"E" is for Evidence: A Kinsey Millhone Mystery (Hardcover)

Better yet, devoted readers of the Kinsey series will find this book an important turning point in the protagonist's life, illuminating a bit of her past as well as setting up the backdrop of several of the later books. Moreover, Grafton - creator in Kinsey of one of the most liberated women in our modern age of Bridget Joneses and See Janes Date - is once again ahead of her time (keep in mind, the book was written in 1988) in describing the characters and their relationships.

"E is for Evidence" is an excellent read, a must all Kinsey aficionados, and an excellent introduction to the series for readers who can't get their hands on "A is for Alibi". Make yourself a pimento-cheese sandwich and dig in!

There is also murders going on as well. And Kinsey suspects one of the four kids. As she investigates further into the scenes, it might be too late for Kinsey herself.

But before any of this can happen, Kinsey has to yet, once again, untangle a mess. This time, however, it's her own mess because she's being framed. A mysterious five thousand dollar deposit appears in her checking account and, while we all know Kinsey could use the money, there's no way she can sit still until she finds out where it came from. This will lead her on a search for insurance fraud after a thorough investigation of a fire site. Kinsey is familiar with the owners of this company as she went to high school with one of the girls in the family. As she's rekindling old acquaintances, things are heating up in her investigation. Fires are sizzling, bombs are exploding and things aren't what they seem to be -- what else is new?

So why only three stars you ask? I was really enjoying this book until I got to the end. By missing one sentence in a previous chapter, I didn't understand the ending when I got to it. Consequently, I had to go back and reread the last twenty or so pages just so it would make sense (which it did). I just don't like having to do that. When I read a book, especially one as simple as this alphabet series, the ending should all come together more easily than this one did. It shouldn't just hinge on one sentence. And, that's why "E" was an enigma to me. After I finished it the first time, I was still puzzled.

Now it's on to "F" with hopes that the ending will be more to my liking and that "F" will stand for "Fantastic."