"B" is for Burglar: A Kinsey Millhone Mystery

BOTTOM-LINE: Stealing someone's identity is one thing, living their life is another . PLOT OR PREMISE: A sister hires Kinsey to find her estranged sister who seems to have gone missing . WHAT I LIKED: The plot is interesting, as it starts to shape up as quite the mystery. The missing sister, Elaine, supposedly flew to Florida but someone else is staying in her condo there. Everybody has opinions, but no facts as to her whereabouts. And there's a link to a burglary / homicide that occurred before she disappeared. Stolen identities, missing cats, firecracker old ladies, multiple clients and Jonah too? . WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE: A good portion of the novel is kind of muddy, with Kinsey blundering along, showing no real signs of any insight or deduction, just plodding along, with the mystery having to go at her pace too. None of the "drama" from the secondary characters tends to add any real intensity to the story, and many of the people just come off as lame. . 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.

I'm not entirely sure what happened with 'B' is for Burglar, but I found it very hard to get into the story. The characters were still there, quirky and interesting as ever, and Grafton's narrative descriptions still struck me as unique and engrossing, but I just couldn't find myself caring about the plot. It wasn't a murder mystery I could sit around guessing at, thereby provoking my interest as the pieces were revealed. Instead, the ending came from left field and accusations that were previously made are never wrapped-up. There's a rather important side character who is glossed over at the end, leaving me wondering what happened? Why? HOW?! The book was good for a quick read on a rainy day, but it didn't blow my mind. Grafton has a gift for metaphors, they stand out without seeming like melodrama. She can describe something in a few sentences that would take less skilled writers many paragraphs. All in all, I will continue to read this series. I hope 'C' has a more engaging storyline.

Over the years I have listened or read most of Ms Grafton's book. I enjoy the no-nonsense way that Kinsey Milhoune pursues her life and her cases. It's interesting to read about crime-solving before everyone had cell phones and hackers were as much a part of the detective's arsonal as good old gumshoe hard work.