Rainer Maria Rilke

"Live a while in these books, learn from them what seems to you worth learning, but above all love them. This love will be repaid you a thousand and a thousand times, and however your life may turn,-it will, I am certain of it, run through the fabric of your growth as one of the most important threads among all the threads of your experiences, disappointments, and joys."--Rainer Maia Rilke


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Friday, January 24, 2014

G is for Great!

G is For Gumshoe:  Kinsey Milhone #7 by Sue Grafton

Mystery

I liked this one the best so far.  I believe I have made that same statement for each of these books so I might not be the most reliable reviewer.  Apparently, I am prone to exaggeration.

This novel takes Kinsey cross-county.  I loved the new setting.  I love that Grafton doesn't stay in the same locale but that she goes to other places in search of her case, her story.  Grafton's gift is making the setting integral to the story and making it come alive for the reader.  Kinsey is on the case of a missing mom while a contract killer is hunting her down.  What a perfect time to leave town.  Kinsey is hired to find a crazy old recluse by the daughter, who is herself a crazy old recluse, except rich.  The mother is truly gone--abandoned her hovel trailer and taken all her belongings, but Kinsey doesn't give up.  She wants to follow the course to the end.  And, of course, she always gets her man.

It amazes me how very different in plot each of these books are.  Usually, series detective novels follow a similar pattern that gets old after a while.  But not Grafton. You just dont' know what to expect.  These books are not too high-brow or a technical police procedural.  Kinsey is easy to hang out with and downplays her drama well.  I really liked the romantic twist with Milhone's bodyguard.  It made her seem more like a real person with real emotions.  Grafton's/Milhone's clinical expository is often lacking in emotion.  This plot twist made Kinsey seem like a more dynamic character.  I hope Dietz is a recurring character-he's good for Kinsey.

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