G is for Gumshoe

Wow. Just wow. This is a huge leap forward in quality for the Millhone series (not that the previous novels were lacking). The supporting characters are more fully developed, the mystery more complex, the tension–and stakes–are a lot higher, and Kinsey's given a lot more emotional depth (and range) than she's shown before.

Heckuva read.

This is my favorite book in the alphabet series so far and I am reading them in order. I couldn't put this book down. I really fell like Grafton grew as a writer when she wrote this one; the writing was so much better and funnier. I love the dry humor and funny descriptions. The story itself was two interesting stories twining around each other and both were equally interesting. I have been consistently rating the others as 3 stars but this one jumped up to a 5. I hope the other books are just as good or better.

I have to say, I'm amazed at the people who don't know what a gumshoe is. I love mysteries and BBC so no one had to tell me it means detective. Think of sneakers (rubber soled shoes) for quietly sneaking around.

This was the weakest of the Grafton alphabet series that I have read yet. I am reading them alphabetically. I actually listened to the book-on-cd, which isn't my favorite way to “read” a book, and perhaps that's why I didn't like it as much. There were two big stories happening in this book, as well as the story of the romance, and it just seemed like too much going on. I will continue to read through the alphabet, though, as I'm hoping this one was just a fluke.