by Sue Grafton
Part of Kinsey Millhone, book 9
First published 1993
Kinsey Millhone takes over when fellow private investigator Morley Shine drops dead in the middle of a crucial case. Attorney Lonnie Kingman needs her help fast. He's pursuing a civil suit against David Barney, who beat murder charges five years earlier when a jury acquitted him of killing his wealthy wife Isabelle. Now Kingman represents Isabelle's ex-husband and child, trying to strip Barney of any financial gains from the crime before the statute of limitations expires in weeks. Kinsey expects to wrap up Morley's loose ends quickly. Instead, she discovers his files are a mess, his key witness lacks credibility, and other witnesses claim they never spoke with him. Worse yet, David Barney's alibi holds up under scrutiny. If Barney didn't kill Isabelle, someone else got away with murder. That someone knows Kinsey is digging into the case and may decide she's learned too much. Kinsey must solve a five-year-old murder while staying alive long enough to see justice done.
Genres: suspense, mystery, crime, thriller
Vibes: fast-paced, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: investigation, unreliable-narrator
Period: 5 years ago
329 pages · Mass Market Paperback · Fawcett