G is for Gumshoe

Full review: https://wanderinglectiophile.wordpress.com/2018/05/24/mini-reviews-kinsey-millho...

This one was one of my favorites for the number of intertwined stories/plots; it’s not all about the case she was hired to solve. I was also glad to see more personal life developments for Kinsey.

Overall, this is one of my favorite book series. I think Sue Grafton was incredibly clever and a great writer.

There are obviously some little things that ding the star rating, but really for the most part these books are very enjoyable. I’m always trying to guess where Kinsey is going with her line of thought in piecing the puzzle pieces together in her investigations. Sometimes I can see the direction it’s going to go and others I am show more pleasantly confused and pondering all the details and how they fit together. One of the things I like most about Grafton’s writing is that she can hing the whole plot on one tiny detail to an investigation. I’m sure that happens a lot in real investigations, but I find it so entertaining that Grafton wrote in such a way that these stories lend themselves to investigations rooted in reality. On the negative side of things, most of these books end a little too quickly for my taste. We can be trucking along to the climax of the story, the conflict happens, and the suddenly we’re at the end of the book within five minutes to the end of the audiobook (maybe about 10 pages in a physical copy?). Often the endings are abrupt and that’s a little off-putting for me.

I love that Grafton keeps her characters so realistic and grounded. Our protagonist isn’t some super powered private investigator or some heroin that’s had a rough past but trained to become as close to superhuman as possible in reality. No, Kinsey Millhone is just like the rest of us. I like that she’s got spunk, humor, sass, and a simplistic perspective on the world. It keeps things simple and clean, and that I feel is exactly who our Kinsey Millhone is in this series.

I started this series listening to the audiobook versions and I will probably keep “reading” them in this format. For about the first half of the series it is read by Mary Peiffer. Peiffer is not my favorite narrator but I believe my issues with her narrations are actually a sign of the times then. Audiobooks weren’t as prevalent back then and the rise of inflection and character voices were less common. This results in a very flat reading for much of Peiffer’s narrations. As the series goes along, she does begin to pitch her voice for characters as well as use inflections more. Unfortunately, she still sounds about twice the age of our main character and that’s a bit distracting. Now that I’m 11 books in though, I’ve gotten used to her as the voice of Kinsey. I’m not sure how well I will like it when it changes over to Judy Kaye in O is for Outlaw. show less

A step up from F is for Fugitive. Instead of Kinsey being in mortal peril only in the last chapter, she's in peril for the entire book, as someone has hired a discount hitman ($1500) to kill her. So for most of the book she has a bodyguard as a partner, which adds a nice dynamic, without throwing everything off-balance. His attention to detail in security matches her attention to detail on almost everything else. Her primary case appears to have nothing to do with murder. It's just finding and bringing home a mother lapsing into dementia for a daughter who has aged far beyond her 47 years. The pleasure in even the weakest Milhone mysteries is the constant stream of little things noticed, along with Kinsey's humanity. She's always show more struggled around illness, and here she has to get up close to it.

Recommended. I wouldn't advise it as a first Milhone mystery, but third or fourth would be fine. show less

One of the main reasons I really enjoyed this book is watching Kinsey sense something about a case and not give up until she figures it all out. I also liked the incorporation of two separate storylines with moments of merging. Sue Grafton did an excellent job of incorporating the hitman story into the Agnes Grey story without either of them overwhelming the whole book. Both storylines are engaging and immediately grabbed my interest. I was anxiously waiting to see what came next and Grafton excels at building the suspense in this one.

I think I’m half in love with Henry Pitts just as Kinsey is. His devotion and caring for her is so genuine and heartfelt. I truly think he is someone she can completely be herself with and someone who show more loves her no matter what.

In G is for Gumshoe, we get our first glimpse of Kinsey working with a partner and I think I prefer Kinsey on her. I tried to like the Dietz character but he seemed to have a very dark side we only got a glimpse of and I didn’t buy him as a romantic interest for Kinsey at all.

Judy Kaye as usual is the only voice of series there needs to be. I have no words for how well she is as a narrator. show less

I love Kinsey Millhone. But she's not everyone's cup of tea. I started reading the Alphabet series a few years ago - I think at the time it was up to O is for Outlaw. The idea of a mystery series each title beginning with a new letter amused me. I don't know why. I don't think it's particularly original. At least - I've seen a few others since. At the time though it was new to me and it just struck me as perfect. I flew through the series. Kinsey is riveting. She's brash and harsh and charming. She's fierce and flawed. She gets scared. She holds her own. She pushes herself to run often and tackles cases without judgement and with an open mind. Rosie and Henry are brilliant and I love the little family she builds around her.

But Kinsey show more Millhone isn't Jack Reacher - her speed is more Tracy Crosswhite. [book:My Sister's Grave|22341263] Her cases aren't full of action and high speed chases - they're slowly nitpicking away until something clicks into place. She writes down all her thoughts and places her facts and ideas on 3x5 index cards - which she often shuffles and rearranges to help her solve her case. And I love it. Kinsey Millhone is great - but she's not for everyone.

For some reason I've seen reviewers compare this to Stephanie Plum - I don't know why - this is absolutely NOTHING like that. Stephanie Plum is a very different character and an extremely different type of book. That's more fluff. Kinsey Millhone is more procedural mysteries. And this series isn't current - it was first published in the 80's - there's not really technology. Messages were relayed by calling the landlines. Paper files were still the main form of storage. Not everyone will enjoy reading this. But if you like your mysteries to be more like procedurals with a determined and fierce character - Kinsey Millhone is for you.

Robert Dietz. I'm not sure I love him. Romance and Kinsey is kind of weird. Jonah, Dietz, the ex musician husband (I can't think of his name off the top of my head and I'm too lazy to look it up). For some reason the idea of Kinsey and love just makes me cringe. And makes me feel awkward reading it. I love Kinsey but something about her and men just ugh.

I love that even when she's run off the road, car totaled, belongings drowned, packed up and shipped back to her days later - the all purpose dress survives. It only needs a wash. Lol. I want a dress like that. Sounds perfect.

I enjoyed the mystery of this case. I like cold cases that slowly get unraveled. I liked Kinsey interacting with everyone a bit more and opening up. Vera. Darcy. Henry. Poor Henry - running out when Kinsey accidentally sets off the alarm in his underwear and a butcher's knife - she's going to give him a heart attack. On the other hand the new apartment sounds awesome.



3.5 stars rounded up to 4. show less

G is for Gumshoe is not one of Sue Grafton’s best; in fact, I’ve ranked it lower than the other 9 that I have read of the Kinsey Millhone Alphabet Mystery series. There are two unrelated plots. In one, she’s been hired by a woman (Irene) to locate her mother (Agnes) who has not been heard from for 6 months. In the other, she’s been targeted by a hitman hired by someone she’d helped to imprison. Kinsey hires a bodyguard (Dietz) to protect her as she searches for Agnes. When found, Agnes is afraid to be brought back home, and goes missing again. Most of the story involves Kinsey trying to locate Agnes and to figure out the family history behind Agnes and Irene (given discrepancies between legal records and a modified birth show more certificate for Irene).

I found the plot difficult to believe, the characters less than believable, the pacing of the story uneven, and the ending unsatisfying. The hitman has been hired for a mere 1500 dollars. He likes toying with Kinsey (his prospective victim) in a cat and mouse game, and over the course of many days, he periodically appears and shoots towards her and purposely misses. Further, he brings his young son along on his hits. Despite being stalked by a killer, Kinsey is constantly going off on her own, and getting shot at. As for the body guard, he’s ineffectual, although Kinsey doesn't seem to mind, and in fact finds a use for him in bed. Finally, regarding the family mystery, it all becomes clear in the last couple of pages, when out of nowhere, a minor character (Patrick, who turns out to be Agnes’ brother) also turns out to be a serial killer who has killed his wife Sheila and various other people and buried them in his shed over the years. Agnes is actually Irene’s aunt, and she had taken the young Irene away when they saw Patrick murder Sheila. Why hadn't she gone to the police? Who knows. The ending is both forced and rushed, and none too credible. One murder would have been plenty, so to have Patrick turn out to be an aging serial killer makes little sense in the context of the story.

This is far from Grafton’s best. I am glad to say that the next novel in the series, H is for Homicide is far better, a 4-star offering in my estimation. show less

I guess I am slow-motion binge-reading Grafton's Kinsey Millhone series. I don't allow myself to read another in the series until I have reviewed it and any other books I have read since finishing the previous one. G is for Gumshoe won the Anthony Award for Best Novel in 1991, so I had high hopes for the title. It lived up to that award, in my opinion.

After all, what is not to like? An efficient hitman who has kidnapped his son and is taking the boy along on the job. A rambling mother who has a secret. A handsome, sexy bodyguard. And Kinsey herself, on the search for the truth about the rambling mother, whilst avoiding the hitman and enlisting the help of the sexy bodyguard. Being Grafton is a remarkable storyteller, the book is a show more great read.

While the mystery can be read as a standalone book, it is best read in order of publication. So start with "A" and catch up! This book is highly recommended for fans of PI mysteries with a hint of cozy. show less

I really enjoyed this book in the series. Two stories in one plus Kinsey getting romantically involved with someone other than the married cop?!? First all, there's a price on Kinsey's head regarding a prisoner who she put in prison. Probably the only time she irked me in the book... stupid to go out and get shot at without her bodyguard. The second was finding a woman's mother that actually turned into a really cool murder mystery. Definitely a page turner and was definitely surprised with the whole Irene/Agnes story. Looking forward to reading H.