I admit I was particularly pleased to open a Christmas package from my spouse that contained Sue Grafton's latest, T is for Trespass. Despite a childhood spent literally camped out in the city library waiting for copies of the Nancy Drew mysteries to show up, I'm admittedly a newcomer to crime and mystery fiction. (I'm waiting for a long convalescence to start in on Agatha Christie.) But I'm catching up — I've preordered Denise Mina's latest, I never miss "Mystery" on PBS, and I've inhaled all the previous installments in Grafton's alphabetical series.
What is it about her plucky little heroine, the dogged, unassuming Kinsey Millhone? No family, no mortgage, no investments (other than that tidy, meticulous bank account), no insurance — and then there's that odd selection of geriatric friends and protectors. While I might be worrying about her prospects, she isn't.
T is for Trespass serves up perhaps Grafton's darkest perpetrator yet: the sociopathic chameleon Solana Rojas, who, as a home health nurse with stolen credentials, preys on the old and the ill, including Kinsey's neighbor. While Grafton grounds her series in the late '80s, sans computer and cell phones, the theme seemed eerily relevant: Who is watching out for the weakest among us? For me, her examination of Rojas and the system she so easily exploits makes this Grafton's most mature book yet.
I love Grafton's attention to detail — the peanut butter and pickle sandwiches, Kinsey's index cards, the eccentric menus at her favorite dive, the rambling only-in-California layout of Santa Teresa. I find that kind of writing really satisfying. It's a great afternoon read.
December 13, 2008 at 6:45 am
I too love Sue Grafton and have gotten my hubby hooked. We live close to ‘Santa Teresa’ but in the years when i did not i read the books for a fix of my hometown and its particular sights, smells, etc. I have two great similes from her books in my blog. Check it out for a giggle! ~d