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3.69 AVERAGE
3.69 AVERAGE
mysterious
medium-paced
adventurous
lighthearted
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
funny
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
"C" is for Corpse finds Kinsey investigating the claim of an injured young man that his car accident was actually a murder attempt. Working for Bobby Callahan draws Kinsey into a tangled mix of life insurance claims, cold-case murder, and prescription drug abuse. For some reason, the case hits Kinsey hard, and it's very sad. Grafton illustrates Kinsey's emotions strongly. To balance out the sad storyline, there's a semi-comical subplot involving a golddigger taking advantage of Kinsey's hunky octagenarian landlord, Henry.
These books continue to feel quintessential 1980s for me in its gender dynamics. Bobby Callahan is portrayed as the ultimate tragic American figure -- a hunky privileged white man who, thanks to his injuries, no longer has a blessed life. Kinsey is an equal-opportunity slanderer, though, when it comes to weight. One male character is mentally lambasted for being overweight. Another female character is vocally chastised for being anorexic, even though it's pretty apparent she's being drugged by a trusted family doctor. As judgmental as Kinsey is toward people -- she judges random folks for being "poor" at the supermarket -- Grafton writes some fantastic scene descriptions in this book. She also crafts a suspenseful scene when Kinsey sneaks into the golddigger's room to hunt for clues. However, the climax, which also involves Kinsey sneaking somewhere for clues, drags. Also, the baddie just pops out to kill Kinsey, and it doesn't feel like she actually solves the case as opposed to just stumbling into the villain's lair.
At one point Kinsey calls a woman "ass eyes," an insult I don't even understand, but I kind of love it.
I tried listening to this on audio, but the reader's voice for a major male character -- an awkward mix of "macho" and "stupid" -- turned me off.
These books continue to feel quintessential 1980s for me in its gender dynamics. Bobby Callahan is portrayed as the ultimate tragic American figure -- a hunky privileged white man who, thanks to his injuries, no longer has a blessed life. Kinsey is an equal-opportunity slanderer, though, when it comes to weight. One male character is mentally lambasted for being overweight. Another female character is vocally chastised for being anorexic, even though it's pretty apparent she's being drugged by a trusted family doctor. As judgmental as Kinsey is toward people -- she judges random folks for being "poor" at the supermarket -- Grafton writes some fantastic scene descriptions in this book. She also crafts a suspenseful scene when Kinsey sneaks into the golddigger's room to hunt for clues. However, the climax, which also involves Kinsey sneaking somewhere for clues, drags. Also, the baddie just pops out to kill Kinsey, and it doesn't feel like she actually solves the case as opposed to just stumbling into the villain's lair.
At one point Kinsey calls a woman "ass eyes," an insult I don't even understand, but I kind of love it.
I tried listening to this on audio, but the reader's voice for a major male character -- an awkward mix of "macho" and "stupid" -- turned me off.
One of the wonderful aspects of the Kinsey Millhone series is how closely set the separate books are to each other. [b:A is for Alibi|64863|A is for Alibi (Kinsey Millhone, #1)|Sue Grafton|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1388198817l/64863._SY75_.jpg|1299178], published in 1982, takes place in May of 1982 (over a three-week time period) and Kinsey is thirty-two years old. [b:B is for Burglar|64865|B is for Burglar (Kinsey Millhone, #2)|Sue Grafton|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1390789165l/64865._SY75_.jpg|1963457], published in 1985, takes place two weeks after the events of A is for Alibi in June of 1982 (and Kinsey is still thirty-two years old). C is for Corpse, published in 1986, takes Kinsey (still thirty-two!) into August of '82, and Grafton maintains that tight timeline throughout the series.
When I first read these books, I thought it was typical...and I thought it made sense. I like a strong sense of place and time in a book, no matter the setting. And it wasn't until I got thoroughly put-off by the seemingly ageless Kay Scarpetta and her floating through time books with all the technological achievements that comes with the passage of time, did I realize how rare this was.
Grafton keeps Kinsey firmly planted in a world without cell phones, without the internet, without digital video, or instant information...and obviously no social media. All the way up through [b:Y is for Yesterday|31116293|Y is for Yesterday (Kinsey Millhone, #25)|Sue Grafton|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1494107284l/31116293._SY75_.jpg|51721311]. Kinsey is a female detective with such strong agency—she thinks on her own, she reacts and responds like a toughened detective would, and she has to work really hard to get herself to the goal line. I'm just happy I get to go along with her for the ride.
When I first read these books, I thought it was typical...and I thought it made sense. I like a strong sense of place and time in a book, no matter the setting. And it wasn't until I got thoroughly put-off by the seemingly ageless Kay Scarpetta and her floating through time books with all the technological achievements that comes with the passage of time, did I realize how rare this was.
Grafton keeps Kinsey firmly planted in a world without cell phones, without the internet, without digital video, or instant information...and obviously no social media. All the way up through [b:Y is for Yesterday|31116293|Y is for Yesterday (Kinsey Millhone, #25)|Sue Grafton|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1494107284l/31116293._SY75_.jpg|51721311]. Kinsey is a female detective with such strong agency—she thinks on her own, she reacts and responds like a toughened detective would, and she has to work really hard to get herself to the goal line. I'm just happy I get to go along with her for the ride.
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
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:
Yes
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
I figured this one out before the end as well. I gave this one 4 stars because I really liked most of the extra characters in the book.
Entertaining read. After reading 3 of these in a row her formula of her main character just barely making it out alive at the very end made me roll my eyes a bit. She should be more prepared. The suspense is good. I do feel like I have no idea who did it til the very end. Just want her to be a bit more prepared sometimes with gun or other defensive weapon at hand.
To me, one of the better parts of this book is that we start to get to know the other people in Kinsey's life a little more. We get some insight into Rosie and Henry during the "B" story, and that's, to quote Martha Stewart, a Good Thing. It makes Kinsey more vulnerable and human. Her relationship with her client in this case also helps further that end. I believed Kinsey genuinely cared about Bobby and what happened to him, and while I can't say I didn't believe she cared in the first 2 books, this book is where I started to feel it more. Also, great one-liners, which you come to expect from Kinsey and that dry, dry sense of humor of hers.