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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2165 KP) rated “P” is for Peril in Books
Jan 18, 2020
Missing Doctor Leads Kinsey to Peril
Nine weeks ago, Dr. Dowan Purcell vanished without a trace. Now, his ex-wife, Fiona, has hired PI Kinsey Millhone to figure out what happened to him. Kinsey isn’t sure she can cover any ground that the police haven’t already covered because they have been as thorough as they can be, but she gamely agrees anyway. Soon, she is caught in a web of speculation. It seems everyone has a theory, from Fiona to Dr. Purcell’s current wife, Crystal, to family and friends. But can Kinsey find any clue to figure out what actually happened to him?
The mystery starts well as always, and I was soon caught up in the case. There is a very strong sub-plot that helped draw me further into the story. I love Kinsey and the other regulars, so it is always fun to spend time with them, and the new characters are just as strong. Even the weather, a cold November rain, helped add the right atmosphere to the book. Then I got to the ending. The book just stops. It’s very abrupt. While I have a theory on what happened and why, it would have been nice to have it confirmed, especially since I can come up with another equally as compelling theory on what happened and why. These kinds of endings work for literary novels, but are frustrating for mystery readers. Fans of the series will still be glad they read this entry, but new readers definitely shouldn’t jump in here since there are stronger books in the series.
The mystery starts well as always, and I was soon caught up in the case. There is a very strong sub-plot that helped draw me further into the story. I love Kinsey and the other regulars, so it is always fun to spend time with them, and the new characters are just as strong. Even the weather, a cold November rain, helped add the right atmosphere to the book. Then I got to the ending. The book just stops. It’s very abrupt. While I have a theory on what happened and why, it would have been nice to have it confirmed, especially since I can come up with another equally as compelling theory on what happened and why. These kinds of endings work for literary novels, but are frustrating for mystery readers. Fans of the series will still be glad they read this entry, but new readers definitely shouldn’t jump in here since there are stronger books in the series.
Eleanor (1463 KP) rated B is for Burglar (Kinsey Millhone, #2) in Books
May 29, 2019
Ok mystery bogged down in detail
I listened to the audio book of this read by Mary Peiffer.
Another outing with the independent PI Kinsey Millhone. This time she is approached to track down the missing sister of Beverly Danziger in what appears to be a straightforward case. It quickly starts to look a lot more suspicious when even the sister herself doesn't seem to want Kinsey to get to the bottom of the matter. A lot of different threads appear for Kinsey to try and unravel.
I found this book to really get bogged down in minor details and excessive descriptions of every little thing, making it a bit of a drag. The strong female lead was wasted on a bit of a drawn out story line, I felt it lacked something to keep the reader engaged (descriptions of egg sandwiches just doesn't cut it).
Written in the 80s I do love the nostalgia of a world pre mobile phones, saving the “battery died” line most books feel the need to throw in now. I also like having a female protagonist that doesn't get bogged down in a romantic relationship storyline which seems to be a habit in crime books with a female lead.
Kinsey has a good level of dogged determination and we were given numerous avenues of investigation to explore keeping the mystery engaging (although her missing an obvious clue which seemed totally unfathomable for her or any PI to miss drove me a little potty.). The main let down with this book though was the ending where it just seemed to go off the tracks a bit with unnecessary risk taking and crazy plot device.
The audio-book is a nice easy listen so I’ll probably continue on with Kinsey in that format.
Another outing with the independent PI Kinsey Millhone. This time she is approached to track down the missing sister of Beverly Danziger in what appears to be a straightforward case. It quickly starts to look a lot more suspicious when even the sister herself doesn't seem to want Kinsey to get to the bottom of the matter. A lot of different threads appear for Kinsey to try and unravel.
I found this book to really get bogged down in minor details and excessive descriptions of every little thing, making it a bit of a drag. The strong female lead was wasted on a bit of a drawn out story line, I felt it lacked something to keep the reader engaged (descriptions of egg sandwiches just doesn't cut it).
Written in the 80s I do love the nostalgia of a world pre mobile phones, saving the “battery died” line most books feel the need to throw in now. I also like having a female protagonist that doesn't get bogged down in a romantic relationship storyline which seems to be a habit in crime books with a female lead.
Kinsey has a good level of dogged determination and we were given numerous avenues of investigation to explore keeping the mystery engaging (although her missing an obvious clue which seemed totally unfathomable for her or any PI to miss drove me a little potty.). The main let down with this book though was the ending where it just seemed to go off the tracks a bit with unnecessary risk taking and crazy plot device.
The audio-book is a nice easy listen so I’ll probably continue on with Kinsey in that format.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2165 KP) rated S is for Silence (Kinsey Millhone, #19) in Books
May 15, 2021
Kinsey Tries to Solve a Very Cold Case
On July 4, 1953, Victoria Sullivan vanished without a trace and was never heard from again. Her abusive husband lived under the shadow of suspicion, and her then seven-year-old daughter, Daisy, has lived with the questions about what happened to her mother and why. And so, thirty-four years later, she hires PI Kinsey Millhone to try to finally solve this mystery. Kinsey is reluctant to take on the case. After all this time, what can she find? Yet, as she begins to poke around, she suspects that the people she is talking to know more than they’ve ever told the police or are telling her. Can she figure out what happened?
Cold cases can make excellent novels, and this is a perfect example. It is obvious early on that Kinsey is gaining new information, but how that is going to play out keeps us guessing until the end. I was certain I knew who it was, but I was wrong. Still, the ending did make sense to me. The characters are strong as always. Kinsey spends much of the book out of town, so we don’t see much of the regulars, which was disappointing, but a minor issue. While all the “modern” 1987 scenes are narrated from Kinsey’s first-person point of view, there are sections from other character’s point of view back in 1953. As good as some of those scenes are, sadly, there are some very graphic scenes in them. We could have easily done without them and it wouldn’t have impacted the story at all. I’m taking a star off for that. If you are a fan, be prepared to skim those scenes and you’ll still enjoy the book overall.
Cold cases can make excellent novels, and this is a perfect example. It is obvious early on that Kinsey is gaining new information, but how that is going to play out keeps us guessing until the end. I was certain I knew who it was, but I was wrong. Still, the ending did make sense to me. The characters are strong as always. Kinsey spends much of the book out of town, so we don’t see much of the regulars, which was disappointing, but a minor issue. While all the “modern” 1987 scenes are narrated from Kinsey’s first-person point of view, there are sections from other character’s point of view back in 1953. As good as some of those scenes are, sadly, there are some very graphic scenes in them. We could have easily done without them and it wouldn’t have impacted the story at all. I’m taking a star off for that. If you are a fan, be prepared to skim those scenes and you’ll still enjoy the book overall.
