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But no! Ms Grafton, who refuses her heroine the luxury of a computer or a mobile phone (too easy), has indulged herself with that scourge of the modern novel, the tricksy unresolved ending. I truly thought I had bought a dud copy of the book, with the last few pages missing, until I looked at the reader reviews and realised that nobody had them.
"P is for Peril" is as skillfully crafted and well written as any of the alphabet series, except that we're left guessing at the end about what actually happened. But we want to KNOW!! Readers of detective stories want closure, resolution, neat endings - all that kind of thing. That's one of the reasons they read detective stories. Cliff-hanger endings are great in their place, Ms Grafton, (at the end of chapters) but NOT at the end of the book. I beg Ms Grafton never to do this to us again, and Kinsey Millhone to sign off with her usual "Respectfully submitted, Kinsey Millhone" from now to the end of the alphabet (even if she hasn't been paid her full fee!). If Sue Grafton had started like this, she would never have got beyond A.
For this devoted fan of Kinsey Millhone and Sue Grafton, "P is for Profound Disappointment".
As the 16th letter in the alphabet, P for Peril gives us the 16th Kinsey Millhone crime novel from Grafton, and maybe she's beginning to run out of ideas. Although there may be a masterplan I'm not aware of, or Grafton's ideas for her main character are at odds with my mental image of her, I can't help my disappointment.
First off, what's with this giving Dietz a back seat yet again? Yes, Kinsey has commitment problems, yes, her thing is solving mysteries not getting married, but her inability to have a fulfilling romantic relationship should not be mutually inexclusive with her work. Maybe her on-off-on-off lover was out of the picture in order to enable the shifty Tommy to attempt to win Kinsey's affections, part of a poor plot device, but it's getting wearing.
Oh, that brings me quickly onto the poor plot! It's the first time I've ever raced ahead of Kinsey - what is happening to her? Anyone could see (without wanting to give away the plot) a) what relationship was key in telling us how the Dr disappeared, and b) that you just don't put your trust in insurance investigators without investigating them thoroughly first. What is happening to the Millhone magic? Why has she suddenly gone dumb?
Also, it's beginning to irk that it's still 1983. Yes, Grafton may introduce sly details to remind us it's the proto-computer age, but it's boring that everything's so damn 80s without any other pop-culture references whatsoever. Even Kinsey's hair and dress never change - things are getting dull and in need of a shake-up. That's the problem with a long series I guess - if this was TV turnover the 'new series' would begin after so many episodes allowing the main character to undergo a subtle transformation at least. But not the alphabet thrillers. Before I opened this book I felt myself wishing that Kinsey at least was made to take care of a dog and bonded with it, thus propelling her on a trajectory enabling her to spend more of her space, time and heart with someone. But no - in the book, she defiantly riles against the very same idea. It's not that I want her to suddenly settle down and breed - the character has until now proved good at her job! - but it's simply that the situation is stultifying. All of Grafton's characters can so easily write themselves, yet their mannerisms and personalities are becoming old news - they need livening up. OK, being on the 19th of (presumably) 26 books might mean we'll see our heroine living happily ever after by Z, but I for one can't wait that long.
The plots are thin, the red herrings transparent, the clues writ large. I for one found P for Peril disappointing and shan't be putting in an advance purchase order for the next Grafton novel. (I'll wait till it comes out in paperback.)
Beware - there are copies of this book which are faulty. Read more
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