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Kinsey Millhone #3-4
C Is for Corpse & D Is for Deadbeat
The third and fourth novels in the #1 New York Times bestselling Kinsey Millhone series by Sue C Is for Corpse & D Is for Deadbeat .
In "C" is for Corpse , Bobby Callahan approaches PI Kinsey Millhone with a far-fetched a murderous assault by a tailgating car on a lonely rural road, a roadside smash into a canyon four hundred feet below, his Porsche a bare ruin, his best friend dead. Bobby, having suffered memory loss in the crash, claims someone had tried to kill him, but doesn't know who or why. And he's convinced Kinsey is the only one who can find out.
In "D" is for Deadbeat , a man calling himself Alvin Limardo approaches Kinsey with a job that seems locate a kid who'd done him a favor and pass on a check for $25,000. It's only later, after he stiffs her for her retainer, that Kinsey finds out his name is actually John Dagget, and his an ex-con, inveterate liar, and now dead. Kinsey soon realizes that Daggett had an awful lot of enemies―but would any of them go as far as murder?
In "C" is for Corpse , Bobby Callahan approaches PI Kinsey Millhone with a far-fetched a murderous assault by a tailgating car on a lonely rural road, a roadside smash into a canyon four hundred feet below, his Porsche a bare ruin, his best friend dead. Bobby, having suffered memory loss in the crash, claims someone had tried to kill him, but doesn't know who or why. And he's convinced Kinsey is the only one who can find out.
In "D" is for Deadbeat , a man calling himself Alvin Limardo approaches Kinsey with a job that seems locate a kid who'd done him a favor and pass on a check for $25,000. It's only later, after he stiffs her for her retainer, that Kinsey finds out his name is actually John Dagget, and his an ex-con, inveterate liar, and now dead. Kinsey soon realizes that Daggett had an awful lot of enemies―but would any of them go as far as murder?
- GenresMystery
656 pages, Mass Market Paperback
Published March 1, 2022
36 people want to read
About the author
Sue Grafton
144 books6,556 followersSue Grafton was a #1 New York Times bestselling author. She is best known for her “alphabet series” featuring private investigator Kinsey Millhone in the fictional city of Santa Teresa, California. Prior to success with this series, she wrote screenplays for television movies. Her earlier novels include Keziah Dane (1967) and The Lolly-Madonna War (1969), both out of print. In the book Kinsey and Me she gave us stories that revealed Kinsey's origins and Sue's past.
Grafton never wanted her novels to be turned into movies or TV shows. According to her family she would never allow a ghost writer to write in her name. Because of these things, and out of respect for Sue’s wishes, the family announced the alphabet now ends at “Y”
Grafton was named a Grand Master by the Mystery Writers of America and received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Private Eye Writers of America, the Ross Macdonald Literary Award, three Shamus Awards, and many other honors and awards.
Grafton had three children from previous marriages and several grandchildren, including a granddaughter named Kinsey. She and her husband lived in Montecito, California, and Louisville, Kentucky.
Grafton never wanted her novels to be turned into movies or TV shows. According to her family she would never allow a ghost writer to write in her name. Because of these things, and out of respect for Sue’s wishes, the family announced the alphabet now ends at “Y”
Grafton was named a Grand Master by the Mystery Writers of America and received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Private Eye Writers of America, the Ross Macdonald Literary Award, three Shamus Awards, and many other honors and awards.
Grafton had three children from previous marriages and several grandchildren, including a granddaughter named Kinsey. She and her husband lived in Montecito, California, and Louisville, Kentucky.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
October 21, 2024
The third and fourth Kinsey Millhone mysteries combined into one volume. Kinsey, our private detective protagonist, is given just enough characterization to lend a little humanity to the character, but as with the previous two volumes, these are really plot-oriented stories, focused on solving the mystery.
C is for Corpse revolves around a client who comes to Kinsey after a car accident has left him badly disabled and given him memory loss. He isn't sure but he believes someone may have tried to kill him and may try to do so again, but doesn't know why.
D is for Deadbeat involves a client who shows up with a cashier's check that he wants Kinsey to deliver to a third party. However, the client is found dead before the check can be delivered and Kinsey suspects there is more than meets the eye going on.
Both of these are entirely serviceable mysteries though hardly memorable. While Kinsey is a good character, the biggest flaw in all of Grafton's books I've read is that the cast of supporting characters is too interchangeable. Invariably I start to have trouble keeping them straight in my mind or remembering what possible motivations might have them connected to the case. In an Agatha Christie book, for example, she often makes her supporting cast big colorful cliches, which you might say is not necessarily good or realistic writing, but it does have the virtue of helping me recall who's who without creating a cheat sheet.
One additional point in favor especially of D compared to the first three alphabet books is that it does not get the action movie ending that the first three have. Instead of a shoot-out or physical altercation, it ends on a quiet and sad note. Also, I will give some credit that Grafton does give Kinsey some memory of what happened in the previous books and makes occasional references to previous events, so the story feels a little more connected than the totally siloed Poirot books, for instance.
Still, these are more or less the definition of B-minus material, good enough to get by but not something you are going to put on the front of the refrigerator.
C is for Corpse revolves around a client who comes to Kinsey after a car accident has left him badly disabled and given him memory loss. He isn't sure but he believes someone may have tried to kill him and may try to do so again, but doesn't know why.
D is for Deadbeat involves a client who shows up with a cashier's check that he wants Kinsey to deliver to a third party. However, the client is found dead before the check can be delivered and Kinsey suspects there is more than meets the eye going on.
Both of these are entirely serviceable mysteries though hardly memorable. While Kinsey is a good character, the biggest flaw in all of Grafton's books I've read is that the cast of supporting characters is too interchangeable. Invariably I start to have trouble keeping them straight in my mind or remembering what possible motivations might have them connected to the case. In an Agatha Christie book, for example, she often makes her supporting cast big colorful cliches, which you might say is not necessarily good or realistic writing, but it does have the virtue of helping me recall who's who without creating a cheat sheet.
One additional point in favor especially of D compared to the first three alphabet books is that it does not get the action movie ending that the first three have. Instead of a shoot-out or physical altercation, it ends on a quiet and sad note. Also, I will give some credit that Grafton does give Kinsey some memory of what happened in the previous books and makes occasional references to previous events, so the story feels a little more connected than the totally siloed Poirot books, for instance.
Still, these are more or less the definition of B-minus material, good enough to get by but not something you are going to put on the front of the refrigerator.
July 4, 2024
I read and reviewed the two novels collected here separately, so this is just for my own records. I've only read the first five books in this series, but the two collected here are the ones I like best: they're straight mysteries, and as I commented in one of the reviews, a lot of what Kinsey does here could have been done by Miss Marple. By which I mean the fights and gunfire and explosions of the other volumes don't really get a look-in. I like thrillers, don't get me wrong, but my favourite thing about Kinsey is how pragmatic and against-putting-herself-in-danger she is. She might be cynical but she's not stupid, and I prefer to see her avoiding actual peril like the very sensible person that she is. She strikes me as extremely realistic that way!
September 9, 2023
C is for Corpse was a typical Kinsey Milhorne mystery with all the the thrill and excitement. Hard to put down.
D is for Deadbeat has been my least favorite so far even though I still liked it. It strays a little from the usual pattern and ends quiet tragically. Many of Kinsey’s usual behaviors are in there but because this case is more of self motivated search until part way through the story feels very different. Still a good read thought.
D is for Deadbeat has been my least favorite so far even though I still liked it. It strays a little from the usual pattern and ends quiet tragically. Many of Kinsey’s usual behaviors are in there but because this case is more of self motivated search until part way through the story feels very different. Still a good read thought.
April 7, 2024
D is for Dradbeat has been my favorite Kinsey Millhone book so far!!! She always amazes me how she figures out what she been hired to investigate.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews