M is for Malice by Sue Grafton

 This was a good one!

There were juicy scenes with Dietz, who surprised Kinsey several times by returning to her unexpectedly. The murder victim, Guy Malek, was a sweet and engaging character whose reputation turned out to be grossly exaggerated. The brothers were nasty and interesting. The milieu of this story was much more refined than the usual decrepit and depressing ones of her stories heretofore. And there is the hint of Kinsey coming to terms with her long lost family. 

I read this while on the way to South Dakota for Christmas and our townhouse sale. I finished it tonight, and it was a welcome respite from the sometimes stressful family interactions and townhouse work, not to mention challenging weather! ICE COLD weather, that is, and our impending departure that might be delayed AGAIN. Ouch.... Stressful only because I hate putting Melissa out, but it has been really fun most of the time, and she has been a very attentive hostess. I'm grateful...I'm not sure how I would react to having houseguests so long! December 7 through December 26, at least! Wowsers, she's amazing!

L is for Lawless by Sue Grafton

 This was a romp that was not as much fun as it was stressful and kind of depressing. Kinsey often deals with "underlife," but these folks were particularly low. Kinsey tries to help a neighbor, recommended by lovable Henry whom she can't turn down, and finds herself virtually kidnapped and taken on a wild goose chase to unravel a mystery and find a stolen treasure. The treasure was stolen by a group of unscrupulous men 40 years earlier, and murder ensued, and prison terms served. However, the quest for the treasure proved to be worthwhile. The main villain is truly evil and battering, and we have to have more of him than we like. What is somewhat borderline charming is the way another of the gang, Ray, and his daughter Laura, and his mother Helen become a family for Kinsey. 

I enjoyed having this lightweight paperback along for the trip to Rapid City from Las Vegas since it turned out to be such a comical loading and unloading of passengers as Allegiant tried to get us on a plane that worked. Because I had this entertaining, although somewhat depressing milieu, I was able to withstand the four-hour plus delay with aplomb. I did not get grumpy, nor did I get aprehensive, as Len did. We survived the ordeal and landed safely. This was a good book to have along since it totally "took me away" from the scene and helped me enjoy another world, even though it wasn't a particularly pleasant one. And a nice bonus at the end was Kinsey needing help from her cousin, whom she had rejected up to that point. It was gratifying to see that she needed help, asked for it, and got it. Which also means her cousin Tasha will most likely appear in the next installment. I also liked that Kinsey got a little sentimental at the wedding of William and Rosie. I'm glad it was a sweet occasion and that Kinsey got out of her horrible situation in time to be there. There was definitely the possibility that this adventure would waylay her plans...

I is for Innocent by Sue Grafton

 This story finds Kinsey trying to solve a murder of a woman who was shot through a peephole in a door. We at first think its her husband, and then we're convinced it's not. And then the plot twists again. This story has some good characters, especially as Henry (Kinsey's landlord) entertains his brother William and his myriad idiosyncrasies and then his romance. It's a fun one with more light moments than usual. 

I read this on flights to and from Rapid City and while I was there, so my focus was maybe a little off and maybe I was sleep-deprived. Still, it held up as an entertaining diversion through that week of fun upheaval. Actually, this is an attempt to explain why I don't recall more of the plot or the story.

I am noticing that Kinsey is a student of the weather. There is lots of time devoted to cloud cover and the weather in Santa Theresa. Interesting...

P.S. I just found this summary in my journal! I wrote this in Rapid City during my visit there, because I couldn't get my computer to connect to the Stevenson's internet... Here it is:

K is for Killer by Sue Grafton

 I'm plowing through these alphabet mysteries with great enjoyment! This was a fascinating one in that Kinsey steps into a night-time schedule. In the course of her investigation of the murder of a porn star and prostitute, she interviews most people involved at night. She becomes a nocturnal person as well, and is definitely changed by the experience. She works on this case alone, with minimal help from her friend Cheney Phillips, a detective she's becomeing acquainted with.

While I enjoyed this story, and there were many interesting characters, there were lots of loose ends that were never wrapped up. It seems to be a pattern with Grafton that when she ends, she ends quickly. We don't get to see any of the players' reactions to the solving of the case. And in this one, it would have been good to know how Lorna's family members reacted to the finding of her murderer. And did Cheney have increased respect for Kinsey's skills after she solved this one? And how were the unknown lawyer and the water department guy connected? I don't think i'm dumb, it was just never cleared up. It's kind of disappointing to not have answers...but maybe that's more like real life? Or maybe I missed a few clues along the way? Not sure. Still, worth the fun of reading, and of course I'm moving ahead to L!

I'm pretty sure I read this one in the 80s when I first discovered this series, but I had no recollection at all of the settings, the plot, or these characters. All brand new to me this time around. Actually, I just noticed this publication date is 1994, I don't recall much of what I read in the 90s either! Oh well... This record may help in the future???