Reviews

L is for Lawless by Sue Grafton

ranooshe's review

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3.0

A different kind of story than the ones usually related with Kinsey Millhone series.
What hasn't changed is the long paragraphs used up to descriptions, on and on. A persisting shortcoming in this series.
The book also falls into the pattern of going through the lower levels of society and revealing the ugliness related to instincts.
Some other small things, like how did Ray know her detailed routines after seeing her 40 years later?

karenholmes's review

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4.0

This one was a bit different from the other Kinsey Milhone's mysteries. She's after something but she is not working properly and she's cheekier and funnier than ever. It's Kinsey's at her best even when she can't catch her breath.

ainavmaroto's review

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adventurous funny mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

sariene's review

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3.0

This installment of the series was fun, some of the shenanigans she pulls give me anxiety attacks just reading about them. And the character development is still coming along really nicely. But I was still quite disappointed that we've returned to the predictability that I didn't like at the start of the series. It was way too easy to figure stuff out.

scndrc's review against another edition

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3.0

un poco flojo, los personajes desagradables

topdragon's review

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4.0

Nearing the middle of the alphabet now and this series continues rolling along with another fun read. This one is especially fun because our intrepid heroine, Kinsey Millhone, is not hired on for a case this time. Instead she does a favor for a friend, a tiny little innocent look-into-something-for-me-would-you kind of favor. And so the adventure begins and, of course, nothing is as innocent as it sounds. It isn’t long before Kinsey finds herself in Dallas after a spur-of-the-moment decision, with follow-on adventure in Kentucky.

As always, Kinsey finds ways to get into trouble, even though at several points in the adventure, she is actively trying to leave the case since it just isn’t her problem. And having to deal with the set of dysfunctional family member characters she has to in this one, I can hardly blame her.
This is certainly a mystery novel, with everybody trying to locate a hoard of missing money from a bank robbery over 40 years before. But it is a bit more of a “thriller” novel than usual, meaning the identity of the bad guy is known way before the mystery is solved. A lot of time is spent escaping and avoiding him rather than in a traditional who-dunnit style of mystery.

There is also a pretty cool twist on the word "Lawless" from the title and what that is really referring to.

I’ll keep on plugging away at these novels at the rate of about 4 per year. That will get me to the end of the alphabet at about the same time as Sue Grafton and Kinsey Millhone do.

poorcate's review against another edition

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mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

bluntbean's review

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adventurous mysterious reflective tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

ljbearce's review against another edition

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mysterious tense fast-paced

4.75

hirvimaki's review against another edition

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4.0

A very fun Millhone tale. Although she often skirts the law, this was a view of Kinsey stepping across the law all in the name of doing someone a favour. Colourful and filled with lots of action, this is a fun ride.