R is for Ricochet (Sue Grafton)

Customer Reviews

excellent

If you like L is for Lawless, you will love this one. Not as much technical stuff weighing it down. Good characters, great sleuthing, Kinsey in all of her glory. I enjoyed it. It was a perfect summer read. Now I just have to go back and figure out where Cheney appeared before.....

"R" is for Restless...

...which I am more and more becoming with the Kinsey Milhone series. 15 years ago the ambling pace was welcome, as was Grafton's elegant, descriptive prose, which is still very much in evidence here. (Descriptive prose is one thing, but does anyone really know what pittosporum and eugenia shrubs look like?) There are some wonderful scenes (particularly a seduction over mac-and-cheese that's pretty hot -- and beautifully written) and vivid characters -- but it doesn't add up to much. Perhaps the problem is mine, that I've graduated to Michael Connelly and Ian Rankin, whose twisty, fast-paced, grittier works mooooove. It's the difference between a pedal-to-the-metal chase through city streets and a slow, meandering drive in the country. The drive may be pleasant enough...but it's not really going anywhere.

R is for "Reba's Revenge"

The latest in Grafton's alphabet series finds Kinsey along for the ride in "Reba's Revenge". Overall it is an enjoyable continuation of this long-running series. While Reba is getting her revenge against Beck, her former lover and boss, Kinsey deals with new romance in her life and tries to counsel her landlord, Henry, on his love life. She trails along on various illegal escapades with the paroled Reba and doesn't really do much sleuthing. There is nothing new or very exciting, but if you are a fan of the series, you will enjoy spending a few hours catching up with Kinsey.

You have to admire Sue Grafton for keeping the series set in the 80's so that Kinsey doesn't age too much (otherwise Kinsey would be 54 this year!). Grafton keeps fairly true to the time period with Kinsey still not owning or using a computer although business use of computers is part of the story. Kinsey still pigs out on McDonalds, gets by without a cell phone and other gadgets we are so dependent upon today. As much as I'd like to get to the end of the alphabet, I don't want Grafton to rush and finish the series just to appease the readers who want a new book every year. I would prefer she take her time and maintain the quality of the series. I look forward to seeing what happens to Kinsey in "S", no matter how long I have to wait.