A hardback from 1991 in OK condition, bought from a library sale. Reserved to be sent out as a RABCK.

Mailed out today to Germany as a surprise wishlist RABCK. Happy trails!

Received as surprise RABCK shortly before Christmas - Many, many thanks to Finland. A belated Fröhliche Weihnachten und Gutes Neues Jahr to Niora!

Finally got around to reading this - it had hid deep in Mount TBR...

This time, things start with the killing of an employee of CF, the insurance company Kinsey works for, and the arrival of an efficiency expert to cut down on personnel. Kinsey was friendly with the dead employee, but doesn't know how his death was connected to other things. She finds out when she starts investigating a possible insurance fraud of a woman Bibianna; after tracking down her adress, she mets her in a nightclub to get closer to her, when events taken a sudden turn: Kinsey meets an old childhood friend, and thugs appear to take Bibianna back to her shady ex-friend. Kinsey decides to stick with Bibianna, and gets dragged to LA while investigating undercover.

The book ends with several surprises, the last of which is her firing by the efficiency expert, leading to her unemployment in the following books (and subsequent partnership with an attorney).

The main bad guy is a very interesting character; kudos to the author for creating a villain with a disability for which Kinsey feels sympathy for the pressure his Tourette tics apparently create, and the difficulties he must have had as a child, while still hating his whole sociopathic attitude and reactions; creating a tangled web where the bad guy's pathologic behaviour is influenced by, but not excused by, his Tourette's, and even without that handicap, he would still be a criminal believing himself to be a victim instead of the other way round. Also a nice side touch, the honest Catholicism of the Latino gang, without noticing the discrepancy to being criminals.

In the middle of the book, there's a large stretch where Kinsey is more or less imprisoned in the apartment of the bad guy, sitting around and waiting while things happen, trying not to blow her cover. While investigating as PI also involves a lot of waiting, Kinsey is usually in control of the situation, not at somebody's mercy or seeing others endangered, so this is an interesting change of pace, against which Kinsey chafes. (And the whole dog subplot is really nice). Finding the leak in the police dept. undercover operation through sheer luck and sudden inspiration as opposed to the usual method is interesting. She also mentions several times how unusual undercover work is for her.

The last few pages are action-packed sequence. On the first read, the surprise (don't want to spoil) seems a cop-out, but on re-reading, there were hints from Dolan about backup. (It's still silly of Kinsey to rush after the bad guy without remembering that there is back-up - but she says she's white-hot with rage, so it can be accepted that she forgot).

This book also finally explains the reference in one of the later ones (K for Killer?) where she mentions that she recently was at the jail not as visitor as usual, but as prisoner, and how different a perspective that gives.

To recommend.

sent by mail to pinkoeira.

Another book to the UK for my Lifetime Challenge.

Have fun!

Thank you very much for this wishlist book - and a hardcover as well! I am looking forward to reading this.

Again a wonderful read by Sue Grafton! I really enjoyed this one, I read it in one sitting!

In the bookcase in the cafeteria which is only accessible to people who work in the building.

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