Joy Choi Choi itibaren Old Kilpatrick, Glasgow G60 5EX, UK
I usually love these books but I found this one to be incredibly boring. Sue Grafton is overly descriptive of every little thing. For example, one of the villains wastes time in a quick mart and she describes every single thing on the shelves. Why? Does the author think that the readers have never been to a 7-11? Seriously this is not the only time she does this. At one point Kinsey is cleaning out her cupboards and every single item is mentioned, then she goes to the store to replenish and again every single item she buys is mentioned. Kinsey never actually cooks anything so what is the point of all this extraneous and unnecessary information. The book was also very repetitive. Every time Kinsey spoke to someone new, she reiterated the entire story. I was listening to the audio book and got tired of hearing the same thing over and over again. I wondered if the author got paid by the word. It certainly seemed that way in this one. I did like Sue Grafton's characterization. She made Creed and Destiny so very annoying it was almost like being there. I wanted to slap the two of them. Her portrayal of the alcoholic McNaly was so accurate and so very annoying that it brought back memories best forgotten. Which of course tells you how spot-on it was. I also like having the 1963/67 back story played out as it added a little variety from Kinsey's POV. The mystery itself was hohum and just didn't work. It all predicated on grownup Michael Sutton's recollections as a 6 year old. (view spoiler). The whole thing just didn't make sense though it made for good reading. Kinsey did a great job of investigating and pulling all the clues together but if the recollections were false, how do you build a case around that without explaining how things were possible? I also liked getting to know some more of Kinsey's own history. She's been stubborn (with good reason) about Grand and family in general but when certain things come to light, we finally see some personal growth. I'm having similar family issues so it will be interesting to see where (if anywhere) Kinsey goes from here.
Plot: The book took place during the late 1700-early 1800's and focused mostly on a banking family in London. There were the typical "rags to riches...good overcomes evil...blacksheep makes good" story lines. My Thoughts: Although this book did keep my interest, there was nothing special about it. The plot was predictable and there were few surprises. I don't think I really learned anything from reading this book, nor was I left thinking about it after I finished it. Pacing: Good enough to keep my interest and at times the book was hard to put down.