T is for Trespass
I finished T is for Trespass, the latest in Sue Grafton’s Kinsey Millhone series, today, and I have to say it was a total disappointment. Either she is getting tired of the character, or I am, because it just didn’t grab me like the previous titles in the series did.
Kinsey Millhone is still a great character, but when I read a mystery novel, I want to get pulled into the story right away and feel like I can’t put the book down. This one didn’t grab me until very close to the end. I’m sure I’ll pick up the next title in the series when it is released, and I’ll be hoping that this one was just a fluke.
The main plot involves a woman who steals the identity of a nurse so that she can get a job as a private duty nurse for elderly patients, and then bleed them dry financially and kill them. Her latest victim is one of Kinsey’s neighbors, the ever-cranky Gus Vronsky. I think the book would have worked better if Grafton had stuck to this major plotline. Unfortunately, there are so many sideplots - Kinsey investigating a car accident for an insurance company, and passing out eviction notices to rent-avoiding slackers - that I kept wishing the story would just hurry up.
2 out of 5 stars.
I read the Grafton alphabet series up until Q. Haven’t picked one up since. I’m sure I will go back to them, but I think I just got tired of them. I still like Kinsey, though.
January 13th, 2008 at 8:53 amLisaMM - yes, that’s kind of how I feel. I will probably finish the series out, though, if she goes all the way through the alphabet. I’ve always wondered what she would find for a title for the letter “X”!
January 13th, 2008 at 10:47 am[…] G - T is for Trespass - Sue Grafton (completed 1/12/08) - review […]
January 13th, 2008 at 10:50 amI found this to be true with the “Cat Who…” mysteries. I really liked the first 15 or so and then it seemed to go downhill quickly. Hope this not true for this series!
January 13th, 2008 at 5:16 pmREALLY!!??? That man stars?! I thought you loved those books!!
Natalie
January 14th, 2008 at 10:20 amI read this last month and enjoyed it more than I thought I would. I didn’t like the rabbit trails much either, but still enjoyed the Kinsey character. I wish Grafton would speed the alphabet up a bit - I’ve been reading these for over 20 years now since she started publishing them, and I’m wondering if I’ll be dead before she finishes!
January 18th, 2008 at 8:28 pmLike the previous commenter, I thought of The Cat Who… mysteries too. I understand they are ghostwritten now. It does seem like the quality can go down when a series goes on for too long!
Jeanne
January 18th, 2008 at 8:30 pmInteresting. I quite liked this one in the series. But I know what you mean. I hated the latest, Book of the Dead, in the Cornwell series.
January 18th, 2008 at 10:24 pmI have yet to read any of these books but I have the award-winners on my list. I would think it would be hard to sustain the momentum for that long though.
Thanks for the review.
January 19th, 2008 at 7:06 amI still haven’t read “S” yet. It’s been so long since I read “R” that I’m not sure I will remember any of the history. Thanks for the heads up.
January 19th, 2008 at 9:13 amI am sorry you were disappointed with this one. I am quite looking forward to it myself. I’ve enjoyed every book so far and have yet to be disappointed.
January 19th, 2008 at 1:55 pm[…] Anne (A Quest for More)2. Carrie K. (T is for Trespass)3. Shannon (Eats, Shoots & Leaves)4. Laura (Leepike Ridge)5. Book Bird Dog6. Laura (A Thousand […]
January 25th, 2008 at 1:44 pmit’s too bad that you didn’t enjoy this one. i read it a week or so ago and really liked it - more, i think, than a few of the other recent ones in the series.
January 25th, 2008 at 11:08 pmAlison - I’ve read a lot of reviews of this now, and the response seems to be fairly evenly mixed - some loved it, some didn’t. Sometimes, too, I think my reaction to a book has to do with where I’m “at” when I read it. In other words, it could just be me. Thanks for stopping by!
January 26th, 2008 at 12:19 am[…] T is for Trespass by Sue Grafton - 2 stars - related post […]
January 1st, 2009 at 10:59 am