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3.78 AVERAGE
3.78 AVERAGE
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
3.5 stars
When I first started reading this installment in Grafton's Alphabet series I thought, "What the heck?! Why is this book 580 pages?!" But then as I read some background Grafton provided for this particular title I could see why it was longer than some of her others. Grafton caught wind of a real life Jane Doe case and using a mix of fact and fiction wrote Q. Grafton was given access to the actual case files and built a lot of her story around fact. The outcome is fiction as are character names, the actual investigation 18 years after the body was discovered, and Kinsey's involvement but the Jane Doe case happened and is still unresolved.
In this title Kinsey's PD contacts ask her to participate in trying to solve a Jane Doe case that is 18 years old. A girl's body was found dumped near the Lompoc Quarry and it just so happens it was on Kinsey's family property. The family property plays very little into the actual story except Grafton uses it to further develop Kinsey's parents history and her struggle with finding out she has family. The investigation leads Kinsey, Dolan, and Stacey east toward the California/Arizona border to a town that seems to hold more secrets than at first glance. It is there that Kinsey and her partners discover key facts about the deceased girl and uncover family secrets that someone wants to stay that way.
I'm giving this title 3.5 stars because I really enjoyed the fictionalized account of a factual case.
When I first started reading this installment in Grafton's Alphabet series I thought, "What the heck?! Why is this book 580 pages?!" But then as I read some background Grafton provided for this particular title I could see why it was longer than some of her others. Grafton caught wind of a real life Jane Doe case and using a mix of fact and fiction wrote Q. Grafton was given access to the actual case files and built a lot of her story around fact. The outcome is fiction as are character names, the actual investigation 18 years after the body was discovered, and Kinsey's involvement but the Jane Doe case happened and is still unresolved.
In this title Kinsey's PD contacts ask her to participate in trying to solve a Jane Doe case that is 18 years old. A girl's body was found dumped near the Lompoc Quarry and it just so happens it was on Kinsey's family property. The family property plays very little into the actual story except Grafton uses it to further develop Kinsey's parents history and her struggle with finding out she has family. The investigation leads Kinsey, Dolan, and Stacey east toward the California/Arizona border to a town that seems to hold more secrets than at first glance. It is there that Kinsey and her partners discover key facts about the deceased girl and uncover family secrets that someone wants to stay that way.
I'm giving this title 3.5 stars because I really enjoyed the fictionalized account of a factual case.
Another enjoyable mystery with time well spent in Kinsey Milhone's company. The plus is that this one is based on a true cold case. The audio version is excellent.
This is one of my favorites in this series! I love the partnership of Dolan and Oliphant with Kinsey. This story gives the sense of a small town which is interesting for a big city kid like me. Sue Grafton likes to include old people as important characters which I like about her writing.
Love this series as usual. I'm glad I listened to the author's notes at the end!
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
There's a lot to like about this story. It's typical Grafton/Kinsey and I usually like that.
I didn't know what "Sauconys" were until I Googled. I'm guessing when I read these books before, maybe I knew they were shoes, but I never heard the brand before Kinsey started wearing them. If you're listening to the book, you might think she was donning her knee socks before a run if you didn't know they were a brand of shoe. But I continue to be confused at the constant references to the brand, rather than just "shoes."
The "Grumpy Old Men" routine with Stacey and Dolan got old -- fast. I get they're old. I get they're not well. But I didn't find the constant snarking between good buddies to be the least bit charming or endearing.
It was really interesting to find that the story was inspired by a true "Jane Doe" situation, with copious literary license applied, of course. Unfortunately, while Kinsey was able to solve the mystery of the identity of the Jane Doe in "Q for Quarry," the identity of the real Jane Doe remains unknown, even though a lot of work has gone into trying to identify her. I really thought I'd find an update that the case had been solved (a lot could have happened since 2001), but not yet.
I didn't know what "Sauconys" were until I Googled. I'm guessing when I read these books before, maybe I knew they were shoes, but I never heard the brand before Kinsey started wearing them. If you're listening to the book, you might think she was donning her knee socks before a run if you didn't know they were a brand of shoe. But I continue to be confused at the constant references to the brand, rather than just "shoes."
The "Grumpy Old Men" routine with Stacey and Dolan got old -- fast. I get they're old. I get they're not well. But I didn't find the constant snarking between good buddies to be the least bit charming or endearing.
It was really interesting to find that the story was inspired by a true "Jane Doe" situation, with copious literary license applied, of course. Unfortunately, while Kinsey was able to solve the mystery of the identity of the Jane Doe in "Q for Quarry," the identity of the real Jane Doe remains unknown, even though a lot of work has gone into trying to identify her. I really thought I'd find an update that the case had been solved (a lot could have happened since 2001), but not yet.
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
mysterious
tense
slow-paced