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M Is For Malice (Kinsey Millhone #13)
by
Sue Grafton
"M" is for a missing heir, millions of dollars at stake...and murder in the thirteenth entry in the bestselling series starring marvelous P.I. Kinsey Millhone
Mass Market Paperback, 352 pages
Published
November 26th 1997
by Fawcett
(first published November 12th 1996)
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The 13th installment of the Kinsey Millhone mysterys and the books are still going strong.
In this installment, Kinsey is hired to find a missing man who was named equally in his fathers will along with his three brothers. Sadly he has been missing nearly 20 years and the other brothers are not real keen on her finding him.
I feel like as the series progresses Sue Grafton is allowing Kinsey to become more and more real in the sense that she is allowing her to develope friendships and...more
In this installment, Kinsey is hired to find a missing man who was named equally in his fathers will along with his three brothers. Sadly he has been missing nearly 20 years and the other brothers are not real keen on her finding him.
I feel like as the series progresses Sue Grafton is allowing Kinsey to become more and more real in the sense that she is allowing her to develope friendships and...more
This latest in Grafton's alphabet series is one of the best. This series itself gets better and better. When I am a gazillion years old and in the nursing home with nothing to do, I intend to start again with A and go to Z and I know I will delighted all over again. Kinsey, this time, is called on to find a brother who was banished from the family 18 years ago. The father has now died and left his estate equally among the four brothers including the missing one. It's a murder mystery, so people ...more
I’m a long-time fan of the Sue Grafton murder mysteries, and here’s another fun read! I lived in Southern California for two years in the early 70’s, so I enjoy Grafton’s descriptions of life at the beach. She throws in lots of charaters, many of them recurring characters, and it’s like getting together with old friends. We always hear what Kinsey Millhone wore, what she ate, where she ran, what her neighbor Henry is doing, what’s going on at the restaurant down the block, etc. I find this ...more
Could have sworn I read all the Graftons, but apparently not this one! or if I did, I COMPLETELY forgot it. Uh. Not a good brain day for me today. Maybe I should try some ginkgo whatsit.
-- Blew through this -- not great, but a pretty good comfort read while lying in bed sick. Definitely better than N or P, not as good as O (last one I reread before this), nowhere near my earlier favourites K, G, F, E, &c &c (I should go through and at least rank all of them, if not write mini-reviews...more
-- Blew through this -- not great, but a pretty good comfort read while lying in bed sick. Definitely better than N or P, not as good as O (last one I reread before this), nowhere near my earlier favourites K, G, F, E, &c &c (I should go through and at least rank all of them, if not write mini-reviews...more
M is for Malice, or Malek as the case might be. Kinsey is hired by her cousin, Tasha, to search for a long lost family member. Guy Malek left home 18 years ago and hasn't been heard from since. None of his brothers - Donovan, Bennett, or Jack - were ever really keen on finding him, until their father passed away. Their father's will divides his wealth equally amongst the brothers. The three still in Santa Teresa don't quite agree with that, since their father disowned Guy eighteen years ago...more
I read this book because I enjoy the 'in death' novels by JD Robb and was looking for a strong, gun toting heroine. This book didn't deliver.
Firstly, it is too descriptive. In the first page, the author describes in minute detail Kinsey's waking up routine.
Secondly, there is no suspense. It was a drag to read.
Further, Gus's death feels like a cop out, when Grafton couldn't think of a better plot. We are supposed to be satisfied that the character Grafton built for half the book ...more
Firstly, it is too descriptive. In the first page, the author describes in minute detail Kinsey's waking up routine.
Secondly, there is no suspense. It was a drag to read.
Further, Gus's death feels like a cop out, when Grafton couldn't think of a better plot. We are supposed to be satisfied that the character Grafton built for half the book ...more
(one review for series) ***** for the first book because I like the series enough to last till about R, now want more to find new authors, and finish another year. The rest get 3-4* because I cannot remember my favorites. I like strong, brave females who make choices and deal with consequences successfully. I like mysteries. I like funny eccentric, her odd sandwich and cute old landlord choices. Southern California feels warm and dry on a long cold Canadian winter. She always seems to go alone i...more
These "alphabet novels" are nothing short of perfect mystery. Grafton's cleverly crafted characters will stay with you long after you are finished reading the books. Kinsey Milhone, her landord/best friend, Henry and all the others seem so much like real people it is hard to imagine a world without them. I was on the edge of my seat with all the twists and turns, never forseeing what was coming next. I felt that each novel, as Grafton advanced through the alphabet, improved in ever...more
Note: This review does not contain plot spoilers, but it might contain some thematic spoilers for those who don't want to know ahead of time about Kinsey's character development.
I've obviously fallen a few years behind on my reading; when I began reading the series, M is for Malice was a few months away from publication. Part of the fault is my schedule (I'm a high-school teacher and usually read Kinsey during summer vacations); part is my just-completed graduate program; part is ...more
I've obviously fallen a few years behind on my reading; when I began reading the series, M is for Malice was a few months away from publication. Part of the fault is my schedule (I'm a high-school teacher and usually read Kinsey during summer vacations); part is my just-completed graduate program; part is ...more
Have read the whole series up to now. My mother and I have read them together, and we both have enjoyed them very much. I really like Kinsey Millhone. I was quite a bit older when I got married for the first time, so I can appreciate her "singleness." I liked my "singleness" too. I realize that the character has been married a couple times, but she is good at picking up her pieces and moving on. I like the new characters she introduces, and I especially like Henry and R...more
I enjoyed another book in the Kinsey Millhone universe, but I didn't care for this story as much as "K" or "A," partly because nobody gets killed until after halfway through the book. Also, the killer in the end kind of pops out of nowhere, even though Grafton lays enough groundwork and makes her point about why the killer was incognito to suspicion, even, perhaps to the author until late in the work. A good exploration of family structure and relations, though, explicitly do...more
M is for Malice is the best Kinsey Millhone novel yet. I found this book surprising good after the less than stellar L is for Lawless.
Kinsey is beginning to reluctantly open up emotionally with her cousin Tasha, ex-lover Dietz and especially with the victim (before he is murdered, of course.) I love seeing personal character growth in long running series and I'm glad that Kinsey is beginning to progress as a character.
M is for Malice has a great mystery with twists and red he...more
Kinsey is beginning to reluctantly open up emotionally with her cousin Tasha, ex-lover Dietz and especially with the victim (before he is murdered, of course.) I love seeing personal character growth in long running series and I'm glad that Kinsey is beginning to progress as a character.
M is for Malice has a great mystery with twists and red he...more
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Kinsey seemed more vulnerable in this book. She had the drama with Dietz, I am not sure what I think about him being back. I was glad that she told him what her issues were with him. Kinsey also seemed to get attached to the man she was investigating. You could see the appeal and when things went bad, I just knew she was going to be unsettled. The ending was great, it seemed like maybe Kinsey has made piece with things that have been hurting her for a long time now.
Kinsey grudgingly agrees to meet her cousin Tasha for lunch and gets sucked into a case of a missing heir, Guy. Guy has had a bad reputation all of his life, so there are quite a few people who don't want him found... like his three brothers who want to divvy up his portion of their father's $20 million will. I am really enjoying the style of these later books much better than the first. It was well worth sticking with this series!
"...The Malek family: four sons nearing middle age who stand to inherit a fortune. But for any of them to claim their millions, the fourth brother must be found. Eighteen years before - angry, troubled, and in trouble - he disappeared. No one's seen or heard from him since. Now Kinsey Millhone must track him down. And when she does, she unknowlingly set in motion a bitter payback from the past that can end only in murder..."
This one was unusual for the series - much more introspection on Kinsey's part, and the real mystery didn't even appear until halfway through the book. It was a bit more serious and emotional, and it seemed like a realistic progression resulting from the fallout of the last book when she was betrayed by people who she had come to see as comrades.
This one broke formula, and I really like how it was handled.
This one broke formula, and I really like how it was handled.
Unusual. Since Kinsey met her cousins she's been unsettled. In this one she admits to depression (the only reason for Dietz's reappearance, as far as I can see). She meets angelic Guy (the Malek family's scapegoat) and it's the key to unlocking Kinsey's family demons. The psychology in M was very intense for our heroine. I hope the next one plays this all out appropriately satisfying.
I started reading this series over 15 years ago and they have been competently written throughout and while there was a dip in quality around 'P' or so, it is back up to snuff. Kinsey has changed in some ways over time, as you would expect given her aging, but also remained true to her values. Not getting irritating either, which is a risk for this type of series.
I have missed a few letter and just reread B,G and H. With Malice the character of Kinsey is obviously changing, growing. In earlier books she is not a very likable heroine, brittle, tense and shut down much of the time; here she drawn more fully, more introspective and emotionally vulnerable. Other than that it is a fairly predictable Millhone mystery.
I did not like its writing style that much. Part of it felt like something a chatty old woman would tell you - I don't care much for details such as "I decided to go for a run"...when nothing happens in the run except for descriptions of a run.
But aprt from the chattiness and the descriptions, the story is not bad.
But aprt from the chattiness and the descriptions, the story is not bad.
Marilyn
added it
Sue Grafton consistently writes intelligent mysteries with characters you feel you know. The victim in this book was very likeable and like Kinsey, the heroic PI in the series, I was anxious for the killer to be caught. I love the alphabet series. Have read A to M so far and hope to read them all.
Enjoyable story - my second or maybe third Kinsey story.[return][return]The owner of a building company dies and leaves a decent fortune to his 4 sons. One of them had disappeared years before, disinherited in a now missing will. Kinsey is hired to find him, with brutal concequences
Kinsey Millhone is a fun and spunky PI heroine. The alphabet series is great because it takes place starting in 1982. PI work seems terribly rudimentary before cellphones, the internet and other modern technology. References to gabardine suits and Chardonnay are greatly appreciated.
I like that the plot moves along smoothly in Sue Grafton's books without at lot of fluff. That said, though, I feel that Kinsey needs to grow more. After 13 books in the series, we really don't know much more about Kinsey except that she is a creature of habit and that she has a great relationship with her landlord. I think it's time for her to learn to trust some other people and maybe get close to some of them.
I enjoy Sue Grafton novels, though they usually keep me up at night thinking I'm hearing something or someone trying to break in. I love that they are set in Santa Barbara (code name "Santa Teresa", she renames everything but you can tell where she is talking about if you've been to SB).
one of my favorites in the series. kinsey tracks down guy malek, who left home as a troubled young man. now his father has died and his family needs to locate him. finding him is easy, but what happens afterward is mysterious and complicated.
highlights:
-kinsey gets a real haircut!
-dietz comes back!
-ghosts!
-crazy twisty ending that i never saw coming!
highlights:
-kinsey gets a real haircut!
-dietz comes back!
-ghosts!
-crazy twisty ending that i never saw coming!
Becky
added it
I just finished this book last night. It was a real page turner for me. I couldnt hardly put it down. Just when I thought I had figured the end out something else happened so I didnt know what was going to happen next. This was the first book I read from Sue Grafton. She sparked my interest so I will certainly read more of her writing.
OK--I don't mind reading thin novels so much, but good grief...don't people get tired of reading about the Kinsey's damn jog through the park in every book? Her jogging has nothing to do with the story, and we have to read what she's wearing, her heartbeats/min? Tired writing.
This is the 1st book of Sue Grafton's that I have read. I found it easy and fast to read. The storyline moved right along. Who would suspect who the culprit was till the end. The interplay between Kinsey, Dietz and the others was good. Good mystery story - would recommend to all who enjoy a good mystery.
Here is another good Kinsey Millhone book. It is very good in fact and enjoyable reading. You want to keep turning the pages to find out what is happening in her life.
Good mystery book.
J. Robert Ewbank author "John Wesley, Natural Man, and the 'Isms'"
Good mystery book.
J. Robert Ewbank author "John Wesley, Natural Man, and the 'Isms'"
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Connect with Sue herself on Facebook! www.facebook.com/suegrafton
Received the Shamus Award, "The Eye" (Lifetime achievement award) in 2003.
Family History:
Father: C.W. Grafton, born 1909, third son of Presbyterian Missionaries, born and raised in China, educated Presbyterian College, Clinton, South Carolina; practicing attorney in Louisville, Kentucky w...more
More about Sue Grafton...
Received the Shamus Award, "The Eye" (Lifetime achievement award) in 2003.
Family History:
Father: C.W. Grafton, born 1909, third son of Presbyterian Missionaries, born and raised in China, educated Presbyterian College, Clinton, South Carolina; practicing attorney in Louisville, Kentucky w...more
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“Ghosts don't haunt us. That's not how it works. They're present among us because we won't let go of them."
"I don't believe in ghosts," I said, faintly.
"Some people can't see the color red. That doesn't mean it isn't there," she replied.”
—
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More quotes…
"I don't believe in ghosts," I said, faintly.
"Some people can't see the color red. That doesn't mean it isn't there," she replied.”
