Tag Archives: fiction

D is for Deadbeat by Sue Grafton (1987) – BR00130 (2019) – 🐸🐸🐸⚪⚪

The PolyBlog
February 19 2019

Plot or Premise

Kinsey is hired to deliver a cashier’s cheque to a 15-year-old, but the client stiffs her on the fee so she hunts for him before delivering it.

What I Liked

There isn’t a lot of mystery early on, just a few simple unanswered questions until a body drops. Now suddenly there’s a murder to solve. The initial premise of the lying client sounded a bit familiar to one of her other novels, but not quite the same, which was good. And while Jonah features in the story, the rest of the ancillary characters are non-existent, leaving the story to run along at a decent pace.

What I Didn’t Like

I never really felt much sympathy or empathy for the murder victim, so it’s hard to get too excited about the case. Overall, most of the characters and the outcomes are all negative, so the whole storyline is rather a downer.

The Bottom Line

An okay but very depressing case.

C is for Corpse by Sue Grafton (1986) – BR00129 (2019) – 🐸🐸🐸⚪⚪

The PolyBlog
February 17 2019

Plot or Premise

Kinsey meets an accident victim in physical rehab, and he wants her to find out who ran him off the road and why.

What I Liked

Kinsey gets to know Bobby in the early stages of the case, and the mystery of the case is intriguing. It takes a while for the pinball to hit enough buzzers to do anything, particularly as his only real evidence is that he remembers knowing “something” and that he was in danger, but not what it was or from whom. The further developments of Kinsey’s character and her sense of justice are awesome.

What I Didn’t Like

One of the sub-characters, his step-sister, is a caricature and a wasted distraction. Equally, another sub-story with someone trying to take advantage of Henry is both obvious and boring.

The Bottom Line

A decent story but not a home run

A is for Alibi by Sue Grafton (1982) – BR00127 (2019) – 🐸🐸🐸🐸⚪

The PolyBlog
February 13 2019

Plot or Premise

Nikki Fife served 8 years for a murder she claims she didn’t commit. Now she wants Kinsey to clear her name.

What I Liked

The character of Kinsey Millhone, and her introduction on page 1 (“My name is Kinsey Millhone”) is the same general format that appears in all the books. Just the facts. But she talks about having killed someone and that it weighs on her mind. Cue the flashback. And the book has all the classic elements that show up in almost all the books…her apartment near Henry, Rosie’s, multiple cases at once, index cards to keep track of details, Deitz, Dolan, etc. This is a classic whodunnit with lots of twists and turns and misinformation from suspects, sometimes intentional, sometimes not.

What I Didn’t Like

There is a bit too much relationship-angst in this outing, albeit briefly.

The Bottom Line

Like meeting an old friend.

The Two-Night One-Night Stand by Ryan Ringbloom (2018) – BR00126 (2019) – 🐸⚪⚪⚪⚪

The PolyBlog
January 27 2019

Plot or Premise

A case of mistaken identity on a blind date leads to a one-night stand.

What I Liked

I don’t normally read romance or romcom, but I grabbed this off Kindle Unlimited because it was free, it sounded like it could be funny, and the initial question of the story — can you turn a one-night stand into a dating partner? — had some great potential. How do you go from sex without strings to a potential relationship?

What I Didn’t Like

The writing is lacklustre, the sexual escapades beyond unrealistic (neither very experienced but both are supposedly MIND-BLOWING in bed — it actually contains the line that he has ruined her for other men), and the characters more stupid than immature. Plus completely inconsistent — hesitant, unsure of themselves, constantly letting their personal squirrels mess with their heads until they’re drunk out of their minds, having sex, etc., and then they suddenly become confident porn stars. And there were only two scenes that were even humourous, with neither rising to funny.

The Bottom Line

More failed romance novel than RomCom

X by Sue Grafton (2015) – BR00125 (2019) – 🐸🐸🐸⚪⚪

The PolyBlog
January 26 2019

Plot or Premise

Kinsey is hired by a rich client for a simple task — find her biological son who was recently released from prison.

What I Liked

There are three storylines running concurrently, and the mix of types of cases is interesting…a missing persons case, which gets complicated when Kinsey finds out after she finishes the job that the client was bogus and there’s more going on that involves a complicated divorce; problems with neighbours; and a leftover case from Pete Wolinsky, a private-eye who was killed in a previous novel. The start of the missing persons case is intriguing and the investigation part of the old case is solid.

What I Didn’t Like

The problems with the neighbours are so obvious, the solution is seen a mile away by everyone except Henry and Kinsey. And mostly just annoying. The interest from the missing persons case deteriorates almost into Kinsey Millhone, marriage counsellor. And the leftover case redeems Pete’s character but then goes way over the top at the end.

The Bottom Line

A mix of three cases, none adding up to a solid plot