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badseedgirl's review
2.0
This twelfth novel in the Kinsey Millhone series was the first one I have not really enjoyed. I felt Kinsey was incredibly naive in almost all her interaction, and that is not how I enjoy my Kinsey.
morr_books's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
dr_oligo's review
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
kdaedwards's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.0
qu33nofbookz's review
1.0
Didn't like this book at all. I thought the last book K is for Killer was the worst but I take it back, this one is. Totally unbelievable story line with characters I hated and would love to see get what they got coming to them. Kinsey is a complete 180 from her usual self in all the other books and not in a good way. She went from smart, sassy and cautious to stupid, annoying/mean spirited and dangerously impulsive and a criminal herself to boot. I'm surprised she didn't die or get arrested with all the dumb choices she made in this book. She had numerous choices all through the book to leave this mess of a case behind but she never does and each time I wanted to jump into the book and beat some sense into her! By the time I got to the end I was half wishing she would get offed and this would be the end of it but since the alphabet goes on so does she. Also there were a shit ton of dog references in this book that made me wonder if the author got a new dog of her own while writing this book.
In the beginning of the story Kinsey decides to do a favor for her landlord Henry right before the wedding of Henry's brother in which she will be a bridesmaid and after she turns down an invitation to Thanksgiving by her newly found relatives. (For reasons unknown she's been as nasty to these people as can be ever since she found out they existed even though they haven't done anything to her). She is supposed to help a neighbor who is trying to find some information on his veteran grandfather so that he can be buried with benefits. While going through the house for any papers that might help Ray, a friend of the dead man shows up. From there this story goes downhill. While looking around the house Ray tells her a tale about how he and the dead guy knew each other. After she and Ray leave the house it's broken into and she gets blamed. She clears her name but thinks Ray did it and is let in on what the dead man's son thinks is a conspiracy that his father (the dead guy) was a spy and now the government is looking for something he maybe had or stole. They do find a hidden safe in the closet but it's empty except for an old key which no one know what it belongs to. While driving by the house later Kinsey see's a man leave with a duffel bag it when no one is home and knows that this is the person who broke in before. She follows him and when he picks up a pregnant woman and heads for the airport she makes a rash decision to keep following. She calls the dead guys family to report what's going on from the airport as the couple prepare to leave.
She is hired to follow them and get back what they took and hoping they might figure out what the key is for, which Kinsey has. She maxes out her credit card to do so. The man doesn't get on the plane but the woman does and she has the duffel so Kinsey follows her. The woman gets off at a layover and checks into a hotel. Kinsey does too and while there finds out that Ray was found beaten at the house of the dead guy and that Henry's brother told him where she was. She steals a maids uniform to get to the duffel. Before she has it Ray shows up and tells her a different story about how he knew the dead guy and convinces Kinsey to team up with him to get the duffel which she now knows is full of cash. So she starts working for the bad guy and becomes a criminal. After she gets the duffel and doesn't find any money she figures out that the woman isn't pregnant but has the money in a fake belly. Also the money is old so something is off about the whole situation. Kinsey drags Ray up to confront the woman and finds out that she is Ray's daughter Laura (and dumber then a box of rocks, her IQ is so low I wonder how she functions) and the man whole broke into the dead guys house and beat Ray up is an old acquaintance Gilbert. Ray tells her another story now about how he and the dead guy met and that the money is stolen from a bank robbery! Laura is now dating Gilbert and that was how they knew to go after the money when Ray did. But she was going to double cross Gilbert who beats her and run off with the money and Gilbert's nephew. The key might unlock the rest of the money from the robbery that wasn't in the dead guy's house. Kinsey has finally decided she's had enough with Ray and Laura and has been fired so she wants to go home.
She gets to the airport only to find Gilbert getting off the plane she was going to fly out on. He assembles a gun (in front of everyone at the airport) and goes off to find a way to the hotel Ray and Laura are at without anyone stopping him. Kinsey tries to call and warn them but can't get through so has to go back and tell them of Gilbert in person calling the cops to meet her at the hotel. When she gets there the cops haven't come so she helps them get out of the hotel alone. But while doing so is chased by Gilbert who sets the hotel on fire. They all get away and drive to Ray's mom's house in Kentucky. She want's to get away and go home in Arkansas but Laura doesn't stop to let her out. Kinsey agrees to go the rest of the way with them as Ray promises he'll pay for her way home if she does. (Ray has been lying to everyone from the start and has lied to Kinsey with almost every breath so why she believe's him I have no idea and she should be locked up in the loony bin if she trusts any words coming out of his mouth.) They reach Ray's mom's and she is happy to see Ray and Laura. Ray has a letter waiting with another key in it. During dinner Ray, Kinsey and Laura discuss the keys and the money in front of Ray's mom like she has know everything all along which she hasn't. Laura then tells them that she called her mother to tell her where they were and Ray is mad because Laura's mom will tell Gilbert. They get ready to leave but Gilbert shows up and stops them.
Gilbert has Laura tie up Ray and admits that he killed his nephew and plans to kill them. He is a psychopath and enjoys making others squirm. He takes the keys and the belly bag of money and demands the rest. Ray tells him that he doesn't know about it but that his mom has gotten money to be taken care of since the robbery. Gilbert is outraged that the money is gone and thinks it's all his. Before he can do anything else Ray's mom pulls a shotgun out from under the table and shots Gilbert. He is hit in the neck and shoulder loses his gun and takes Laura hostage. Gilbert leaves with Laura, the keys and the money. Kinsey and Ray track down what the keys might belong to and a note the dead guy sent with the key. Ray tells Kinsey about the robbery and aftermath and also that he is actually not on parole but escaped custody so they can't call the cops. The next morning Gilbert shows up and demands his gun back which Ray gives him bullets in all! (What an idiot!) They all go to a cemetery they figured out from the note. They get to the cemetery and find the loot from the robbery and Gilbert tells them he called the cops on the original robbery and killed one of the guys on the crew as he prepares to shoot them. But Ray pulled the firing pin from the gun so it doesn't work. Ray pulls a gun and shots Gilbert several times before Laura hits Kinsey in the head with a baseball bat (I again hope she's dead so this will end) but Kinsey wakes up in the hospital. Ray, Laura and his mom are gone with the loot and Kinsey lies through her teeth about her behavior so she won't go to jail (I hoped she would but alas no). She calls everyone she can so she can get money to fly home but no one answers so as a last resort she calls the cousins she hates and had rebuffed for cash. They give it to her....and she gets home in time for the wedding. Even though she was fired she doesn't tells the dead guys family about what happened and what they didn't get or what the dead guy did a long time ago.
The End. I wish I could have set this book on fire but I got it from the library so I was more then happy to return it as quickly as I was able.
In the beginning of the story Kinsey decides to do a favor for her landlord Henry right before the wedding of Henry's brother in which she will be a bridesmaid and after she turns down an invitation to Thanksgiving by her newly found relatives. (For reasons unknown she's been as nasty to these people as can be ever since she found out they existed even though they haven't done anything to her). She is supposed to help a neighbor who is trying to find some information on his veteran grandfather so that he can be buried with benefits. While going through the house for any papers that might help Ray, a friend of the dead man shows up. From there this story goes downhill. While looking around the house Ray tells her a tale about how he and the dead guy knew each other. After she and Ray leave the house it's broken into and she gets blamed. She clears her name but thinks Ray did it and is let in on what the dead man's son thinks is a conspiracy that his father (the dead guy) was a spy and now the government is looking for something he maybe had or stole. They do find a hidden safe in the closet but it's empty except for an old key which no one know what it belongs to. While driving by the house later Kinsey see's a man leave with a duffel bag it when no one is home and knows that this is the person who broke in before. She follows him and when he picks up a pregnant woman and heads for the airport she makes a rash decision to keep following. She calls the dead guys family to report what's going on from the airport as the couple prepare to leave.
She is hired to follow them and get back what they took and hoping they might figure out what the key is for, which Kinsey has. She maxes out her credit card to do so. The man doesn't get on the plane but the woman does and she has the duffel so Kinsey follows her. The woman gets off at a layover and checks into a hotel. Kinsey does too and while there finds out that Ray was found beaten at the house of the dead guy and that Henry's brother told him where she was. She steals a maids uniform to get to the duffel. Before she has it Ray shows up and tells her a different story about how he knew the dead guy and convinces Kinsey to team up with him to get the duffel which she now knows is full of cash. So she starts working for the bad guy and becomes a criminal. After she gets the duffel and doesn't find any money she figures out that the woman isn't pregnant but has the money in a fake belly. Also the money is old so something is off about the whole situation. Kinsey drags Ray up to confront the woman and finds out that she is Ray's daughter Laura (and dumber then a box of rocks, her IQ is so low I wonder how she functions) and the man whole broke into the dead guys house and beat Ray up is an old acquaintance Gilbert. Ray tells her another story now about how he and the dead guy met and that the money is stolen from a bank robbery! Laura is now dating Gilbert and that was how they knew to go after the money when Ray did. But she was going to double cross Gilbert who beats her and run off with the money and Gilbert's nephew. The key might unlock the rest of the money from the robbery that wasn't in the dead guy's house. Kinsey has finally decided she's had enough with Ray and Laura and has been fired so she wants to go home.
She gets to the airport only to find Gilbert getting off the plane she was going to fly out on. He assembles a gun (in front of everyone at the airport) and goes off to find a way to the hotel Ray and Laura are at without anyone stopping him. Kinsey tries to call and warn them but can't get through so has to go back and tell them of Gilbert in person calling the cops to meet her at the hotel. When she gets there the cops haven't come so she helps them get out of the hotel alone. But while doing so is chased by Gilbert who sets the hotel on fire. They all get away and drive to Ray's mom's house in Kentucky. She want's to get away and go home in Arkansas but Laura doesn't stop to let her out. Kinsey agrees to go the rest of the way with them as Ray promises he'll pay for her way home if she does. (Ray has been lying to everyone from the start and has lied to Kinsey with almost every breath so why she believe's him I have no idea and she should be locked up in the loony bin if she trusts any words coming out of his mouth.) They reach Ray's mom's and she is happy to see Ray and Laura. Ray has a letter waiting with another key in it. During dinner Ray, Kinsey and Laura discuss the keys and the money in front of Ray's mom like she has know everything all along which she hasn't. Laura then tells them that she called her mother to tell her where they were and Ray is mad because Laura's mom will tell Gilbert. They get ready to leave but Gilbert shows up and stops them.
Gilbert has Laura tie up Ray and admits that he killed his nephew and plans to kill them. He is a psychopath and enjoys making others squirm. He takes the keys and the belly bag of money and demands the rest. Ray tells him that he doesn't know about it but that his mom has gotten money to be taken care of since the robbery. Gilbert is outraged that the money is gone and thinks it's all his. Before he can do anything else Ray's mom pulls a shotgun out from under the table and shots Gilbert. He is hit in the neck and shoulder loses his gun and takes Laura hostage. Gilbert leaves with Laura, the keys and the money. Kinsey and Ray track down what the keys might belong to and a note the dead guy sent with the key. Ray tells Kinsey about the robbery and aftermath and also that he is actually not on parole but escaped custody so they can't call the cops. The next morning Gilbert shows up and demands his gun back which Ray gives him bullets in all! (What an idiot!) They all go to a cemetery they figured out from the note. They get to the cemetery and find the loot from the robbery and Gilbert tells them he called the cops on the original robbery and killed one of the guys on the crew as he prepares to shoot them. But Ray pulled the firing pin from the gun so it doesn't work. Ray pulls a gun and shots Gilbert several times before Laura hits Kinsey in the head with a baseball bat (I again hope she's dead so this will end) but Kinsey wakes up in the hospital. Ray, Laura and his mom are gone with the loot and Kinsey lies through her teeth about her behavior so she won't go to jail (I hoped she would but alas no). She calls everyone she can so she can get money to fly home but no one answers so as a last resort she calls the cousins she hates and had rebuffed for cash. They give it to her....and she gets home in time for the wedding. Even though she was fired she doesn't tells the dead guys family about what happened and what they didn't get or what the dead guy did a long time ago.
The End. I wish I could have set this book on fire but I got it from the library so I was more then happy to return it as quickly as I was able.
budge's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
fast-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? It's complicated
4.5
From A to L every one has been pure escapist heaven. It's tempting just to binge read the rest but then what???
Content Warnings
Minor: Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail