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judyward's review against another edition
3.0
A wonderful collection of nine short stories featuring Kinsey Millhone. Also included are a series of semi-autobiographical short stories about Kit Blue coming to terms with her life as a child, learning to cope with alcoholic parents, and dealing with the grief over the death of her mother.
stuff4bd's review
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
I normally do not like short stories but being familiar with Kinsey made these a great to read. I was very impressed with The Lying Game with its Lands End catalog points incorporated into the story. Reading the autobiographical stories at the end was difficult but gave me a greater appreciation for the author.
cj_mo_2222's review against another edition
4.0
I would give 5 stars to the Kinsey Millhone short stories at the beginning of the book, even though they seem to all have been previously published prior to this book. However, I have been a longtime reader of the Kinsey Millhone novels, and I found each of these short stories to be very entertaining. I've read some of them before, but it's been a while, so I still really enjoyed reading them.
I didn't like the second part of the book as well as the first. It consists of fictional stories featuring a main character the author based on herself. I appreciate how honest these stories are and Ms. Grafton obviously wrote them from the heart, but I didn't like them nearly as much as the stories featuring Kinsey.
I didn't like the second part of the book as well as the first. It consists of fictional stories featuring a main character the author based on herself. I appreciate how honest these stories are and Ms. Grafton obviously wrote them from the heart, but I didn't like them nearly as much as the stories featuring Kinsey.
shahrun's review
4.0
Loved the Kinsey short stories. Guessing most of them were written quite earlier on. They reminded me all the things I loved about and got me hooked on the series. I think Ms Grafton is a better short(er) story writer and when she keeps her plots simple they are more effective. I think there was some cross over from the books. The crash in Full Circle stirred my memories, as did the murderous twins from The Lying Game.
The stories about her own life were really heartbreaking. She was very brave to share things so painful and personal.
Random note: She uses ‘in’ where I would use ‘on’ eg in behalf not on behalf.
The stories about her own life were really heartbreaking. She was very brave to share things so painful and personal.
Random note: She uses ‘in’ where I would use ‘on’ eg in behalf not on behalf.
yapha's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed both the nine short stories about Kinsey Millhone and Sue Grafton's writing about her craft. I found the Kit Blue stories at the end very sad, even more so knowing how they autobiographical. I recommend this to die hard Sue Grafton fans as we wait for the next book to come out.
ajlewis2's review against another edition
lighthearted
mysterious
sad
5.0
This was an unusual book by Sue Grafton, one I'm so happy I read. I'm half-way through the Kinsey Millhone series, so it was a good time for it. The first section of the book contains short stories with Kinsey as the character. I don't normally like shorts, but Grafton can write them. I enjoyed these. Then the book shifts with an interlude explaining that the remainder is with another character and this one is really her younger self and her home life. Now we get into the sad part of the book. These are also short stories, at various times during her early life and into her 30s as I recall. This is very real emotionally as her character shows how it was for Sue. Very touching and well done. The book as a whole gives insight into how Grafton came up with and developed Millhone over the years.
polyhy_14's review against another edition
3.0
This is a collection of short stories, the first half concerning her popular P I Kinsey Millhone and the second half a partly fictionalised outpouring of feelings about her family, written after the death of her alcoholic mother. They're linked by a short essay on the evolution of the P I in fiction. The first set were a light hearted entertainment with her usual sparkling wit, but less clever than her novels. The stories in the second half had much more depth, and showed a serious side of her writing I hadn't previously encountered. Not necessarily a easy read, but explaining much about the character she created.