Anyone enjoy Sue Grafton's Kinsey Millhone series?

Category: book Nook

Post 1 by squidwardqtentacles (I just keep on posting!) on Saturday, 22-May-2010 17:39:26

The books with titles like "A is for Alibi" I love. I can't wait to read "U is for Undertow." The only thing that leaves something to be desired is her endings, I even rewrote in my mind the ending to "B is for Burglar", but the story lines and suspense make these worthwhile reads.

Post 2 by Blue Velvet (I've got the platinum golden silver bronze poster award.) on Saturday, 22-May-2010 19:43:15

I finished U is for Undertow not long ago. I think it was one of the best, if not the best, in the series so far.

Post 3 by squidwardqtentacles (I just keep on posting!) on Thursday, 10-Jun-2010 14:45:35

I am currently enjoying 'S is for Silence'. I can't wait to see the ending. Unfortunately, I know a few characters like some of the female ones in this book, like a middle aged woman who is 'thick waisted and intolerant' of people whose circumstances are different than her own, and the manipulative Violet Sullivan.

Post 4 by cattleya (Help me, I'm stuck to my chair!) on Friday, 11-Jun-2010 14:02:53

Love the books. Some are better than others, but isn't that the way with most/all series? :) Haven't read U yet, but my husband and I have read all of the rest.

Post 5 by BryanP22 (Novice theriminist) on Friday, 11-Jun-2010 22:31:25

Ah yes, the Kinsey Millhone mysteries. I haven't read U yet, mainly because I just haven't purchased it from Audible yet (that's hw I get most of my commercial audiobooks anymore), but I do plan on doing so next month when my credits renew. Ranted the change in her writing style starting with S is for Silence did throw me off a bit since she actually switches from Kinsey's POV to other characters in the past, then in T is for Trespass she switches from Kinsey to Solana's pov but I did like the books nevertheless and I hope Sue Grafton is spared long enough to finish the series since she is getting on a bit in years LOL.

Post 6 by little_wolf (Generic Zoner) on Saturday, 12-Jun-2010 22:50:35

Yes I love that series wonder wear I can download them from as I had to get a new hard drive.

Post 7 by Blue Velvet (I've got the platinum golden silver bronze poster award.) on Sunday, 13-Jun-2010 1:57:23

In U, there were also quite a few switches in POV, and one particular part was confusing for me. But it all came together in the end. And as with many of these books, the ending was sort of sad. But it was a fascinating story.

NLS is finally starting to put some of them on BARD, but they aren't all available for download yet.

Post 8 by squidwardqtentacles (I just keep on posting!) on Monday, 14-Jun-2010 16:54:24

I wonder what she's going to do after 'Z'. Maybe start with A is for (whatever a word she thinks of) and do another alphabet series? I enjoy her style in 'S is for Silence'. It's interesting a case that's open and unsolved after 30 years, and I'm getting some historical insight into that time period.

Post 9 by Blue Velvet (I've got the platinum golden silver bronze poster award.) on Monday, 14-Jun-2010 20:57:11

I think she'll probably stop after Z. After all, it's taking her about two years between books, so she'll be quite old by then and ready for a break. She doesn't seem to be one of those authors who can crank out a lot of books in a short time.

Post 10 by BryanP22 (Novice theriminist) on Tuesday, 15-Jun-2010 3:27:42

Yeah. She's already pushing seventy if she hasn't already reached it LOL. But I've been a fan of the Kinsey Millhone mysteries for years. I think the first I heard of them was catching the end of C is for Corpse by accident while riding in a family friend's car. Obviously she was reading it. Then the next one I actually read, and unfortunately it wasn't all the way through since at the time Randomhouse Audio had a thing about doing abridged books so I no doubt did miss things, was J is for Judgment. Then this same friend gave me the rest of the series on cassette so I did after all manage to catch up, which included K is for Killer since that was as far as the series had gotten at that time. Then I managed to find unabridged versions of L, M, N and O, but they were from another company (Books on Tape Inc.), and I didn't care for the narrator as much. Then P is for Peril came out and that's the first instance I know of where Randomhouse did an unabridged version of one of the Kinsey books. But they seem to have gone that route ever since. Honestly I'm not sure which is my favorite book but I agree that S is for Silence was a fascinating story. T was prett good too what with the cruel caretaker and the elderly neighbor.

Post 11 by squidwardqtentacles (I just keep on posting!) on Tuesday, 15-Jun-2010 14:18:44

Oh my, I LOVED the ending of 'S is for Silence'. The killer was the most mousy, marginalized character in the book, probably the only one who hadn't shown any sexual interest in this tramp. Sorry, I didn't sympathize with the victim, but she shouldn't have been killed, much less in such a sneaky manner. I sympathize with Ms. Grafton's observation about 'the level of panic people with asthma or emphysema feel' at the difficult breathing CO2 poisoning can cause. I've suffered that level of panic during an attack. I'm looking forward to 'T' and 'U'!

Post 12 by CrazyMusician (If I don't post to your topic, it's cuz I don't give a rip about it!) on Saturday, 18-Sep-2010 21:01:09

I think U was probably the best of the series... I think my favorites are B, H, and K... I though P had the crappiest ending because we have NO idea what really happened...

Post 13 by BryanP22 (Novice theriminist) on Thursday, 09-Dec-2010 23:17:39

If you think about it you can figure it out. It took me a while but once I did it made sense. I did like how in S it seemed like any number of people could have been responsible because a lot of them had what could have been considered crystal clear motives. I haven't read U yet but I've been meaning to. Guess I'll have to download it from Audible one of these days.

Post 14 by Blue Velvet (I've got the platinum golden silver bronze poster award.) on Thursday, 09-Dec-2010 23:54:36

There was one based on a true unsolved case. I can't remember which one that was, but I thought it was one of the best. I agree that U is excellent.

Post 15 by squidwardqtentacles (I just keep on posting!) on Saturday, 11-Dec-2010 15:08:26

I almost bought U in paperback but upon looking at the plot decided to put it off until later. This one sounds like an incident in California where a woman had a 'repressed memory' of her father killing one of her playmates & I believe he was convicted. I'm still going to read it though.

Post 16 by musicgirl (Veteran Zoner) on Saturday, 11-Dec-2010 22:40:20

I've only gotten as far as J.. that was the last one my boyfriend and I had available in his collection to listen to.

Post 17 by BryanP22 (Novice theriminist) on Saturday, 18-Dec-2010 14:24:59

I believe Q is for Quarry is the one you mean Libra Lady. I remember reading either an afterward at the end of the book or something on Sue Grafton's web site. Something about how she said she wrote the fictionalized version of the story in the hope that it might make the local authorities think about other possibilities. Others I remember are J is for Judgment (that's the first one I read all the way through on my own, though in abridged form since I like the narrator). And one of the characters turns up later in P is for Peril.

Post 18 by squidwardqtentacles (I just keep on posting!) on Monday, 27-Dec-2010 11:22:26

I just started 'U' this weekend! I'm already half finished & can't wait to see it thru to the end! I love the way in the last couple of books she's written based on different characters' point of view in each chapter.

Post 19 by Blue Velvet (I've got the platinum golden silver bronze poster award.) on Monday, 27-Dec-2010 12:40:12

I really liked that one too, but it took quite awhile before I could see how some of the past events were tying into what was happening in the present. But when it all came together, it was brilliant.

Post 20 by BryanP22 (Novice theriminist) on Tuesday, 04-Jan-2011 10:59:09

That tok me a while to get used to when I picked up S. But then I read T and I think it's cool how she does that. Solana gave me the creeps.

Post 21 by JosyC (Newborn Zoner) on Thursday, 19-May-2011 10:46:03

I have read them all so far. I think that "T" was one of the best of the series. I was disappointed by "U" tho. I am looking forward to her next book.

Josy

Post 22 by squidwardqtentacles (I just keep on posting!) on Thursday, 19-May-2011 18:30:07

I just finished 'U' after getting sidetracked by other books of interest. Kind of average, really, a bit too many characters and plots for me, too transparent an ending. But I'm still interested in reading the rest of the alphabet I skipped before reading this one.

Post 23 by BryanP22 (Novice theriminist) on Friday, 20-May-2011 16:31:39

I just wish Randomhouse had done all the books as unabridged. THey didn't start with that until I believe O. Before that they were all abridged. And while there are unabridged recordings from another company (Books on Tape I believe), the narrator wasn't as good as far as I'm concerned.

Post 24 by SatansProphet (Forever in the service of Satan, my King...) on Tuesday, 14-Jun-2011 12:03:25

I love the Kinsey Millhone books! And even though I've only been able to read them abridged so far, except for O and P, I love Judy Kay's narration. I haven't actually read them in order. So I will have to kind of back track. But that's okay. I didn't know Sue was that old! Damn. Hope she finishes the series.