A review by octavia_cade
C Is for Corpse by Sue Grafton

mysterious medium-paced

3.0

I think I shelved the first two books in this series as mystery and thriller, but I wonder if that's really accurate. It isn't here... this is straight mystery, until about the last ten pages, when there's a violent encounter with the culprit. I don't know that that's enough to be classed as thriller... a lot of what Kinsey does in C is for Corpse could be done by Miss Marple, in that it's conversations and information gathering rather than anything that would risk breaking a hip, if that makes sense. An almost laid-back type of mystery, and I find that appealing. It gives more opportunity for character work, and as always I enjoy Grafton's supporting characters. Lila Sims, for example, is awful, but her nasty personality is neatly encompassed over not a great many pages, and Bobby's mother Glen is an interesting character in her own right. Also, I like that the general lack of action ties in well with Kinsey's character - she's been injured in the previous two books, and ongoing physiotherapy and a general dislike of pain means that she's not remotely into the idea of danger for danger's sake. There's a strong streak of sensible self-preservation in her that I find both sympathetic and extremely realistic.