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74th out of 773 books
—
973 voters
C is for Corpse (Kinsey Millhone #3)
by
Sue Grafton
How do you go about solving an attempted murder when the victim has lost a good part of his memory? It's one of Kinsey's toughest cases yet, but she never backs down from a challenge. Twenty-three-year-old Bobby Callahan is lucky to be alive after a car forced his Porsche over a bridge and into a canyon. The crash left Bobby with a clouded memory. But he can't shake the fe...more
Paperback, 305 pages
Published
November 29th 2005
by St. Martin's Paperbacks
(first published 1986)
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OK, so it only took me three books to be sure, but I don't think this author is an American. I had hints in the first two, but two things convinced me in this book. 1. the word "anorectic" (also sometimes mispelled as "anoretic"), and 2. at some point, two characters grabbed lunch, and it was beans and bread! Who does she think she's kidding?! I don't like when authors try to pretend they're something they're not. I'm just not sure why she's trying to make us think this is an American detective,...more
Kinsey Millhone manages to get herself mixed up in death and drama again. Surprise, surprise. In this case she gets hired and four days later her client is dead. Of course she can't let it go, I'm not actually saying she should, and eventually solves the crime. This time she manages to solve two very different crimes. Her landlord gets himself wrapped up with a suspicious character so Grafton includes another kind of crime as a side to the main.
I'm only on "C" of Grafton's alphabet and Kinsey M...more
I'm only on "C" of Grafton's alphabet and Kinsey M...more
I heard about this 'alphebet series' of mystery books, and decided to randomly read one for this challenge(: (Also, I have decided to just post one book a month for the challenge. I may read more mystery books, but they won't count). Anyway, the book I chose was the third in the series - C is for Corpse.
The story is told from the first person narrative of Kinsey, a private detective. While recovering from a gunshot wound, she's hired by a rich young man called Bobby who's convinced someone is t...more
The story is told from the first person narrative of Kinsey, a private detective. While recovering from a gunshot wound, she's hired by a rich young man called Bobby who's convinced someone is t...more
Sue Grafton's books get a little better with each letter. Here's what Amazon says about this one:
"How do you go about solving an attempted murder when the victim has lost a good part of his memory? It's one of Kinsey's toughest cases yet, but she never backs down from a challenge. Twenty-three-year-old Bobby Callahan is lucky to be alive after a car forced his Porsche over a bridge and into a canyon. The crash left Bobby with a clouded memory. But he can't shake the feeling it was no random acci...more
"How do you go about solving an attempted murder when the victim has lost a good part of his memory? It's one of Kinsey's toughest cases yet, but she never backs down from a challenge. Twenty-three-year-old Bobby Callahan is lucky to be alive after a car forced his Porsche over a bridge and into a canyon. The crash left Bobby with a clouded memory. But he can't shake the feeling it was no random acci...more
This book was great. It was a fast, funny read full of just enough twists that I really had no idea who the final killer was going to be -- but I should have known all along. Along the way, there were some striking lines, some fast dialogue, and not too much guns-blazing action (which is a relief). The author moves from witty little snips of flirtatious dialogue to observations of the surrounding town that cross the border into literature. There's more than a trace of Chandler and even a little...more
"C is for Corpse" by Sue Grafton
(from the back cover)
Kensey meets him in the local gym. Bobby Callahan is a scarred young man struggling back to life after a car forced his Porsche over the edge of a canyon, battering his body and muddling his memory. All he remembers is that someone, for some reason, tried to kill him. Desperate for clues about his own past life and certain he is being stalked, he asks Kinsey to protect him. Kinsey can't resist the brave kid--and neither can the killers. Three...more
(from the back cover)
Kensey meets him in the local gym. Bobby Callahan is a scarred young man struggling back to life after a car forced his Porsche over the edge of a canyon, battering his body and muddling his memory. All he remembers is that someone, for some reason, tried to kill him. Desperate for clues about his own past life and certain he is being stalked, he asks Kinsey to protect him. Kinsey can't resist the brave kid--and neither can the killers. Three...more
This was the first of the "alphabet" books that I read, and I remember vividly staying up until 3 am reading it, and then being unable to sleep! Kinsey's voice and personality really resonated with me, which is pretty disheartening since so many reviewers seem to find her unlikeable. I love Grafton's use of words. I love pretty much everything about her writing style. Her characters are 3-dimensional and quirky. She doesn't "cheat" and pull a killer out of the hat on the second-to-last chapter a...more
I have now read the first three books in the Kinsey Millhone alphabet series by Sue Grafton. I enjoyed them and will probably find time to continue reading them. I think of them as fluff reading and once in awhile I enjoy those books. I am sure that we all have those, quick, easy, no thought books that are almost a guilty pleasure but we don't actually care if people know we read them. So far I am enjoying them more then the "One For the Money"/Stephanie Plum series. I barely got through that fi...more
An independent thirty-something woman, Kinsey Millhone is a P.I. She lives and works in a smallish town in southern California.
This is the third book in the series, which is written from a first person perspective. Each book relates the details of one of her cases. In this book, she meets a young man who is recovering from a serious - almost fatal - car wreck; his car was deliberately forced off the road. Among other injuries, he suffered some brain injury and has difficulty remembering events...more
This is the third book in the series, which is written from a first person perspective. Each book relates the details of one of her cases. In this book, she meets a young man who is recovering from a serious - almost fatal - car wreck; his car was deliberately forced off the road. Among other injuries, he suffered some brain injury and has difficulty remembering events...more
It's been years since I read any of these, so I really don't remember any of these stories. This one, #3 in the series is the best yet. Kinsey takes a case from a young man who had been in a terrible car accident 9 months before. It was a hit and run. He thinks it was a murder attempt, that he knew something, about someone, and that someone tried to kill him. Problem is, he has brain injury from this accident and he can't remember much of anything. He hires Kinsey to try to solve the mystery for...more
This series is starting to grow on me. Once you get past the time period it's based on, you're fine. I guess I'm going into these feeling they should be more current than they are. The book was written in the 1980's, so it's kind of flashback fun!
I enjoyed this one because Grafton took into account issues that were prevalent at that time and wove them into a story that really worked well for me.
Bobby hires Kinsey Millhone to figure out who tried to kill him, only he doesn't have any proof and e...more
I enjoyed this one because Grafton took into account issues that were prevalent at that time and wove them into a story that really worked well for me.
Bobby hires Kinsey Millhone to figure out who tried to kill him, only he doesn't have any proof and e...more
This is the third book in the "Alphabet Mystery" series. I have been pretty hard on the last two books. They were weirdly written, poorly characterized (in my opinion), and not well plotted. Does this book change those thoughts?
Um, kind-of? I guess. I found this book to be better at hiding the mystery. By that I mean I didn't guess the bad guy five seconds after starting the book. I even liked Kinsey more. She came across better in this book. He internal monologs are still kind of tedious to rea...more
Um, kind-of? I guess. I found this book to be better at hiding the mystery. By that I mean I didn't guess the bad guy five seconds after starting the book. I even liked Kinsey more. She came across better in this book. He internal monologs are still kind of tedious to rea...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
If you are looking for a clever mystery, C is for Corpse is not the place to look. If you’re looking for a fun, light read with a likeable heroine, then try it.
Only a few weeks go by between novels, which is satisfying for the reader. You know, opening up C is for Corpse, that you haven’t missed a thing. Kinsey hasn’t remarried in the interim, or had a romantic episode. She’s still Kinsey from B is for Burglar, only a few weeks older.
This book is not particularly memorable or remarkable. I admit...more
Only a few weeks go by between novels, which is satisfying for the reader. You know, opening up C is for Corpse, that you haven’t missed a thing. Kinsey hasn’t remarried in the interim, or had a romantic episode. She’s still Kinsey from B is for Burglar, only a few weeks older.
This book is not particularly memorable or remarkable. I admit...more
Jan 13, 2012
Jennifer
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
author-sue-grafton,
mystery
For a novel that begins by telling the reader that Kinsey's client will be murdered within the week, "C is for Corpse" provides a twisty mystery with plenty of surprises. Bobby Callaghan hires P.I. Kinsey Millhone to find out who tried to murder him. The failed attempt on his life has left him broken and scarred with huge gaps in his memory. As Kinsey tries to help him untangle the few impressions he does remember, she is drawn into Santa Teresa's high society. As it turns out, Bobby's family of...more
I decided to read all of the Sue Grafton mysteries from A-Z, but the library didn't have the first two, so I had to start with C, which I was pretty sure that I had read before, and now reading it again, I know that I had, oh well. I couldn't remember who the killer was, but figured it out pretty quickly this time. Something is starting to bother me with all these mysteries that I'm reading. I know that they are all fiction and for entertainment, but what if there actually were this many killers...more
(No Spoilers) Book 3 in Sue Grafton's Alphabet Mysteries series starring P.I. Kinsey Millhone is a fantastic romp through the city of Santa Teresa, the fictional setting in California where Kinsey lives. We learn more about the area, beautifully described by Grafton, and its denizens. Though Kinsey is full of voice and attitude as always, each character in this book stood out to me with their eccentricities and style. I loved Bobby, our "blond dame" substitute who hires the P.I. as in all good h...more
This is another good mystery with Kinsey Millhone as the PI, only this time she becomes romantically involved with the victim. I started this book about two years ago and just picked it up again this month. I enjoyed the last part of the book more than the first and was riveted by Grafton's description as Kinsey is pursued by the killer. As usual, by the time I get to the end, I no longer really care who did it. My enjoyment lies more in the description of events and characters along the way. On...more
Actually, this was slightly predictable, and the way these have ended, so far (its only the third book, so I can't really say) is essentially the same. That being said, these are generally pretty entertaining.
Kinsey meets Johnny in a workout gym. He has been badly injured in an auto accident and is spending much of his days attempting to rehabilitate himself. They strike a conversation and a friendship leading to his request to employ her to find the person whom he believed wanted to kill him – the set-up for an interesting and involved mystery. Grafton writes straightforward mystery stories without a side bet of a special passion, geography or tourist information, historical details, or humor. Situa...more
Bobby Callahan knows someone is trying to murder him. But he does not know why or at least does not remember. After his car is rammed over a canyon, Bobby is struggling to overcome his disabilities let alone figure out who was in the car behind.
Enter Kinsey Millhone, private detective. Kinsey tries to follow every lead Bobby comes up with but he is killed in 3 days. Kinsey really liked Bobby and vows to follow this to the end. Bobby is from a wealthy family. A family full of problems: step-siste...more
Enter Kinsey Millhone, private detective. Kinsey tries to follow every lead Bobby comes up with but he is killed in 3 days. Kinsey really liked Bobby and vows to follow this to the end. Bobby is from a wealthy family. A family full of problems: step-siste...more
Trus terang aq ga bgt suka dengan tema pembunuhan ala detektive2 gni.. Lbh interest ke cerita dg tema romance atau stdk ny mendekati la. Tapi..karna uda terlanjur beli, maka ya di bc. Syg uda trlanjur tanam saham.. Beli ny jg waktu diskon..Hehe..
Crt ny lumayan bgs. Ttg detektive swasta Kinsey Millhone, yang punya klien Bobby Callahan. Crt ny si Bobby ini lupa ingatan. . Gr2 kecelakaan yg nyaris bunuh dy. Tpi dy cukup yakin ada org yg mau bunuh dy, tpi ya lg2, dy ga ingat apa alasan nya.,
Ya gt l...more
Crt ny lumayan bgs. Ttg detektive swasta Kinsey Millhone, yang punya klien Bobby Callahan. Crt ny si Bobby ini lupa ingatan. . Gr2 kecelakaan yg nyaris bunuh dy. Tpi dy cukup yakin ada org yg mau bunuh dy, tpi ya lg2, dy ga ingat apa alasan nya.,
Ya gt l...more
This was by far the best of the first three books in this series. Now I know why I liked listening to some of the later ones on CD. Kinsey has developed into that tough, rough around the edges, crude, but likeable character. I found myself laughing out loud at her thinking sometimes. As far as a mystery goes, this one held my interest. The plot was interesting, kept me guessing until almost the end. All of these early ones seem to follow the same pattern, however..... Kinsey spends most of the b...more
Each book so far in the "alphabet series" has been better than the last and it seems that now, with this third book, Sue Grafton has hit her stride. This had a bit of an unusual plot, as Kinsey Malone, the protagonist sleuth works for a deceased client.
It's interesting to read a traditional sort of mystery that was written in the '80's as compared to today's typically more adreneline-charged novels. There are no cell phones/internet, etc to get instant information so the plot, by necessity, is j...more
It's interesting to read a traditional sort of mystery that was written in the '80's as compared to today's typically more adreneline-charged novels. There are no cell phones/internet, etc to get instant information so the plot, by necessity, is j...more
The third in the Kinsey Milhone series. C is for Corpse by Sue Grafton, was a bit more edgy than the first two in the series. Kinsey meets Bobby in physical therapy. Bobby led a charmed life until a near fatal car crash left him physically and mentally scarred. Bobby thinks someone deliberately ran him off the road that night. He also thinks he is still in danger. He hires Kinsey to help him. But, only a few days after Kinsey begins her investigation, Bobby is killed in an accident. Kinsey feels...more
C is for Corpse did a better job at hiding the villain's identity until the end of the book than the previous installments. I liked Bobby's character, but there was still some very irritating writing sprinkled into this book.
I feel like the author is trying to hard at some points. A sentence like "after my run, I could tell I'd be stiff and sore tomorrow" becomes "I knew I would pay for it on the morrow..." Really? Just write how people talk!
Overall, it's a fast read and the plot and character...more
I feel like the author is trying to hard at some points. A sentence like "after my run, I could tell I'd be stiff and sore tomorrow" becomes "I knew I would pay for it on the morrow..." Really? Just write how people talk!
Overall, it's a fast read and the plot and character...more
I had jumped from "A" to "C" with this one. I wasn't really into the first book which was why I didn't continue but my coworker told me to stick with the series and that I could read out of order. Found this copy in a thrift store. It was OK. I like Kinsey and could relate to her. I like that she's a snoop. I'm interested in her tension with the cop Jonah, who appears late in the book. The mystery she was solving seemed odd once it unfolded, and I found myself a step ahead of Kinsey at times. I...more
Read this one on my travels and it was pretty good. I do like these murder mystery thrillers for long boring waits in airports and on trains as it makes the time pass so much quicker. This is the second of her alphabet murders I've read, the other one being B, and I think I preferred this one. Interesting enough story - although nothing ground breaking! - about a 20 something who is recovering from a very bad car accident and is severly handicapped; convinced someone is trying to kill him becaus...more
I'm still wondering why it is that this series of novels gets all of the accolades and sales. I will admit this was better than 'A is for Alibi'. At least this time, Kinsey did not have an affair with a main suspect (and the guilty party).
Maybe I'm just not used to genuine mystery novels, but I did not find myself drawn into the mystery of this one. The first half of the book just felt flat. There were characters, but they all seemed to run together and none of them presented as suspects, not e...more
Maybe I'm just not used to genuine mystery novels, but I did not find myself drawn into the mystery of this one. The first half of the book just felt flat. There were characters, but they all seemed to run together and none of them presented as suspects, not e...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
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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 with a 40-year specialty in municipal bonds. Au...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 with a 40-year specialty in municipal bonds. Au...more
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“Everything happens for a reason, but that doesn't mean there's a point.”
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“Missing someone is a vague, unpleasant sensation, like gnawing anxiety. It isn't as concrete as grief, but it's just as pervasive and there's no escaping it.”
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May 13, 2013 02:22pm
I was in high school in the 80s (American schools in Europe -- Dad was in the Air Force)...more
May 13, 2013 02:29pm