Review: D is for Deadbeat (S. Grafton)
Title: D is for Deadbeat
Author: Sue Grafton
Rating: 3/5 Stars
Series: Kinsey Millhone (Book 4)
Why?: Recommended
This was not one of my favorites in the series, so on the lower end of 3 stars. I think a huge part of what I struggled with was the premise of it, which is that Kinsey Millhone tracks down a man who gave her a check that bounced... only for him to turn up dead. And so she investigates his murder. I don’t know exactly why that bothered me so much, because it was a totally Kinsey move (so completely within how her character had acted before), but something about it seemed... off to me. Why spend that much time tracking someone down because the check bounced? I’m guessing that most people would spend some time tracking the person down, and then write it off as a loss when it took too long. Kinsey, however, throws herself completely into the task at hand and goes all out.
Another issue I had was the convoluted nature of the story, as there were so many different suspects with so many different backstories that half of the time I wasn’t even sure who was being talked about, or who was related to who and how. I’m not wonderful with names to begin with, but this was just so complicated that not even halfway through the book I was lost already.
So what did I like?
The shortness of the books are actually growing on me! I’m loving the quick, action packed storylines, and the fact that it feels like a fully fleshed out story while being a good 200-400 pages shorter than my normal read length. There's not a ton of downtime, but because the book is so short it doesn't feel rushed.
And it's helping me not be (as) behind on my Goodreads goal!
I really do love Kinsey as a main character. She's funny, smart, witty, and doesn't allow other people to push her around. Ever. And when stuff happens that would send me spiraling into a full-blown panic attack, she shrugs her shoulders and continues on with her life. She cares about solving her cases, and solving them correctly. Leave no stone unturned.
Another thing I liked about this installment specifically: the subplot within the main plot. Two mysteries in one. It makes the story seem more detailed/fleshed out.
I'm very excited to see where this goes!