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3.78 AVERAGE
3.78 AVERAGE
Thoroughly enjoyed the audiobook of this - the narrator is wonderful. I listened mostly in the car, totally engrossed in this cold case - the interactions of Kinsey with the older male detectives with their health issues was great. I admit I had to stop it in the last chapter when you could tell Kindsey was putting herself in danger following a potential murderer to a deserted area ... too tense for rush hour traffic. But finished it in broad daylight and it was satisfying. Though I wanted more of the old guys at the end when the case was wrapped up.
And it's very interesting to read a story set in pre-cell phone and pre-internet era - and how she pours over the phone book to decide who is good to talk to next. Also wanted to know how the cops were notified at the end of the scary scene pre-cell phones .... but that is left to the imagination.
And it's very interesting to read a story set in pre-cell phone and pre-internet era - and how she pours over the phone book to decide who is good to talk to next. Also wanted to know how the cops were notified at the end of the scary scene pre-cell phones .... but that is left to the imagination.
This is one of the better alphabet series books. The case in this story was based on a real-life case. Kinsey is back to being a smart strong woman who uses her brain and can handle herself without acting like a 5 year old. We got to see more interaction with her long lost family which was nice too.
The story starts with Kinsey talking almost civil-y with a cousin and then an aunt who try to give her a part of her past she has been ignoring and being nasty to out of spite. At the same time she is hired by a police friend who is out on sick leave from a heart attack to help him and another office fighting cancer. They want to take a look at an old case that has stuck with them for almost 20 years. One wants to cheer up the other who has a depressed outlook on life while the other wants to solve the mystery of a jane doe murder before his end. The case leads them several small desert towns where after all this time peoples attitudes have changed and their memories are still on the events of the past.
All of the characters are well done here and the mystery takes many twists and turns that has you guessing who is the real killer up until almost the end. The characters are unique without being annoying and you could see meeting these people in real life. The attitudes of small town life are represented well too. The only part that drags on and draws you away are the sometimes repetitive and overly detailed descriptions of the desert landscape. Over all a well done mystery.
At the end of the book it was interesting to hear about the real life case that inspired this novel. If you have an edition with the sketch in it, it's worth taking a look at.
The story starts with Kinsey talking almost civil-y with a cousin and then an aunt who try to give her a part of her past she has been ignoring and being nasty to out of spite. At the same time she is hired by a police friend who is out on sick leave from a heart attack to help him and another office fighting cancer. They want to take a look at an old case that has stuck with them for almost 20 years. One wants to cheer up the other who has a depressed outlook on life while the other wants to solve the mystery of a jane doe murder before his end. The case leads them several small desert towns where after all this time peoples attitudes have changed and their memories are still on the events of the past.
All of the characters are well done here and the mystery takes many twists and turns that has you guessing who is the real killer up until almost the end. The characters are unique without being annoying and you could see meeting these people in real life. The attitudes of small town life are represented well too. The only part that drags on and draws you away are the sometimes repetitive and overly detailed descriptions of the desert landscape. Over all a well done mystery.
At the end of the book it was interesting to hear about the real life case that inspired this novel. If you have an edition with the sketch in it, it's worth taking a look at.
I haven't read a detective story, I think. Surely the authors have different writing styles and I'm now interested to know them. This is also the first Sue Grafton novel I've read which is funny I should've started at A. I think I found this on a sale pile in National Book Store. Or maybe the Booksale? Or Chapters and Pages, I think that's what it's called.
In the story, this Jane Doe case happened ages ago and to even try get another go at it sounds tedious. I wonder if such can be successful in real life but the book expressed that aimless yet hopeful path resolution. I appreciate that and actually liked that. Kinsey, Dolan, and Stacey were a colorful team and those two officers were standard cases of old men whose lifestyles caught up with them. Stacey's a particularly interesting one because the writing and dialogue made me feel like he's as young as Kinsey, playful in a bachelor sort of way. I'd like to get more from him throughout this book. Kinsey, how many books in, had a discipline and patience I could use about now. She's properly respectful and her questionings/interrogations feels true to a professional investigator and had no drama of a fictional story.
This was set in that part of California near the Arizona border which is new to me. Some New Mexico areas that I've just read in my work. The sprawling vastness of the United States' desert I usually see in Western films felt more depressing in a crime story. The plot involved a lot of patience what with leads coming up dry or followed up the next day, which I found fascinating because of the assumptions I've had with detective stories. I thought it would be fast-paced as the story reached half-way. It flowed carefully. It was descriptive of every character's action probably to iilustrate how Kinsey was an observer. It reminded me of Vince Flynn's spy books and I wondered if this is a must in detective stories. I really need to read more and I like what I've experienced so far.
The victim of this book was inspired from a real Jane Doe case of a girl dumped in a quarry in Lompoc back in 1969. It's facsinating how Grafton crafted a story from her maxilla and mandible and sort of gave her a resolution. I hope it was this easy to give her justice.
In the story, this Jane Doe case happened ages ago and to even try get another go at it sounds tedious. I wonder if such can be successful in real life but the book expressed that aimless yet hopeful path resolution. I appreciate that and actually liked that. Kinsey, Dolan, and Stacey were a colorful team and those two officers were standard cases of old men whose lifestyles caught up with them. Stacey's a particularly interesting one because the writing and dialogue made me feel like he's as young as Kinsey, playful in a bachelor sort of way. I'd like to get more from him throughout this book. Kinsey, how many books in, had a discipline and patience I could use about now. She's properly respectful and her questionings/interrogations feels true to a professional investigator and had no drama of a fictional story.
This was set in that part of California near the Arizona border which is new to me. Some New Mexico areas that I've just read in my work. The sprawling vastness of the United States' desert I usually see in Western films felt more depressing in a crime story. The plot involved a lot of patience what with leads coming up dry or followed up the next day, which I found fascinating because of the assumptions I've had with detective stories. I thought it would be fast-paced as the story reached half-way. It flowed carefully. It was descriptive of every character's action probably to iilustrate how Kinsey was an observer. It reminded me of Vince Flynn's spy books and I wondered if this is a must in detective stories. I really need to read more and I like what I've experienced so far.
The victim of this book was inspired from a real Jane Doe case of a girl dumped in a quarry in Lompoc back in 1969. It's facsinating how Grafton crafted a story from her maxilla and mandible and sort of gave her a resolution. I hope it was this easy to give her justice.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This might be one of my least favorite of the series. Lots of irrelevant descriptions, and kind of a slow plot
Another really good mystery. . .and this time I had no idea "who dunnit!"
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No