Teaser Tuesday: A is for Alibi

A very (very) long time ago I read the first Kinsey Millhone mystery by Sue Grafton, A is for Alibi.  It was so long ago that now, as I reread it, I have not a tiniest sense of having ever come across the story before.  Which makes me wonder if I did indeed read it, but in any case it was weeded from my book collection (also) a very long time ago.  I somehow just wrote Sue Grafton off, but I tend to do that to US authors--a bad habit I hope to break myself of.  I always feel like books set in other places, places I am unfamiliar with, are of more interest.  Why read about places I hear about in the news every day, places I might have visited or would at least be familiar to me even if I haven't traveled there.

But a good story is a good story and I should never disregard a setting even if I think I already know it.  A character or place is not more interesting (necessarily) just by virtue of being separated by geography or language (but I will still reach for those books because I am all for expanding my horizons).  So, Kinsey and I are getting acquainted once again and I find there is much to like about her and to learn and appreciate and be entertained by. 

I like Kinsey.  She is really the consummate PI, or what I imagine a PI to be like.  She sounds like one and even lives like one.  Or what I imagine they would be like, what they are like in other novels I have read.  I like the way Sue Grafton writes.  It is accessible and engaging and (relatively quick going), but I mostly like her descriptive passages.  She gives you a lot of detail but in a way that is not overwhelming but simply paints a picture in your mind as you collect facts.  And Kinsey is direct and no nonsense.  She tells it like it is and has a wry sense of humor that comes through at just the right moments.  She is smart but smart in a street sense sort of way perhaps, or just life experience maybe.  

I am halfway through A and enjoying all the little bits that Sue Grafton, Or Kinsey, throws at you.  I like how she lives in Santa Teresa, in southern California and the little apartment she has, because she likes cramped spaces.  I like how she travels light.  But better that I share some of the descriptions as she tells the story, because she does it so much better than I can.

"My name is Kinsey Millhone.  I'm a private investigator, licensed by the state of California.  I'm thirty-two years old, twice divorced, no kids.  The day before yesterday I killed someone and the fact weighs heavily on my mind.  I'm a nice person and I have a lot of friends.  My apartment is small but I like living in a cramped space.  I've lived in trailers most of my life, but lately they've been getting too elaborate for my taste, so now I live in one room, a 'bachelorette.'  I don't have pets.  I don't have houseplants.  I spend a lot of time on the road and I don't like leaving things behind."

*******

"Santa Teresa is a Southern California town of eighty thousand, artfully arranged between the Sierra Madres and the Pacific Ocean--a haven for the abject rich.  The public buildings look like Old Spanish missions, the private homes look like magazine illustrations, the palm trees are trimmed of unsightly brown fronds, and the marina is as perfect as a picture postcard with the blue-gray hills forming a backdrop and white boats bobbing in the sunlight."

She is equally as good at describing people and sussing out their personalities and character flaws.  This is different from a cozy mystery in its presentation, but the piecing of a puzzle is still there.  In this case a woman just released from prison from killing her husband has hired Kinsey to find out who really killed him, as she has always denied any involvement with his death.  So Kinsey must go back and pick apart the facts and talk to all who knew him.  I like watching her work and being in her mind as she compiles details.  I've already go B is for Burgler and I am going to keep going and see how far through the alphabet I can get.  I am trying to catch up with Buried in Print as she has been making her way through the books as well.  It's good to have a reading partner to keep the momentum going (if I can get at leas as far as E!).

On a side note, I am on a mystery binge at the moment and need a little help.  I am looking for a readalike for Barbara Vine's A Fatal Inversion.  I read it years ago and it is a favorite novel by her.  I might just reread it, but I know it is a trope that is often used by other authors so I would like to find a new spin on the story:

"When the new owners of Wyvis Hall, a rural estate in Suffolk, set out to bury their pet dog on the grounds, they stumbled upon a ghastly relic: the bones of a woman and small child in a shallow grave. The gruesome find makes stunning headlines, especially so for the previous occupants.
 
A decade before, nineteen-year-old Adam Verne-Smith inherited the property and spent one debauched summer there with runaways, drifters, and his two best friends—none of whom have spoken since that fatal season. Adam is now a doting father and husband. His old buddy Rufus is a respectable doctor. And there’s Shiva, whose dreams of upward mobility drifted away. Unhinged by the discovery, they reunite, each with a protest of innocence. As the past slowly emerges, their regrets, desperation, and bitter incriminations get the best of them—and so will their secrets."

Any suggestions are most welcome--setting does not matter (or whether the book is new or old) as long as it has a similar feel to it.  

Comments

[Judith]

So glad that you're enjoying Kinsey. Although my next read is O is for Outlaw, I haven't picked up a book in the series for about two years.

But Kinsey is first and foremost my favorite mysteries series protagonist, for sure. She's an American original, no doubt about it.

[Readerlane]

A series can definitely be a commitment and/or a guarantee of good reading ahead ;). I’m glad you are rediscovering Kinsey. I’ve enjoyed her adventures over the years. She is definitely a very American heroine, down to her secret love of Big Macs and her independence.

Enjoy your mystery binge! Maybe there’s a similar Ruth Rendell book, she wrote so many. I recently read The Brimstone Wedding, another Barbara Vine which has that similar theme of the past affecting the present, but I don’t think the tone is the same as A Fatal Inversion,

[BuriedInPrint]

Maybe we can pick up Judith along the way! I think I left off around L or M, but I'm looking forward to our reading them together once you get to E. I'm still going to check each of the branches that I visit (though I'm not visiting anywhere near as many now that the summer is nearing its end) but I have recently checked four and not found E. (Yes, I could request it - but that's not how I've been doing it so far. I'm interested in rereading, but not obsessing about rereading although I'll pay more attention once we're in synch).

[Danielle]

She is really pretty wonderful and I am so glad I didn't write her off as not of interest to me. I would love to keep the momentum going and try and read through the alphabet steadily. I am far behind you, but when I catch up to Buried in Print and we catch up to you, maybe you would like to join us and pick up O (whenever we get there!).

[Danielle]

I do like Kinsey a lot. She reminds me a little of Stephanie Plum (have only read two or three of those novels) as well as Tess Monaghan (have only read the first book). I swear lately I have come across a couple of recent books that have a similar flavor to A Fatal Inversion, but I can't recall now what they were. Maybe I will come across them again. I think it might be a good idea to just look for another Vine/Rendell that I have not read as the psychological slant will still be there even if the story is new (and new is certainly good, too). I was thinking it might be fun to reread A Brimstone Wedding as a matter of fact. It has been so long since I picked up any of those early Vine novels--it would be like reading for the first time really.

[Danielle]

I wonder how many people have left off somewhere in the middle of the alphabet--we could probably pick up quite a few readers along the way! ;) I hope to be into B next week. Hmm, just C and D and then E so keep your eyes peeled--not that I will get there very very soon, but now that I have incentive maybe I will stay focused (which is why I like reading with a partner--if I really stick it out it can be a very good motivator). If I went back to reread all those languished series--I would be in serious trouble. I would be starting from scratch all over the place. Now I am in serious mystery reading mode. Maybe it is the time of year? Fall just calls out for crime reads for some reason.

[LizF]

I have Y is for Yesterday in my library pile but am resisting reading it for as long as possible as I know it is the last one and I have been reading about Kinsey for a very long time: I think I started reading her when E is for Evidence had just come out over here, quickly read the previous 4 and was always waiting for the next one!
She is such a distinct character and so likeable that I may end up having to re-read at some point!
I am re-reading the Tess Monaghan series - or I will be when I can work out where my other half put my copy of Charm City when he was tidying up a couple of weeks ago! She is another quirky character. Maybe I like her because of our shared past as reporters - who knows why one character appeals and another doesn't?
Haven't read a Barbara Vine in years - I liked the first couple but found some of them a bit too psychological for my taste: while I can appreciate anti-heroes, if all the characters are basically unpleasant I tend to lose interest (there has to be someone who is vaguely likeable!)

[Danielle]

No Z? I knew she had gotten close and was thinking that she had just finished the last book before she passed away, but maybe not. I understand the desire to hold it in anticipation for just the right moment. I like Kinsey--I can see how it would be easy to get wrapped up in her life and want to keep reading. I already have B and think I might hit the library book sale this weekend to see if there are other cheap copies I can get to read later. I read that first Laura Lippman not too long ago (well in the last year or two anyway) and I want to continue on with the series--maybe I will pick up the next book sometime soon. I know what you mean by Barbara Vine. The books can be dark and they are definitely not generally happy sorts of characters you want to cozy up to! It depends on my mood--sometimes I like unlikable characters, but other times I really want to be able to identify with someone! Have you read the new Linwood Barclay book? I have heard good things about it and plan on reading Baby Teeth by Zoje Stage ver soon, which I have heard is really really creepy. I just finished a Lynda LaPlante Jane Tennison novel so am contemplating something to pick up next--at the moment leaning towards a standalone by either Peter Lovesey or Peter Robinson, both authors I have read before and really enjoyed.

[LizF]

I would love there to be a 'Z' but just haven't heard anything about it - not that that means a lot as I am rather out of touch with literary news at the moment.
I haven't read a Linda La Plante book in years and I don't think I have ever read a book by Linwood Barclay but I have been acquiring a number of Peter Robinson's books recently so I might try to pick up with Insp. Banks.

[Judith]

Oh, LOL, that would be so wonderful!

[Danielle]

If I get that far (anytime soon that is) I will let you know! Just in case... :)

[Danielle]

It was probably left unwritten. I am not sure if her death was a surprise or if she had been ill. She came so close--I wonder how Kinsey was left--left hanging just waiting for her next case? I had never read Lynda LaPlante before, but I quite liked the Tennison novel and now need to go back and watch the BBC adaptation--I saw bits of it when it first aired. I haven't read Linwood Barclay either but I heard (or read) a very enthusiastic review of his newest book. I am not doing well with library books at the moment, however. I have read Peter Robinson, but only one (and not in order) Inspector Banks novel. I do want to read more of him, though!