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

care for those we might dislike

As usual , I loved Grafton ' s tightly written, personable mystery with enough predictable plot twists to make me feel smart and surprises to put me in my place.

Not Disappointed!

I enjoyed the story and appreciated prior characters making an appearance as well the introduction of new ones, especially more relatives for Kinsey.

W is for Why?

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

No. While the story itself had merit, there was just too much pointless filler. Why did the attorney who made only one brief appearance strip naked in front of her new client, Kinsey? Why was it necessary to explain in excruciating detail the way a salad spinner works? And why did we have to hear "Grabber Blue" more than a trillion times? Why wasn't this book edited? Why did the author get so preachy about how how the homeless chose this way of life?

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

Finally!

How did the narrator detract from the book?

Her voice is somewhat grating and her inflections make all the characters sound sarcastic. This was not the voice I expected for Kinsey, but I eventually got used to it. It did not make me like Kinsey very much. What really distracted me the most was that all the male characters sounded like Bart Simpson.

Do you think W Is for Wasted needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

No. This was more than enough.

Any additional comments?

Sue Grafton is a talented author, but it seems as if she is tired of Kinsey. Shouldn't Kinsey be growing as a person? We'll see what X brings.

Kinsey at her best

I listened to this book twice, enjoying it so much for the interesting, spellbinding story and personality of our favourite pi.
I enjoyed the whole series but this one is so good.

Grafton has done better.

I have read all the Grafton alphabet books and this one was not my favorite. Kinsey use to be funny and spunky. She lost some of her spark in this book. She sounds exasperated and tired of what she does. I hope in the future that Kinsey finds her old spark and goes back to making me laugh when I'm not intrigued.

loved it

I loved it . I've read most of her books,finishing off the rest in audio boos

A little slow, but overall, worth it!

As usual, Judy Kaye did excellent as the narrator! The storyline starts slow, but once it gets going, you're hooked. The ending was really great and the story introduced a lot of new characters.

"W" for weak

If you could sum up W Is for Wasted in three words, what would they be?

Not her best

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

Not really. Was too predictable and ending a bit to quickly.

Which character – as performed by Judy Kaye – was your favorite?

Annie

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

No

Any additional comments?

As with all of Sue Grafton books it was an enjoyable listen. However I felt this one to be a bit weak in the writing with a too quickly contrived ending.
Even though I felt this not to be one of her best, I'll still be looking forward to the next one.

W is also for Wonderful

I have read the whole series. Kinsey and the other recurring characters have become family.

Excellent

Love the book!! It was believable and was easy to follow. I love the vocabulary used it makes the me think while I listen.