FICTION
Released: Nov. 14, 2011
"As always, Grafton is as original, absorbing and humane as ever. The joints just creak a bit this time."
FICTION
Released: Dec. 1, 2009
"Short on mystery, but rewardingly sensitive in teasing out the shock waves that reached from the Summer of Love to the heart of Santa Teresa."
A wild tale by an untrustworthy witness sets Kinsey Millhone (
T Is for Trespass, 2007, etc.) on the track of a stone-cold case.
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FICTION
Released: Dec. 4, 2007
"Each of Kinsey's cases stretches the private-eye formula in new ways. Her 20th, which reads like vintage Ruth Rendell, will bring shivers to every reader with an aged parent--or a young child."
Kinsey Millhone's 20th case, which pits her against a creepy pair of abusers who don't know of each other's existence, is one of her finest.
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FICTION
Released: Dec. 6, 2005
"Score another triumph for Kinsey. Grafton brings every corner of Serena Station, past and present, more deeply alive than your own hometown."
Kinsey Millhone (
R Is for Ricochet, 2004, etc.) is pulled into the ancient case of the bad-girl wife and mother who ran off without her man and without a trace.
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FICTION
Released: July 13, 2004
"No more mystery than Q Is for Quarry (2002). But Kinsey's frantic attempts to keep her balance on the tightrope between a pair of lovers scheming against each other, and her own latest stab at romance, will have fans purring contentedly."
R is really for romance, as Kinsey Millhone acknowledges on the first page of this tale of love gone right and wrong and every which way in between.
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FICTION
Released: Oct. 1, 2002
"Despite a bumper crop of Q's, the late-arriving whodunit is tangled and routine, and Kinsey's latest inconclusive flirtation with her own past—the owner of Grayson Quarry turns out to be the grandmother she's never spoken to—awaits resolution, perhaps in R Is for Relatives."
FICTION
Released: June 4, 2001
"After twenty years updating the private-eye tradition, Grafton shows she can spin a classic yarn with all the breadth of her masters, and a sharper eye for detail than any of them."
Nine weeks after Dr. Dowan Purcell left the Pacific Meadows medical facility he administered, then vanished along with his passport and $30,000, his ex-wife Fiona, disgusted alike at the Santa Teresa Police Department's lack of progress on the case and the lackadaisical attitude of Dow's current wife, ex-stripper Crystal, calls in Kinsey Millhone.
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FICTION
Released: Oct. 1, 1999
Fans hungry for details of Kinsey Millhone's well-guarded past will give thanks for Teddy Rich, the storage-locker scavenger who's come up with a box of old documents about herself that he's willing to sell for $30 (Kinsey gets him to take $20).
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FICTION
Released: May 1, 1998
"Grafton's probing group portrait of Nota Lake starts slowly, but her patient revelations of the complicated relationships Tom Newquist left behind make this her best work since "K" Is for Killer (1994)."
In the weeks before a heart attack killed him, Tom Newquist, a sheriff's investigator in Nota Lake, Cal., was tormented by something he couldn't share with his wife.
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FICTION
Released: Nov. 1, 1996
"Polished, heartfelt work from Grafton ("L" is for Lawless, 1995, etc.), though you wouldn't give the antique plot the time of day if it weren't for Kinsey."
If only Bader Malek, head of Santa Teresa's Malek Construction, had held onto his last will—the one disinheriting his wayward son Guy in favor of his three brothers who dutifully stayed the course at their father's house—the surviving Maleks wouldn't have to hire Kinsey Millhone to dig up the brother they wish would just stay lost, or at least sign a quitclaim to his $5 million share of the estate.
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FICTION
Released: Sept. 4, 1995
"Minor work for Kinsey ("K'' is for Killer, 1994, etc.), who appears in just about every role imaginablecheerleader, traffic cop, accessory after the fact to the felonious hunters of Johnny Lee's treasure. She's everything, in fact, except a detective. "
Just a few days before she's to be a bridesmaid at her ancient landlord Henry Pitts's Thanksgiving wedding, Kinsey Millhone agrees to help her late neighbor John Lee's family recover enough money from the Veteran's Administration to pay for his burial, and it's all downhill from there for Kinsey's bridesmaid's plans.
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FICTION
Released: May 5, 1994
"Plotting here is animated, though not always cohesive or convincing, and Grafton's lively prose propels the reader through the murky patches in a flawed but mostly engrossing story."
Spunky, ever more introspective Santa Teresa, California, PI Kinsey Millhone ("A" Is for Alibi, 1982; etc.) has been hired to investigate the 10-month-old murder of Lorna Kepler, found two weeks after she died in her isolated cabin.
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FICTION
Released: May 5, 1993
"Solidly readable but minus the compelling edge of Grafton's best."
Private investigator Kinsey Millhone, the author's tough, tenacious, California-based heroine, has taken on a freelance job for her ex-employer, California Fidelity Insurance.
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FICTION
Released: May 5, 1992
"Rack up another winner for Grafton."
FICTION
Released: May 6, 1991
"First-class work from an author whose range grows steadily deeper and richer."
Kinsey Millhone, twice-divorced ex-cop, ever dauntless, ever vulnerable ("A" is for Alibi, etc., etc.), now investigating claims for California Fidelity, is assigned a seemingly routine claim from the files of deceased co-worker Parnell Perkins—robbed and shot dead.
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FICTION
Released: May 4, 1990
"The story is complex; the body-count high; the sexual encounters feverish; and the villains chilling—in another can't-put-it-down outing for this talented author."
There's a contract out on the life of Kinsey Millhone, Santa Teresa's tough-tender ex-cop private eye ("A "Is For Alibi, etc.).
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FICTION
Released: March 15, 1989
"Intriguing plot; swift pace; convincing, mostly repellent characters; seedy, small-town ambience; and a heroine who has mellowed just a little make this another winner for Grafton."
FICTION
Released: May 1, 1988
"The taut, dense plot is marred by a crucial flaw, but an unflagging pace, skilled buildup of tension, lively characters, and Kinsey's offbeat charm make this yet another of the author's first-class entertainments."
Tough, vulnerable, twice-divorced P.I. Kinsey Millhone ("C"Is For Corpse, etc.) is being framed for insurance fraud, along with Lance Wood, president of Wood/Warren, manufacturer of industrial furnaces, whose warehouse has burned down.
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FICTION
Released: May 14, 1987
"Solid plot with a sometimes poignant undercurrent; a brisk pace; and people and places infused with vivid reality—Grafton gets better all the time."
Kinsey Millhone, the author's gritty, appealing P.I., based in California's Santa Teresa ("C" is for Corpse), is hired by shabby alcoholic ex-con John Daggett to deliver a cashier's check for $25,000 to one Tony Gahan, address unknown.
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FICTION
Released: May 12, 1986
"The author's style is warm and swift, the plot intrigues even if far-fetched; best of all is Kinsey Millhone—who's got brains and a sense of humor."
Third in Grafton's dashing trip through the alphabet ("A" is for Alibi, etc.) and probably her best so far.
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FICTION
Released: May 20, 1985
"Unflagging suspense, a plot that convinces, crisp pacing, and characters that vibrate with life leave the reader anticipating the remainder of the alphabet."
A nifty second outing for feisty Kinsey Millhone, ex-cop, twice divorced California private eye ("A" Is for Alibi, 1982).
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FICTION
Released: April 30, 1982
"Agreeable heroine (only her running is a bore), fine dialogue, a great eye for people and places—so we're looking forward to "B" through "Z," especially if Grafton can tighten up her plotting."
A shakily plotted but otherwise terrific start for a new detective series—with Kinsey Millhone, twice-divorced California private eye, as the enormously engaging narrator.
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