Both new readers and old fans will welcome this 12th Kinsey Milhone adventure in the "A" is for Alibi series by Sue Grafton. In this case, Kinsey agrees to do a favor for a friend of a friend and gets herself into so much trouble that she promises at the outset never to do such a thing again without careful consideration.

Henry Pitt, her longtime landlord asks her to help a fellow neighbor find evidence that his grandfather served in the military during the Second World War. With such proof, the man can be decently buried, courtesy of the U.S. government. It seems such a simple thing, but with Kinsey, it rarely is. Before long she finds herself entangled with an eccentric and quarrelsome family as well as a long lost buddy who has turned up just in time to get himself beaten up in a robbery attempt of the alleged veteran's apartment. It seems there is a reason the Armed Services have no record of the dead man's service. Kinsey sets out to determine what he might have been doing instead of fighting against the Japanese and why someone might think his shabby apartment worth a burgle.

Typical of the series, the mystery is not the central point of the story, but rather a starting point for Kinsey to become embroiled in a suspenseful (and delightful) search-and-rescue operation, usually against her better judgement. In this case, a gun-toting, arthritic octogenarian and revelations of the inner workings of bargain-rate motels are all part of the adventure. This is an easy and enjoyable read, and a solid addition to Grafton's string of alphabetical hits. --K.A. Crouch


From Publishers Weekly
Bemused, beleaguered and begrimed, Southern California's premier PI, Kinsey Millhone leaves her hometown of Santa Teresa in an adventure (her 12th in the alphabet series) that begins straightforwardly enough but quickly twists into a knotted string of untruths. While getting ready for the Thanksgiving Day wedding between a local tavern keeper and the elder brother of her landlord, Kinsey agrees to help the family of recently deceased neighborhood WWII vet, Johnnie Lee, find out why the military has no record of his service. Soon after Kinsey has finished looking (fruitlessly) through his papers, Lee's rooms are burgled, and Ray Rawson, who claims he is an old friend recently arrived in Santa Teresa unaware of Lee's death, is beaten up. Kinsey soon finds herself on a plane bound for Florida, in possession of only the clothes she's wearing and her purse( with an extra toothbrush), trailing a young pregnant woman in possession of a duffel bag spirited from Lee's home. On a stopover in Dallas/Fort Worth, Kinsey sleuths disguised as a hotel maid dusting baseboards ("tough to picture the boy detectives doing this," she reflects), meets the increasingly unreliable Rawson again and encounters yet another figure from Lee's past, a violent, vengeful psychopath. While gradually sorting out the connections among this cast, Kinsey travels to Louisville, where Rawson's 80-something mother proves her mettle and Kinsey, determining that lawless, in this case, is neither adjective nor collective noun, unravels a decades-old mystery. 750,000 first printing; Literary Guild, Mystery Guild and Doubleday Book Club selections; author tour. Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Library Journal
In her 12th alphabetically entitled appearance (e.g., "K" Is for Killer, Holt, 1994), plucky private investigator Kinsey Millhone is just doing a favor for a friend?checking the military status of a recently deceased neighbor?when she's sucked into a chase for the spoils of a 1941 bank heist. It's a lively outing with a couple of heart-pounding scenes, some interesting characters (the most memorable: a half-blind 85-year-old grandmother who wields a shotgun and a baseball bat), and even a little detection. There are also hints of Kinsey's connecting with long-lost relatives, plus a romatic wedding of octogenarians. And, as usual, Grafton gives enough background so it's not necessary to start reading the series at "A." With Grafton's legion of fans growing and her first print runs escalating from 150,000 for "H" to 750,000 for "L," every library with mystery readers should have this book, preferably in multiples.-?Michele Leber, Fairfax Cty. P.L., Va.Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Booklist
Grafton has covered 11 letters of the alphabet and produced 11 best-sellers starring the popular Kinsey Millhone. The gritty PI has reached near-cult status for many readers, guaranteeing a built-in audience for all her adventures. But Grafton's huge success and the accompanying pressure to produce another 15 "alphabet" books seems to have resulted--at least in her last couple of efforts--in less quality. This time the plot sounds slightly contrived, the writing is a little tired, and Kinsey's spunky earthiness is sometimes grating. The action centers on Kinsey tracking down half-a-million dollars from a decades-old bank heist carried out by a motley trio: Johnny, now dead, Gilbert, a very much alive psychopath, and mild-mannered Ray, the only one of the trio to have done time for the robbery. Ray and his daughter, Laura--a true bimbo--have involved Kinsey in a high-stakes treasure hunt for the loot. Johnny has left a series of cryptic clues behind, but with psycho Gilbert hot on the trail, too, Ray, Laura, and Kinsey figure it's only a matter of time before he finds them and the money. There's a harrowing cross-country chase, plenty of double-crossing shenanigans, an eccentric granny who's proficient with a Louisville Slugger, and a surprising ending. Flaws? Definitely, but Kinsey's irrepressible, irresponsible, still lovable charm shines through vividly enough to keep her old fans, if not win many new ones. Emily Melton


Review
"Some of the scenes Ms. Grafton most enjoys writing are about the imperfections of her heroine. 'I work to keep her flawed and inconsistent,' she says. The flaws are, for many readers, a major part of Kinsey's charm. After all, who can resist a character who sometimes lies 'just to keep up my skills'?"--Enid Nemy, The New York Times

"Grafton exhibits a sharp ear for dialogue and a quarter-horse pace. Her characters are as real as any this side of Elmore Leonard. "K" Is for Killer offers further proof of Grafton's growth as a writer. This is one mystery series that gains strength with passing letter."--Lorenzo Carcaterra, People

"Unlike many detective series, Grafton's seems only to get better each time out."--Gene Lyons, Entertainment Weekly



Book Description
"THIS IS ONE OF GRAFTON'S MOST FUN-TO-READ BOOKS. . . . One of [Kinsey Millhone's] wildest adventures yet."
--San Francisco Examiner
When Kinsey Millhone agrees to do a favor for Henry Pitts, her lovable octogenarian landlord, she literally gets taken for the ride of her life. The family of a recently deceased WWII veteran wants her to find out why the military has no record of his service. All Kinsey has to do, she thinks, is cut through some government red tape. But when the dead man's house is ransacked and his old army buddy is beaten up, she quickly realizes he was not all he seemed. Before long Kinsey is trailing crooks halfway across the country, impersonating a hotel maid, tangling with a baseball bat-wielding grandmother, and running from one very dangerous character. With her money almost gone and her nerves frayed, Kinsey's got to solve a decades-old crime and make it back home in time for Henry's wedding . . . if she can make it back at all. . . .



From the Publisher
When I first began working at Ballantine as the mass market managing editor, my mother was so excited. All she could think about were all the free books I could bring her. She immediately wanted a list of all the authors we published; it's a long list, and I told her I only had time to read off a handful of names. (I was so new that I didn't know myself; I was reading it straight out of a catalog.) Suddenly, she called out, "Stop!" "What's the matter?" I asked. "You publish Sue Grafton?" she said excitedly. I looked at the catalog again. "Yeah, I guess we do," I said. "I just finished G IS FOR GUMSHOE and H IS FOR HOMICIDE. Can you get me the I, K, and L books?" she asked. "Well, um, I, uh, hold on a second," I said, quickly running to the person next door, who told me that I IS FOR INNOCENT and K IS FOR KILLER were already in paperback, but L IS FOR LAWLESS wasn't due to be published for another six months. I ran back into my office and shared this information with my mother. "Can you get me L any sooner? I'll probably have the other two books done in a week or so. Then what am I supposed to do?" my mother almost demanded. After explaining to my mother that I didn't think I could change our publication schedule just to fit her reading requirements, she said she'd be happy to take what she could get. So now, whenever my mother tells her friends what I do, she says, "He's Sue Grafton's publisher," as if I do it all by myself.

Mark Rifkin, Managing Editorial



From the Publisher
One of the nice things about a mystery series is that readers can become familiar with a character and anticipate his or her foibles and methods. I've been following Sue Grafton's alphabet series for years, long before I came to Ballantine Books -- no, not compulsively starting with A is for Alibi, but close enough -- and it's been a pleasure to watch Kinsey Millhone, Grafton's series heroine, grow from one book to the next. It's also a pleasure to watch a writer not only become at ease with her character but hone her storytelling skills. Sue Grafton was good back when she began the series, and she's getting better -- and I, for one, am very glad she's only halfway through the alphabet. --Margaret Sanborn, Senior Publicity Copywriter


From the Inside Flap
"THIS IS ONE OF GRAFTON'S MOST FUN-TO-READ BOOKS. . . . One of [Kinsey Millhone's] wildest adventures yet."
--San Francisco Examiner
When Kinsey Millhone agrees to do a favor for Henry Pitts, her lovable octogenarian landlord, she literally gets taken for the ride of her life. The family of a recently deceased WWII veteran wants her to find out why the military has no record of his service. All Kinsey has to do, she thinks, is cut through some government red tape. But when the dead man's house is ransacked and his old army buddy is beaten up, she quickly realizes he was not all he seemed. Before long Kinsey is trailing crooks halfway across the country, impersonating a hotel maid, tangling with a baseball bat-wielding grandmother, and running from one very dangerous character. With her money almost gone and her nerves frayed, Kinsey's got to solve a decades-old crime and make it back home in time for Henry's wedding . . . if she can make it back at all. . . .

FROM OUR EDITORS

Private eye Kinsey Millhone is back with her one-liners on tap, romping with a modern-day Bonnie and Clyde through an Our Gang-style comedy that takes her halfway across the country and ends up leaving her not only with a major headache but with an empty bank balance to boot! In Sue Grafton's twelfth foray into the alphabet of crime, Kinsey meets her duplicitous match in a couple of world-class prevaricators who quite literally take her for the ride of her life. Some of the scenes Ms. Grafton most enjoys writing are about the imperfections of her heroine. "I work to keep her flawed and inconsistent," she says. The flaws are, for many readers, a major part of Kinsey's charm. After all, who can resist a character who sometimes lies "just to keep up my skills"?--Enid Nemy, The New York Times.

ANNOTATION

Kinsey Millhone's latest is her most spellbinding mystery yet--and her biggest book to date! When Kinsey agrees to do a favor for her elderly landlord, she finds herself on the trail of a decades-old crime.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

"L" Is for Lawless: Call it Kinsey Millhone in bad company. Call it a mystery without a murder, a treasure hunt without a map, a quest novel with truly mixed-up motives. Call it the return of Kinsey as bad girl - quick-witted and quicksilvery, smart-mouthed and smart-alecky - poking her nose into everyone's dirty laundry as she joins up with a modern-day Bonnie and Clyde in an Our Gang comedy that will take her halfway across the country and leave her with a major headache and an empty bank balance. America's favorite borderline delinquent is back with her one-liners on tap and her energy level on high, romping through her fastest and funniest adventure in this, her twelfth foray into the alphabet of crime.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

Bemused, beleaguered and begrimed, Southern California's premier PI, Kinsey Millhone leaves her hometown of Santa Teresa in an adventure (her 12th in the alphabet series) that begins straightforwardly enough but quickly twists into a knotted string of untruths. While getting ready for the Thanksgiving Day wedding between a local tavern keeper and the elder brother of her landlord, Kinsey agrees to help the family of recently deceased neighborhood WWII vet, Johnnie Lee, find out why the military has no record of his service. Soon after Kinsey has finished looking (fruitlessly) through his papers, Lee's rooms are burgled, and Ray Rawson, who claims he is an old friend recently arrived in Santa Teresa unaware of Lee's death, is beaten up. Kinsey soon finds herself on a plane bound for Florida, in possession of only the clothes she's wearing and her purse( with an extra toothbrush), trailing a young pregnant woman in possession of a duffel bag spirited from Lee's home. On a stopover in Dallas/Fort Worth, Kinsey sleuths disguised as a hotel maid dusting baseboards (``tough to picture the boy detectives doing this,'' she reflects), meets the increasingly unreliable Rawson again and encounters yet another figure from Lee's past, a violent, vengeful psychopath. While gradually sorting out the connections among this cast, Kinsey travels to Louisville, where Rawson's 80-something mother proves her mettle and Kinsey, determining that lawless, in this case, is neither adjective nor collective noun, unravels a decades-old mystery. 750,000 first printing; Literary Guild, Mystery Guild and Doubleday Book Club selections; author tour. (Sept.)

Library Journal

In her 12th alphabetically entitled appearance (e.g., "K" Is for Killer, Holt, 1994), plucky private investigator Kinsey Millhone is just doing a favor for a friend-checking the military status of a recently deceased neighbor-when she's sucked into a chase for the spoils of a 1941 bank heist. It's a lively outing with a couple of heart-pounding scenes, some interesting characters (the most memorable: a half-blind 85-year-old grandmother who wields a shotgun and a baseball bat), and even a little detection. There are also hints of Kinsey's connecting with long-lost relatives, plus a romatic wedding of octogenarians. And, as usual, Grafton gives enough background so it's not necessary to start reading the series at "A." With Grafton's legion of fans growing and her first print runs escalating from 150,000 for "H" to 750,000 for "L," every library with mystery readers should have this book, preferably in multiples. [Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 5/1/95.]-Michele Leber, Fairfax Cty. P.L., Va.

BookList - Emily Melton