P is for Peril

Dr. Dowan Purcell has been missing for nine weeks, after disappearing one night. Dr. Purcell heads the Pacific Meadows nursing facility. Purcell's ex-wife, Fiona, wants to hire Kinsey Millhone to investigate. Kinsey is a logical choice, since she has already solved one notorious disappearance. But, Kinsey does not like Fiona, who is an obnoxiously pretentious interior designer--and the dislike is mutual. Nevertheless, Kinsey accepts the job. It seems plausible that Dr. Purcell disappeared deliberately. Neither he nor his car have been found. His passport and $30,000 are missing. He has a history of previous unexplained disappearances. Pacific Meadows is in poor financial condition, and is being investigated for Medicare fraud. Moreover, his current wife--a beautiful former stripper named Crystal--may have been playing around on him. Yet, it is hard to believe that Purcell would run out on his infant son, of whom he is inordinately fond. The search for Purcell leads to Crystal, the current wife and former stripper, who is frantic with worry, yet convinced that Purcell is dead. It continues on to Leila, Crystal's rebellious daughter by a previous marriage, and Leila's kooky friends. It involves a mysterious and beautiful woman named Anica Blackburn, a hyper-fecund relative named Blanche, a nutty clairvoyant named Nancy, and a whole cast of southern California characters. Through it all, Kinsey is sustained by her friendship with her 86-year-old landlord, the good-hearted Henry Pitts. By dint of persistence and ingenuity, Kinsey solves the crime, and the accusatory finger points exactly where it should. This is Sue Grafton's best novel among those that I have read. The central crime is very logical and convincing. The best feature of this novel is the characterizations. Grafton has a keen eye for social scenes and human circumstances. She is a good observer of the southern California scene, from beautiful people--to office politics--to nursing homes--to upscale parties--to disaffected youth. P is for Peril is probably Grafton's closest approach to noir literature. In this novel, there is rot beneath nearly every beautiful surface, and under the ones that are not so beautiful. It is a study in the disharmony that afflicts marriages and families. And Kinsey Millhone's response to the murder, when she discovers its perpetrator, is payback in kind, unusually just and merciless. Another excellent feature is the protagonist Kinsey Millhone. Kinsey is interesting and attractive--and remarkably good at ferreting out the truth behind the explanations that people give for their behavior. Kinsey carefully examines stories that she is told, spots holes in them, and continues investigating until she learns the truth. This is brilliantly portrayed. If you have never read a Sue Grafton novel, start with this one!

I am embarrassed to say, " 'P' is for Peril" is the first of the alphabet series I have read by Ms. Grafton. I enjoyed it so much, the day after I finished reading it, I went right out and picked up a copy of "K" is for Killer; and I must say, I enjoyed it equally as well. I hope that by early spring, I know as much about the Kinsey Millhone investigations as Sue Grafton.Ms. Grafton has successfully blended all the ingredients together for a first rate novel. The story is fast paced and has a suspenseful plot. Ms. Grafton's character development is outstanding too. Kinsey Millhone does not do triple reverse sommersaults and karate six men twice her size to death. She does not work for free and she is not anal retentive about stretching the truth when it suits her purpose. She is a quick wit and a skilled investigator; an extremely believable character. I'm not an easy sell either. I'm a retired lieutenant with the Chicago Police Department. I spent ten of those years in homicide, ten more in narcotics. I know what rings true in police investigations and I know what Private Investigators can and cannot do. Consequently, I was unable to watch "Columbo" and a host of other like shows; nor can I read novels that stink to the high heavens. Ms. Grafton's books are a breath of fresh air and a great find for me.

If P is for Peril, it is also for pair - a pair of wives (current and past), a brotherly duo, several pairs of friends, a pair of daughters, a pair of policemen, a pair of business partners, and a pair of plots (as well as a pair of Saucony trainers). The eternally 30ish Kinsey zips along in her VW in a rainy and cold California November, searching for a missing husband as well as a new office space. While attempting to untangle a myriad of complications, Kinsey finds herself personally indulging in peril. Grafton's writing had me smiling once again - I just ADORE Kinsey and her smart mouth and some of her more anti-social ways. And I covet that tidy apartment, her neighbor Henry and the black dress - but I might skip dinner at Rosie's. Grafton delivers a wonderful flash-back Kinsey tale, a convoluted crime, numerous surprisingly despicable characters, and a taste of California that isn't all sunshine and surf. Set in the 80s, this latest story also illustrates just how much computers and cell phones have changed our lives.

Sue Grafton learned the alphabet well, and she also writes terrific mysteries. With P IS FOR PERIL, Ms. Grafton takes some chances. While the book seems on the surface to be a typical Kinsey Millhone story, Sue Grafton writes this book in peril. She tells a solid story about Kinsey being hired by a doctor's ex-wife, recommended to her by a long-ago client to find a missing person, the prominent doctor who has vanished without a trace. The story also involves a potentially dangerous near-romance for Kinsey, but Ms. Grafton's greatest risk of peril comes with her final plot twist. P IS FOR PERIL is an amazing mystery and that final twist is impressive.

I have read the earlier reviews posted here and wondered what book some of the reviewers read. Although the ending doesn't spell everything out for you, if you read it carefully, all the loose ends have been tied up by then. The final question about who killed Dow Purcell and why he was killed is answered in the last few pages with a discovery by Kinsey and a few subtle clues from the behavior of two of the characters. The subplots prove to be interesting, especially the one involving Kinsey's need for a new office. It is through another of the subplots (Henry working on Rosie's sister's medical bills)that Kinsey gets a better understanding of how the Medicare scam at the nursing home worked. But even that is another red herring as to the reason for Dr. Purcell's death. Was it murder, was it suicide? Did the money missing from his bank account have anything do do with his death? And if it was murder, who did it--his ex-wife, his business partners, his current wife's ex-husband, etc?Throughout the book, Kinsey takes some risks and find herself in potentially dangerous situations. The book ends while she waits for the police, and she has once again put herself in peril. The ending at this point keeps us wondering--knowing she is in danger and not knowing until the next installment if she escapes this situation unscathed.My perception of the book seems to be different from many of the early reviews especially in regard to the ending. I think it is a well written book with a neatly wrapped ending. If you are not perceptive and cannot read between the lines and see how Sue Grafton neatly wrapped up the story line about the Hevener brothers, or the murder of Dr. Purcell, then you might not appreciate the ending of the book. I think through the deft writing of Ms. Grafton, we are left with Kinsey in peril. You have to believe that the main character will not be killed off or what would be the point of her working on the next in the series? Too bad we have to wait a year for "Q"!