book data
1564 ratings, 3.73 average rating, 37 reviews
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published
June 23rd 1997
(first published 1993)
by Ballantine Books
binding
Paperback
characters
setting
The United States
isbn
0449000656
(isbn13: 9780449000656)
description
"Ms. Grafton writes a smart story and wraps it up with a wry twist." - THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW
Wendell Jaffe has been dead ...more
Wendell Jaffe has been dead ...more
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Kinsey Milhone's adventures keep her fairly local in this 10th volume of the popular series by Sue Grafton. She is hired by her former imployer, insurance company California Fidelity, to look into what might be the reappearance of Wendell Jaffe, a man with questionable business tactics who supposedly committed suicide five years earlier as a result of business deals gone bad. CF just recently paid out a $500,000 claim on his death after he was declared dead. He had actually sailed his boat out t...more
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Read in June, 2008
In J is for Judgment, the 1993 installment of Sue Grafton's popular "alphabet" series, private investigator Kinsey Millhone is hired by her former employer California Fidelity Insurance (CFI) to track down Wendell Jaffe. Five years prior, Jaffe took his boat, The Captain Stanley Lord, out to sea off the California coast and was never heard from again. Due to the recent collapse of Jaffe's shady real estate deals, which bankrupted his investors and landed his partner in jail, and his re...more
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Read in November, 2008
I liked this book. The story was at times slow, and the author writes in way too much detail for my taste, ie..."she opened the door and walked down the hall passing two flights of stairs, blah, blah, blah." Her books could easily be 100 pages less with some editing of nonessential information. The best part of this book was the ending and the characters last thoughts on the case. I'm glad I finished this one.
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Read in September, 2008
recommends it for:
Anyone who loves a detective mystery
A nice and easy detective mystery great for passing time. I am very fond of this entire series of books. They certainly aren't a literary marvel but they are fun and light. By the letter G the books are finally starting to get longer. My only complaint is that this book takes a turn as the main character starts to explore her own past. No longer is it simply a mystery she solves and then the next book is something all new. So far I am not impressed with this plot development. I will mention t...more
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Read in May, 2008
recommends it for:
Mystery Lovers
Sue Grafton makes me happy. J is for Judgment is every bit as engaging as her previous mysteries, and in true Grafton fashion (as I am beginning to discover) there are a couple new twists in this novel. The first is the emergence of Kinsey's relatives, and the second is in the epilogue. Without giving anything away, the way Grafton turned the entire mystery upside down in two short pages floored me. I'm so glad there are 16 more letters in the alphabet. I can't wait to read what Graf...more
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Read in September, 2008
This was the first book in the Kinsey Millhone series that I have read and I would have to say it was pretty decent. I like her unique way of solving various crimes and how her quirkiness makes her appear more real. This story also started me thinking about how I judge other people as well and how you never really know what's going on in peoples lives when you judge them. I thoroughly enjoyed this book.
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Read in August, 2007
recommends it for:
Any Sue Grafton Fan
One of the better installments in my opinion. For the first time in a while it left questions unanswered. I'm looking forward to reading the rest to find out about Kinsey and her background.
Spoiler Alert:
I really want to know why her family didn't come looking for her. That seems like something they should have done and I hope that Grafton addresses that in future books.
Spoiler Alert:
I really want to know why her family didn't come looking for her. That seems like something they should have done and I hope that Grafton addresses that in future books.
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Read in August, 2000
I thought this was one of the better Kinsey Millhone books. The story line is more complex than some of the books in this series and there is a nice parallel with Kinsey examining her beliefs about her own family while investigating her case that also has a lot to do with family and relationships.
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Read in September, 2007
This one was particularly good, had surprising ending and was a bit longer (lasted through my work week when I returned -so nice on the commutes back and forth - I might start checking out books on CD for that unwind time!)
Read in February, 2008
I was surprised to like this book. I tried reading another book by Sue Grafton and I just couldnt finish it. But this was an interesting book with some nice twists. I especailly enjoyed the ending.
Gotta run!
Gotta run!
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Read in January, 2004
I'm obviously not a fan of Sue Grafton. I found this mystery boring. Only good thing I can say about it is I like this phrase,"vast untidy sea of truth." That's it.
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Read in May, 2008
recommended to Stephanie by:
Amanda Englandrecommends it for: Grafton fans
Another decent book in the alphabet series from Grafton. Not may favorite of hers, but the again, there are still plenty to read... Certainly worth reading.
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Read in August, 2005
Not bad. I wish she’d gone a little further into the family stuff, however. I was expecting a little more closure on that before the end of this book.
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Read in November, 2006
recommends it for:
Mystery Fan
Really nice and original. Kinsey Millhones is as witty as ever. And the ending just leaves you wondering if things are really what they seem....
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At first I thought Kinsey Milhone was a breath of fresh air, but as the alphabet went on, the air got more stale. A light mystery read.
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Read in July, 2008
This was an AWESOME one. Sometimes Sue's novels can be a little slow at times, but this was not the case in J is for Judgement!
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Read in September, 2008
Pretty good mystery, although the attempt at personal awareness of the detective is kind of lame.
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Read in July, 2008
The Kinsey Millhone mysteries are fun reads. Kinsey is a private investigator with a sense of humor.
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Read in April, 2008
Nice, pithy read - great for the gym. Had a character named Renata, though she wasn't very nice!
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