W Is for Wasted

A Kinsey Millhone Mystery

By: Sue Grafton

Narrated by: Judy Kaye

Length: 17 hrs and 13 mins

Publisher's summary

Of the #1 New York Times best-selling Kinsey Millhone series, NPR said, "Makes me wish there were more than 26 letters."

Two dead bodies changed the course of my life that fall. One of them I knew and the other I'd never laid eyes on until I saw him in the morgue.

The first was a local PI of suspect reputation. He'd been gunned down near the beach at Santa Teresa. It looked like a robbery gone bad. The other was on the beach six weeks later. He'd been sleeping rough. Probably homeless. No identification. A slip of paper with Millhone's name and number was in his pants pocket. The coroner asked her to come to the morgue to see if she could ID him.

Two seemingly unrelated deaths, one a murder, the other apparently of natural causes.

But as Kinsey digs deeper into the mystery of the John Doe, some very strange linkages begin to emerge. And before long at least one aspect is solved as Kinsey literally finds the key to his identity. "And just like that," she says, "the lid to Pandora's box flew open. It would take me another day before I understood how many imps had been freed, but for the moment, I was inordinately pleased with myself."

In this multilayered tale, the surfaces seem clear, but the underpinnings are full of betrayals, misunderstandings, and outright murderous fraud. And Kinsey, through no fault of her own, is thoroughly compromised.

W is for…wanderer…worthless…wronged….

W is for wasted.

©2013 Sue Grafton (P)2013 Random House Audio

Liked it, in spite of the narrator

I'm a long time fan of the whole series. This one was good. Perhaps it lacked a little of the vitality the books had back in the beginning, but after all, Ms. Grafton has nearly made it through the alphabet at this point. This was also the first I have listened to, rather than reading. I think I might stick with the written version in future. I had probably imagined them differently in my mind for too long.

The author took on the interesting challenge of interposing two mysteries, and the reader knows they must be connected, but not how, till well into the book. Kinsey Millhone, whom we have known from A through V as a virtual orphan is presented with new family. Unfortunately she doesn't get to know one before he turns up dead, at which point she is presented with her ensuing tasks as a private investigator.

It is fun to read these Kinsey Millhone books, and over time we've all gotten to know the cast of characters. I felt that some of them are beginning to feel the least bit stale and take up a little too much "filler" space now, but that didn't detract from the story.

My main complaint was that the narrator seemed uneven. Usually reading quite smoothly, occasionally would have the jarring effect of mis-reading a line, or whole character in a way that just sounded "off." I was a little surprised that it wasn't better directed or produced. I would have expected more for a series this popular.

But all in all, it was wonderful finally to get to read the long-awaited "W" episode in this alphabet mystery series. Nothing could take away the pleasure of going on another adventure with Kinsey.

W is for: Worth the Wait!

Wonderful. Enough said.

If you’re a fan, you don’t need my recommendation. It’s as good as ALLLLL the others; a great reunion with our ol’ friend Kinsey Millhone.

Thanks, Sue! Looking forward to “X” in 2015!

Good Stroy, Well read, Too long,

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

Book was too long. An abridged version might be better. Too much attention to details that did not add to the story.

Would you be willing to try another book from Sue Grafton? Why or why not?

I have listened to or read all in the series.

Have you listened to any of Judy Kaye’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

excellent job portraying the character

Could you see W Is for Wasted being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

No. Not one of her better efforts.

Any additional comments?

The story was predictable. Nice to know that Kinsey will now have a retirement income. Please return to story formats that include less extraneous details.

Performance Makes a Difference

Any additional comments?

I did not enjoy the narrator for this book at all. At one point I even considered discontinuing the audio version and obtaining the written version instead. Part of my dissatisfaction may be that I am used to earlier books by Sue Grafton, which are narrated by Mary Pfeiffer. To me, her (Ms. Pfeiffer’s) rendition of Kinsey Millhone is dead on. In addition to this, though, I did not enjoy Judy Kaye’s portrayal of the male characters. To me their voices sounded kind of “squawking” or “whining”, and they all sounded similar. Finally, for some parts of the narration, it was difficult to tell the distinction between Kinsey’s thoughts and her spoken word. I think Ms. Kaye is an articulate narrator, and she appears to be very popular as noted by many of the other reviewers of this book, but I will likely not get any more Sue Grafton books that are narrated by her.

I gave this book an overall 3 star, mainly because of the narration, but also because the details given in some parts of the story seemed to drag on. I usually enjoy these details by Sue Grafton because the images and sensations I get from them are so real (like the McDonald's lunches/dinners!), but some details in this current book were a little too drawn out for me.

I love Sue Grafton's books, though, and will definitely be getting the remaining ones in the series (what comes after Z ???) whether in written format or audio.

LOVE THIS SERIES

I always enjoy these books. Judy Kaye does an exceptional job bringing Kinsey to life.

Upset

I am upset when I realize I have only two more of Sue Crafton’s book to go. I wish I had discovered her books before she passed away.

Grafton is amazing as always!

Kinsey is at it again. This time she takes on surprises and a mystery like no other PI with very human instincts. Loved it!

Kinsey for Men

I've been so disappointed by most female authors but I keep coming back and trying another. The few I have found "have got me". Many of the authors have their 90 pound heroin in pumps press the 250 pound bodyguard against the wall with one hand and force him to talk... or something similar. In all fairness to both sexes I don't like it a male takes on two or three either. To those of us who can, and know how to fight, one person beating three equal sized opponents is as realistic as warp drive engines.

Ms Grafton doesn't try to dazzle us with the impossible. Her heroin is smart and in shape but not a cyborg.

Ms Grafton's writing is intelligent and humorous and she has a new fan.

Good story, just too wordy!

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

No, because the author describes everything in minute detail, most of it is unnecessary. I don't need to know what color bow tie someone is wearing or what color his sweater is!
I've read all of her books and it seems the more she writes, the more filler she uses.

Would you recommend W Is for Wasted to your friends? Why or why not?

Maybe. The plot was good and I liked how two different stories melded together at the end.

Could you see W Is for Wasted being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

No

Any additional comments?

As long as you have plenty of time to listen, go for it. It was worth it but got on my nerves with all the descriptions.

Tries our patience and goodwill

Is there anything you would change about this book?

I loved the earlier Kinsey Millhone books, A through O were wonderful reads. Sue Grafton created a sympathetic, inspiring character whose adventures captivated us. However, I'm sorry to say that her last few books in general, and this one in particular, are considerably off from the high standards that the author set for herself.

The major problem I see is that the author focusses mostly on the irrelevant trivia of Kinsey's life and does a half hearted job of developing the plot. She devotes many chapters to the `setup', and develops the cold, calculating, scheming villain. Then the entire denouement happens in the space of 1 page, where the villain goes completely out of character and behaves in a wild and uncontrolled manner, enabling Kinsey to wrap up the situation neatly. In the meantime, pages and pages are devoted to physical descriptions of minor characters, their houses etc. You'd think you were reading Thomas Hardy. The descriptions of what Kinsey eats and what she wears take up almost as many words as does the plot. The pacing is wildly uneven, with certain events described in painstaking detail and others rushed through. Then the book concludes with a main character delivering a ham-fisted, unctuous and barf-inducing speech about the virtues of the homeless. I'm sympathetic of the homeless myself and am all in favour of helping them when I can, but I'd rather not have sermons rammed down my throat, especially towards the conclusion of the book when you are waiting for major plot points to be resolved (which actually never happened).

If the author had not build up such a reservoir of goodwill with the first 18 or so instalments, I doubt whether I'd have been able to get through more than a quarter of this book.

What does Judy Kaye bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Judy Kay does a wonderful job of characterizing Kinsey. The only thing is that she is beginning to sound a bit old for Kinsey's character.

Did W Is for Wasted inspire you to do anything?

No