Sue Taylor Grafton (1940 – 2017) is best known as the author of the 25 "alphabet series" ("A" Is for Alibi, etc.) novels featuring private investigator Kinsey Millhone in the fictional city of Santa Teresa, California (based upon Santa Barbara). She was the daughter of detective novelist C. W. Grafton.

Major characters:

• Beverly Danziger, Kinsey's brief client
• Elaine Boldt, Beverly's missing sister
• Martha Grice, deceased, Elaine's former neighbor
• Orris & May Snyder, Elaine's other neighbors
• Leonard Grice, the widower
• Mike, Leonard's nephew
• Tillie Ahlberg, apartment manager in Santa Teresa
• Pat Usher, apartment sub-lessor in Boca Raton
• Julia Ochsner, neighbor in Boca Raton
• Kinsey Millhone, priate investigator

Locale: Santa Teresa, CA and Boca Raton, FL

Synopsis: Beverly Danziger approaches P.I. Kinsey Millhone. She has a legal estate document which needs the signature of her sister, Elaine Boldt. However, Elaine cannot be located. She is supposed to be at her summer condo in Boca Raton, Florida; however, Kinsey finds that condo occupied by Pat Usher, who claims she sublet it from Elaine. Without Elaine around, no can prove whether that is or is not the case.

All Kinsey's inquiries come to a dead end. She suggests to Beverly that a missing persons report be filed with the police. This causes Beverly to panic, ending their P.I.-client relationship. Beverly clearly doesn't want the police involved. 

A big question mark is the burned-out house adjacent to Elaine's Santa Teresa condo. The fire occurred about the same time Elaine was last seen, and the murdered/burned body of the homeowner, Martha Grice, was found in the wreckage. The body was identified dentally as Grice, so there was no thought of a switcheroo. The widower, Leonard, is calmly waiting out the period for a modest insurance policy to pay off. His nephew, Mike, visits the property regularly and keeps occupied in a storage shed in the backyard.

Investigation in Boca Roton go nowhere, but elderly neighbor Julia Ochsner proves to be an enthusiastic and helpful operative, and becomes Kinsey's client - and Boca Raton eyes - in order for her to continue the investigation.

Review: This was a good one-day beach read. It moves right along. The setup is transparent: one woman missing, and oh by the way, there is a dead woman xnext door burned beyond recognition. Hmmmm. Could there be a connection?

A couple of interesting characters were fun: the punk-rock teen Mike, who is mature beyond his appearance; and elderly Julia Ochsner who channels Miss Jane Marple. 

The only drawback - and this is minor - is trying to believe some old retired folks could come up with a complicated, risky murder plot in order to get away with something for only a modest payoff. Oh well, for them perhaps it is more exciting than playing bingo at the senior center.

A Is For Alibi by Sue Grafton (1982)

About the author: Sue Taylor Grafton (1940 – 2017) is best known as the author of the 25 "alphabet series" ("A" Is for Alibi, etc.) novels featuring private investigator Kinsey Millhone in the fictional city of Santa Teresa, California (based upon Santa Barbara). She was the daughter of detective novelist C. W. Grafton.

Major characters:

• Laurence Fife, deceased from poison 8 years prior to story
• Nikki Fife, just released on parole, Laurence Fife's second (and final) wife
• Colin Fife, their son, who is deaf
• Elizabeth "Libby"  Glass, accountant, deceased from poison 8 years prior  to story
• Sharon Napier, Laurence Fife's former secretary, now a Vegas card dealer
• Charlie Scorsoni, Laurence Fife's former law partner
  
• Gwen ---, Laurence Fife's first wife
  
• Charlotte Mercer, Laurence Fife's former affair
  
• Lyle Abernathy, Libby's boyfriend

Locale: Santa Teresa, California and Las Vegas, Nevada

Synopsis: Kinsey Millhone, private detective, investigates the death of divorce lawyer Laurence Fife. His murder eight years earlier convicted his wife, Nikki Fife. Upon being released from prison, Nikki hires Kinsey to find the real murderer. In the course of the investigation, Kinsey becomes involved with Charlie Scorsoni, Fife's former law partner. She discovers Fife's death similar to that of Elizabeth "Libby" Glass in Los Angeles, his law firm's accountant; both died after taking poisonous oleander capsules. Kinsey reasons that if Nikki is indeed innocent, the real killer is comfortable after eight years and will not stand for the reopening of any investigation. Kinsey goes to Las Vegas to interview Fife's former secretary, Sharon Napier, who is killed minutes before Kinsey arrives; proving her supposition correct (portions from Wikipedia, edited for brevity and to remove spoilers). 

Review: I had read through this alphabet series a few years back, (prior to my review blogging) and this is the beginning of my second trip through. I had always found these books warm and appealing, with believable characters and descriptions; and it was time to revisit them.

The story tries to unravel happenings from eight years prior, but Kinsey is up to the task; and illustrates how the career of a P.I. is not wearing a trench coat and pretending to read a newspaper while leaning against a lamppost, but rather plodding searches of public records. 

I especially enjoyed the descriptions of Nikki signing with Colin (her son, who is deaf). She described how a person fluent in sign language can carry one on conversation with her hands while having a totally independent conversation verbally with a third person. Having seen this happen in person, it is quite impressive. I found it similar to my experience as a ham radio operation in having a conversation in Morse code with another operator, while having a side conversation verbally.

There are some twists at the end when the killer(s) are identified, although I found one of them quite a stretch - but being the first in the series, forgivable. Grafton uses a Christie-like sequence of misleading the reader by having multiple killers instead of one.

Warning: I learned that Wikipedia has plot summaries of these books, but beware: spoilers abound. I made the mistake of looking before finishing the book, and I couldn't "unread" them! I won't do that again.