K Is for Killer
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In K is for Killer Sue Grafton takes her plucky investigatorive heroine Kinsey Millhone
on the trail of a murderer whose crime was committed over a year ago.
One night whilst working late in the office space she rents from the law firm, Kinsey
is approached by Janice Kelper whose daughter, Lorna, was found dead in her ramshackle
house off the beaten track in woodland. Although the police investigation was thorough,
it was never closed and Janice is unsatisfied with the result beleiving Lorna was the
victim of a brutal murder and wishes the purportrator to be brought to justice.
Kinsey is soon hot on the trail, tracking down all those involved with Lorna's former
life.
It would seem that Lorna led something of an unconventional lifestyle and apart from
fiercely protecting her independance she was also working as a high-class call girl.
Kinsey meets up with the late night Jazz station disc-jockey who befriended Lorna, her
employer at the water treatment plant and his wife (who was the one who actually found
Lorna's Body) and the policeman who originally investigated the murder. Although there's
not the sparks that surrounds Kinsey and Jonah Rob's relationship, her contact with Cheney
Phillips is still full of mutual attraction and gives the reader much thought for
speculation.
Best of all the characters Kinsey meets is Lorna's protitute friend Danielle, who is a
fiesty and amusing person and is a joy to read about.
Ms Grafton goes to great lengths in this book to create a more moody and shadowy
atmosphere. Much is made of the fact that most of Kinsey's investigations are made at
night, surviving only on a diet of string coffee she inhabits these twilight hours
interacting with the shady and sometimes sinister characters that lurk around at these
times. Kinsey equates the search for the murderer as if the victim is crying out from
beyond the grave to have their crime solved so they can finally rest. This is also
reflected in the final ending when Kinsey believes she might have finally crossed
"the line" in bringing the criminal to justice.
Although I do repect the efforts that have been made to make this book stand out from
the others in the alphabet series, I'm not 100% sure that this has been successful. In
Sue Grafton's efforts to give the book a shadowy complextion she leaves far too many
story threads hanging and without proper closure. There's many elements of the story
which have been nicely built up throughout the book which are then just left unresolved.
I wanted to know how Kinsey finshes with the Kelper family, especially as she's developed
a good relationship with Janice and Lorna's sistser Trinny and on the other hand alienated
and been alienated by Lorna's father and other sister Berlyn. I wanted to know what
happens between Kinsey and Cheney when the investigation is closed and I really wanted
to know what finally happens with Danielle after the tragic events of the final chapter.
Perhaps these questions might be answered further on in the series but I was left feeling
slightly dissatisfied by this one.
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one of her best
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It just shows you can't please everybody. I had expected this title to have had 5 stars, but all the reviewers were disappointed. It is in fact, one of the best written & most subtle of Sue Grafton's plots. A young women found dead at her remote home with no signs of violence or illness. Her mother suspects she was killed & asks Kinsey to investigate. There is no evidence, no reason for anyone to kill the girl except her mother's suspicion so there is nothing to work on. Kinsey interviews everybody the girl knew or worked with, & until she uncovers the sex films she worked in, there seem to be only dead ends. There is a cameo performance by a transvestite colleague Kinsey questions, who is the funniest & the saddest of any character from the Grafton thrillers. For me, the ending is the most satisfactory pieces of vengeance I have read since Kinsey blew away her first murderer in "'A' is for Alibi". When she uncovers a motive for the murder & the method, the police say they just don't have any proof, Kinsey takes the law into her own hands almost getting killed by the murderer... It was a very neat ending - & it suited me.
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Possibly not as good as some of the others.
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I did enjoy this book. And it is worth a read, but it as i say, not as good as some. I, unlike many others, enjoyed the ending immesnsely, Kinsey, letting her true emotions and frustrations show through and taking justice into her own hansa as far as she can, just seems to me to make her more "real". The plot is perhaps a bit thin, and the book itself overlong. But it is still very enjoyable.
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Promises more than it delivers
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The plot here is quite weak and I felt let down by the ending. There are lots of red herrings and long drawn out descriptions which I didn't really feel added anything to the book. It had a lot of potential which didn't get realised. Disappointing.
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Not Very Griping
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This is the second book of Sue Grafton's I have read. While i realize not every one can be as suspenceful as the other i was a bit disappointed. Without giving the book away the ending sort of left me feeling unfinished. Almost like i should have been looking for a second book. I found Kinsey Malone not as light-hearted in this one more like timid and bored with her life. Sometimes there was pages spent on trival matters and not enough on larger issues. But Sue still remains a common name in my book case this one just didnt hit the mark for me.
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