Sue Grafton - Kinsey Millhone Series

I love a good mystery and the Kinsey Millhone series by Sue Grafton doesn't disappoint. Kinsey is a private investigator who often ends up enmeshed in crimes. I'd read the first in the series, A is for Alibi, some years ago, so I picked it up again with the next four books (Books 83-87 in my readathon, if you're keeping track). When you read books in a series back to back, it can be hard to separate the details. Each stands on its own, with just enough backstory so you know what's happening, without so much that it's boring for regular readers. These are good books to read on holiday as you don't have to work too hard to follow them, but they still have enough mystery to keep you interested. Descriptions of all the books to date are on Sue Grafton's site or you can find them all on her Amazon author page.

Here are the books I've read so far:


"B" is for Burglar
"C" is for Corpse
"D" is for Deadbeat
"E" is for Evidence
"F" is for Fugitive

And these are still to be read:


"G" is for Gumshoe
"H" is for Homicide
"I" is for Innocent
"J" is for Judgment
"K" is for Killer
"L" is for Lawless
"M" is for Malice
"N" is for Noose
"O" is for Outlaw
"P" is for Peril
"Q" is for Quarry
"R" is for Ricochet
"T" is for Trespass
"U" is for Undertow
"V" is for Vengeance

Lady Killer - Book 71

There's not much to say about Lady Killer, other than that I read it. Amazon describes this supposed thriller as 'less than convincing' and I think that's right. It was readable, but not enthralling, and I found myself skipping to the end to see how it turned out so I could put it down.

Chasing the Will by Stephen Hall - Book 32

Book 32 was a bit different, because it hasn't been published yet. I was given the chance to be a first reader for a first novel. It's not a whodunit, as we know pretty much from the start who the culprits are. Instead it's a howdunit. Lara's father dies and his daughter, along with will writer David try to find out how the Ferdinands came to inherit his estate. The interplay between prissy David and vivacious Lara makes for some great moments  of humour - and there's an interesting cast of heroes and villains, including a couple of unlikely golddiggers. A good read.

Blood Hunt - Ian Rankin - Book 23

I've never been the biggest fan of Ian Rankin's Rebus novels, though I suppose they are ok, but I found Blood Hunt unputdownable. From the minute Gordon Reeve learns of his brother's death to the resolution at the end, this book is a rollicking good read. Reeve is a former member of the SAS who ends up investigating a cast of villains which, rather improbably, includes one of his former squad mates. Every chapter brings a new bit of action and the story zips along nicely. Loved it!

Heresy by S J Parris - Book 14

I stayed with the Tudor period (well, the Elizabethan period, really) for my next book, a novel by S J Parris called Heresy. This book introduces Giordano Bruno (which for some reason kept reminding me of Britain's ex-PM, Gordon Brown), a lapsed Catholic Italian tasked with rooting out seeds of Catholicism in England at the behest of Walsingham. He goes to Oxford in search of conspiracy and finds it in abundance. There are several murders, not to mention petty academic rivalries in these hallowed halls.

S J Parris has been compared to C J Sansom, but although Heresy was a good read, it didn't grip me in quite the same way as the Sansom's Shardlake series. However, I think it's a worthy addition to the ranks of historical detective fiction and am looking forward to reading the next in the Giordano Bruno series - Prophecy.

The Professional by Robert B Parker - Book 8

It's not often that I get a book as a present by an author I've never heard of, but that's exactly what happened with Robert B Parker's the professional. What's even more surprising is that he's written dozens of books. This book is part of his Spenser series.

Amazon's description: "Spenser agrees to help a quartet of married women fend off extortion demands from stud Gary Eisenhower, with whom each has had an affair. Meanwhile, the husband of one of the women under blackmail threat hires some thugs to deal with the matter. The action takes its time getting to a dead body, but, as usual, the smooth, entertaining prose more than compensates for any deficiencies of plot."

The fact that this is the 37th (!) Spenser novel didn't detract from my enjoyment. The backstory wasn't intrusive and the story clipped along at a decent pace. I liked the characters' occasionally sardonic sense of humor and found the book hard to put down. I plan to add the rest of the series to my wishlist (in case anyone asks) and will definitely be reading more of his books in the future.