MR (I) L for Lawless - Softcover

Both new readers and old fans will welcome this 12th Kinsey Milhone adventure in the "A" is for Alibi series by Sue Grafton. In this case, Kinsey agrees to do a favor for a friend of a friend and gets herself into so much trouble that she promises at the outset never to do such a thing again without careful consideration.

Henry Pitt, her longtime landlord asks her to help a fellow neighbor find evidence that his grandfather served in the military during the Second World War. With such proof, the man can be decently buried, courtesy of the U.S. government. It seems such a simple thing, but with Kinsey, it rarely is. Before long she finds herself entangled with an eccentric and quarrelsome family as well as a long lost buddy who has turned up just in time to get himself beaten up in a robbery attempt of the alleged veteran's apartment. It seems there is a reason the Armed Services have no record of the dead man's service. Kinsey sets out to determine what he might have been doing instead of fighting against the Japanese and why someone might think his shabby apartment worth a burgle.

Typical of the series, the mystery is not the central point of the story, but rather a starting point for Kinsey to become embroiled in a suspenseful (and delightful) search-and-rescue operation, usually against her better judgement. In this case, a gun-toting, arthritic octogenarian and revelations of the inner workings of bargain-rate motels are all part of the adventure. This is an easy and enjoyable read, and a solid addition to Grafton's string of alphabetical hits. --K.A. Crouch

One of the nice things about a mystery series is that readers can become familiar with a character and anticipate his or her foibles and methods. I've been following Sue Grafton's alphabet series for years, long before I came to Ballantine Books -- no, not compulsively starting with A is for Alibi, but close enough -- and it's been a pleasure to watch Kinsey Millhone, Grafton's series heroine, grow from one book to the next. It's also a pleasure to watch a writer not only become at ease with her character but hone her storytelling skills. Sue Grafton was good back when she began the series, and she's getting better -- and I, for one, am very glad she's only halfway through the alphabet. --Margaret Sanborn, Senior Publicity Copywriter