"G" Is For Gumshoe: A Kinsey Millhone Mystery (vuoden 1990 painos)

This series gets better and better. The newly introduced characters have added fresh interest to the ongoing storyline. KM shows a different side to her personality, here. ( )

***This is a project of e-reading Grafton's series -- I started reading these back in the 1980s and would read each release as they came out over the years. To prevent spoilers, I will not attempt to summarize in detail. ***

This installment, "G" is for Gumshoe, does show some dated perspectives. This is the one where Kinsey meets Dietz and I always wondered why Grafton didn't do more with him, in spite of the chemistry between him and Kinsey, for the rest of the series. (I think Kinsey sees him only a couple times again throughout the series).

I really loved this one. Kinsey is excited. She moves back into her newly renovated apartment that sounds fabulous. She just celebrated her birthday with friends. She's realizing Jonah is not what she wants. And she is then told she and several others are on a hit list. Kinsey trying to investigate a missing woman realizes she can't investigate and watch her back at the same time. She hires Robert Dietz, a private investigator she hired on an earlier case in A is for Alibi.

This was great. Besides running for her life. Kinsey is dealing with her friend Verna trying to set her up with a doctor, telling herself she's not really into Dietz, and coming to terms with her own mortality.

The hitman was something out of a cartoon it felt like sometimes too. We have to get into that man's backstory and his family dynamics. No spoilers, but it was odd.

The writing was really good as was the flow. I was not expecting the ending we get and it took me by surprise. Kinsey and Dietz end up living together for a couple of months after the end of this case before he leaves to go work in Germany.

I think this book was a turning point in Kinsey's development. She finally goes and falls in love again after her wariness about getting too heavily involved with anyone. ( )

death threat pairs Kinsey w. handsome bodyguard, mystery of old woman's death

One of the main reasons I really enjoyed this book is watching Kinsey sense something about a case and not give up until she figures it all out. I also liked the incorporation of two separate storylines with moments of merging. Sue Grafton did an excellent job of incorporating the hitman story into the Agnes Grey story without either of them overwhelming the whole book. Both storylines are engaging and immediately grabbed my interest. I was anxiously waiting to see what came next and Grafton excels at building the suspense in this one.

I think I’m half in love with Henry Pitts just as Kinsey is. His devotion and caring for her is so genuine and heartfelt. I truly think he is someone she can completely be herself with and someone who loves her no matter what.

In G is for Gumshoe, we get our first glimpse of Kinsey working with a partner and I think I prefer Kinsey on her. I tried to like the Dietz character but he seemed to have a very dark side we only got a glimpse of and I didn’t buy him as a romantic interest for Kinsey at all.

Judy Kaye as usual is the only voice of series there needs to be. I have no words for how well she is as a narrator.
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