Status
Available
Series
Genres
Publication
Henry Holt and Co. (1994), Edition: 1st, 284 pages
Description
When Kinsey Millhone answers her office door late one night, she lets in more darkness than she realizes. Janice Kepler is a grieving mother who can't let the death of her beautiful daughter Lorna alone. The police agree that Lorna was murdered, but a suspect was never apprehended and the trail is now ten months cold. Kinsey pieces together Lorna's young life: a dull day job a the local water treatment plant spiced by sidelines in prostitution and pornography. She tangles with Lorna's friends: a local late-night DJ; a sweet, funny teenaged hooker; Lorna's sloppy landlord and his exotic wife. But to find out which one, if any, turned killer, Kinsey will have to inhabit a netherworld from which she may never return.
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Media reviews
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 each passing letter.
User reviews
LibraryThing member miyurose
I still think she spends too much time describing settings.
LibraryThing member bakersfieldbarbara
Another book by a fabulous author. I love the alphabet series and finally found K. A grieving mother asks Kinsey to try to find out the truth, and possibly the suspect of her daughter's murder. Her eye for detail and her tart descriptions keep me reading well beyond my bedtime. Many characters are
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in the book, but they are written about so well that it is easy to follow them throughout the book. As usual, the ending is not what is expected. Show Less
LibraryThing member benfulton
Only the second in the series I've read; surprisingly good for what appears to be a formulaic series of books with no particular story arc. You would think if you knew exactly how many books you were going to put in a series, you could at least make an effort at some sort of overall character
The resolution doesn't quite hang together, to my mind; the final fate of the criminal seems unlikely and the thriller-style ending is forced, although some effort is made to set it up earlier in the book.
Still, a good read with some exciting moments and an interesting if somewhat ambiguous puzzle.
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development and story, but I didn't see much difference between the "A" book and the "K" book. The resolution doesn't quite hang together, to my mind; the final fate of the criminal seems unlikely and the thriller-style ending is forced, although some effort is made to set it up earlier in the book.
Still, a good read with some exciting moments and an interesting if somewhat ambiguous puzzle.
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LibraryThing member ffortsa
A very engaging plot with more red herrings than usual. Kinsey is asked to investigate an unsolved death by the victim's mother, who leaves out an awful lot in the telling. Since her daughter was found deep into decomp, there's no official cause of death, and no clues. Kinsey does her usual
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stirring of the pot, with family, work, and political folk. The book has some lovely scenic asides, and a surprise move at the end. Show Less
LibraryThing member kaulsu
Well, I enjoyed the first 6 books in the series more than I have the last two.
This one was interesting but too many things about Kinsey herself did not add up. Grafton must have been in a hurry to meet her deadline. Maybe it is just that Kinsey herself is getting into a depressive funk? She seems
This one was interesting but too many things about Kinsey herself did not add up. Grafton must have been in a hurry to meet her deadline. Maybe it is just that Kinsey herself is getting into a depressive funk? She seems
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to have lost a sense of personal safety and that edge bothered me. If nothing else, why in the world isn't she setting the alarm on her home?? Show Less
LibraryThing member bookworm12
A mother wants Kinsey to investigate the death of her adult daughter, which happened nine months earlier. The farther Kinsey delves into the investigation the darker the details become. She finds out the murdered girl has a sordid past and as always, things are not as simple as they seem.
Kinsey is
BOTTOM LINE: A good addition to the series, this book reminds us that even PIs have bad weeks. There are a few great new characters, including a hilarious cross-dresser and a financially savvy hooker.
Kinsey is
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in a bit of a funk in this book. She is sleeping during the day, working all night. Henry, her landlord and friend, is out of town and Kinsey can’t seem to shake her blues. BOTTOM LINE: A good addition to the series, this book reminds us that even PIs have bad weeks. There are a few great new characters, including a hilarious cross-dresser and a financially savvy hooker.
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LibraryThing member TerriBooks
Kinsey in a funk; there's a widening of the character here that I found really interesting. Although "just another" in the alphabet series, this one stands out. The short scene at the end in the water plant was scary. There must be something primeval about the idea of black rushing water that makes
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me shudder. Show Less
LibraryThing member Mrsbaty
Another home run for Sue Grafton. I loved this book but I almost hate to gush over it because that feels like it would go against the atmosphere of the book.
Kinsey has been asked to by a mother to investigate the death of her daughter on which the police have not been able to make much headway.
The story has a lot of suspicious characters and lines of investigation to follow, a lot of leg work on Kinsey's part. The atmosphere almost clings around this book like night fog. In the end, you can decide whether justice was done or not. This is a story that will stay with you.
Kinsey has been asked to by a mother to investigate the death of her daughter on which the police have not been able to make much headway.
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From there Kinsey gets sucked into the life of the night people in Santa Teresa. She meets hookers, night djs, nurses that work the night shift and waitresses that work at night. Her own life gets turned upside down as she starts working nights and sleeping days. It really has a brooding atmospheric feeling like an old film noir.The story has a lot of suspicious characters and lines of investigation to follow, a lot of leg work on Kinsey's part. The atmosphere almost clings around this book like night fog. In the end, you can decide whether justice was done or not. This is a story that will stay with you.
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LibraryThing member ChrisWeir
This one has Kinsey looking into the death of a young woman who was not as nice and clean as her parents wanted to believe. The young woman in question was a high priced call girl who was murder 10 months ago. Has a variety of extra characters and yet again I didn't figure out who the killer was in
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advance. Show Less
LibraryThing member readafew
Sue Grafton has been writting the Kinsey Milhone series for about 25 years now and she has been fairly consistant with her quality. Her writing is simple and easy to read. The Mysteries are not terribly difficult to forsee, but she writes a good story and not a lot of thinking is involved.
K is for
K is for
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Killer is about a murdered girl who seemed to be a loner who kept her nose clean and didn't cause trouble. Well she didn't cause trouble but trouble found her anyway. She also led a double life and it was wondered if it was the cause. The girls mother hires Kinsey to find out what really happened. Show Less
LibraryThing member lkernagh
Thankfully, I have never suffered with insomnia. I am a bit of the reverse in that I have troubles staying awake past 10:00 pm and my perfect sleep potion seems to be reading while lying in bed. In this Alphabet series book, I got to experience insomnia through Kinsey. I found this mystery to be
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one the better one's so far n the series. The little details had me trying to pin the possible murder on four different characters at different points in the story. The prostitution/call girl/porno movie angle and the night investigations gives the story a grittier edge to it. While we don't see much if anything of the now regular cast of the "Alphabet series - Kinsey's landlord Henry Pitts, his brother William, her somewhat friend restaurant owner Rosie, etc - it was nice to have a new character in the form of Officer Cheney Phillips arrive on the scene. As with previous stories in the series, I continue to enjoy the nostalgic trip back in time to a pre-cell/smart phone world where one looks for a payphone or asks to use someone's phone when one need to place a call. Show Less
LibraryThing member rongeigle
I thought this one started nicely. The plot seemed sturdy. I liked the mix of characters. But it just seemed to come apart at the end. No resolution of many story lines. I always enjoy these books, but this one disappointed.
LibraryThing member lamotamant
I think this was one of my least favorite books in the series. It felt like Millhone's token "sarcasm" was more like plain bitchiness. I liked the idea of the mystery in and of itself but I think the main character just wore on me way too much in this particular instance and the ending seemed
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overly flubbed and completely lacking any connection or intensity. Show Less
LibraryThing member lamour
Kinsey is asked by a grieving mother, Janice Kepler, to investigate the death of her daughter, Laura. Slowly Kinsey puts the pieces together discovering that the beautiful young woman was a high end call girl, acted in a pornographic film and was going to marry a gangster. Kinsey becomes friends
This is a fascinating read and is tough to put down.
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with another teenage hooker, with an all night DJ, battles Laura' sloppy landlord and his paranoid wife and wonders about a powerful businessman. Which if any is the killer?This is a fascinating read and is tough to put down.
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LibraryThing member p.d.r.lindsay
I found this a sad read. A cold case which let us into the minds of parents, friends, siblings of the murdered girl but left us still not knowing who she really was. Like life really. Do we ever know, really know the people closest to us?
Kinsey soon finds that investigating this ten month old
Another well written Kinsey tale to add to the series.
Kinsey soon finds that investigating this ten month old
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mystery is dangerous. The police suspected murder but could prove nothing. Kinsey is sure Lorna was killed and by a vicious man who kills again and looks to escape justice. Not if Kinsey can help it!Another well written Kinsey tale to add to the series.
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LibraryThing member DocWalt10
First, read Mar. 12/17 to April 5/17. Reading again starting Dec 22/18. As always, a great read. Never a dull moment. Her books could be read in one seating if one had the time. I never tire of Kinsey Millhone, the main character in Sue Grafton's books. She is an independent young woman,
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self-employed, doing what she loves to do and is good at it. As a private investigator, she is a minority in her field. If you enjoy suspense, this is book and series for you Show Less
LibraryThing member polywogg
BOTTOM-LINE:
The worst of the series so far.
.
PLOT OR PREMISE:
A mother attending a support group for grief-stricken parents in Kinsey's building hires her to look into the death of her daughter who died at home with no known cause of death.
.
WHAT I LIKED:
Cheney is involved as the original
.
WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE:
There is a giant plot hole in the case, namely a messed up timeline for a recording device, as well as a ton of interesting elements that go NOWHERE. Their purpose in the story is so obvious, they fall into the story very bluntly.
.
DISCLOSURE:
I received no compensation, not even a free copy, in exchange for this review. I am not personal friends with the author, nor do I follow her on social media.
The worst of the series so far.
.
PLOT OR PREMISE:
A mother attending a support group for grief-stricken parents in Kinsey's building hires her to look into the death of her daughter who died at home with no known cause of death.
.
WHAT I LIKED:
Cheney is involved as the original
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investigating officer, and it's fun to see a bit of a dance between them. There's lots of different characters running around, and lots of possible plots. It's definitely not a quick case for her..
WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE:
There is a giant plot hole in the case, namely a messed up timeline for a recording device, as well as a ton of interesting elements that go NOWHERE. Their purpose in the story is so obvious, they fall into the story very bluntly.
.
DISCLOSURE:
I received no compensation, not even a free copy, in exchange for this review. I am not personal friends with the author, nor do I follow her on social media.
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LibraryThing member ValerieAndBooks
***This is a project of e-reading Grafton's series -- I started reading these back in the 1980s and would read each release as they came out over the years. To prevent spoilers, I will not attempt to summarize in detail. ***
Another good one by Grafton. I felt there were a couple loose ends left
Another good one by Grafton. I felt there were a couple loose ends left
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untied though (that would not be resolved in later books). Show Less
LibraryThing member purple_pisces22
Kind of a disappointing, cliff hanging ending. Not typical of this series so far.
LibraryThing member jguidry
Another good episode in the Kinsey Millhone series. The storyline was interesting and didn't have a lot of distractions taking away from it. I enjoyed following the cold case clues along with Kinsey and Grafton did a great job of sticking to the point. The ending was not what I expected, but gave a
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great view into Kinsey's developing character and I really liked it. My only complaint was that the motive behind the murder was not crystal clear and if you blinked you missed it. (Not good when your listening to the audioversion). Still, everything did make sense in the end! Show Less
LibraryThing member reading_fox
Murder. Kinsey is asked to look into the 9 month old murder of a girl, to give her mother some closure. Nobody remembers much, but as Kinsey investigates deeper into the nightlife of Santa Terisa, a few secrets emerge. Finally Kinsey is faced with a profound choice - when the legal system fails,
Stunning. A gripping read, convoluted plot with a few really heartfelt moments. The final twist is great.
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where do you go for "justice"?Stunning. A gripping read, convoluted plot with a few really heartfelt moments. The final twist is great.
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LibraryThing member ChrisRiesbeck
Solid but low-key entry in the Alphabet series. This is a cold case, so much of the story is gradually uncovering details about the victim. What makes this somewhat different is how Kinsey is affected Her running and eating habits don't change, but her hours do, as she almost very quickly shifts What happens at the end is reminiscent of a pivotal moment in the television series The Closer . Oblique spoiler 2: One character when introduced immediately and correctly reminded me of "Dead Meat" in the spoof Hot Shots.
Recommended for fans. New readers should start with a few earlier entries to get a feel for "normal" Kinsey Milhone first.
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into working from evening to the wee hours and sleeping during the day. It doesn't really affect her investigation -- most of the people she needs to speak to are also night dwellers.But it provides an appropriate subtext for the final resolution. Oblique spoiler 1: Recommended for fans. New readers should start with a few earlier entries to get a feel for "normal" Kinsey Milhone first.
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Subjects
Awards
Anthony Award (Nominee — Novel — 1995)
Shamus Award (Winner — 1995)
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
1994-05-15
Physical description
9 inches
ISBN
0805019367 / 9780805019360