I actually had not heard this since it was first out on Books on Tape a looooong time ago and wanted to hear it again! To me it was actually fun to he..Show More »ar the old Books on Tape stuff at the very start of the book.
Although still a good story the second time through, I can really see (hear) why so many reviewers were not very happy with the early books just because of the reader Ms. Peiffer.
Although she reads the story fine, as with several other readers of various books, she just doesn't seem to have the correct or expected 'tonal quality' for the character in this story, in my opinion!!!
If you're just discovering the "Alphabet" series, I'd still recommend giving it a listen, or, especially in the early stages of this series, get the abridged version and hear the reader that now has become the ONLY reader of the series for the most part, abridged or unabridged, Judy Kaye!
She IS Kinsey Millhone!

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I like Sue Grafton because her books are interesting but you don't have to think too hard to follow the story. Each book stands alone, but they're be..Show More »tter in alphabet order because the main character, Kinsey Milhone, develops over time.

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As a fan of Sue Grafton's alphabet series -- particularly the later books read by Judy Kaye -- I consider this one a waste of time and money. The stor..Show More »y is a snore, and I was ready to quit long before I learned "who dunnit." I stuck with it and was not rewarded for my efforts. Mary Peiffer's wooden, ho-hum reading doesn't help.

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Well, written. Funny at times. Reflective points. Poignant. Just a good fun read. I'm hooked on the whole alphabet!

That one word above says it all. Fantastic! With out a doubt, most of her books are in the A pluses for me. Maybe she can switch to numbers next, and ..Show More »have a true man developing in her world? Just saying

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Typical great Sue Grafton story, but the sound editing was terrible. There are long sound gaps between sentences that break the flow of the story. I..Show More »t's very noticable and very irritating. If you're not totally committed to listening, you find your mind wondering during the gaps. Love the story, hate the gaps!

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This book ends so fast that it truly lacks finality. You're listening along and within seconds the whole thing is wrapped up and the listener is left..Show More » feeling rather empty. You don't really sympathize with any of the characters, especially Kinsey. Also, the sound editing is so choppy that it's hard to pay attention to the dialog. Not Grafton's best.

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Another great story from Sue Grafton. Keeps you wondering as to "who done it"! Now I am on to "J".
Have to disagree with the other reviewer....Show More ».I do like the narrator ...she actually makes the story better in my opinion.

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It's almost worth skipping this one. If Grafton's character development didn't take place over multiple novels, I would. As it is, you probably shou..Show More »ld give this a listen if you are already committed to the series. I did and I found that all the typical Grafton weaknesses were on display and new ones were added. Unfortunately, the strong plot development that ordinarily compensates for these weaknesses is lacking this time.

Major weakness include:

Non-existent character development, especially with most characters that do not recur in the series, and including this novel's villain.

Unusually poor plot development. Ordinarily, this is Grafton's strength. It is MIA with this novel.

Exceptionally poorly drawn villain. When the villain is revealed, I wager you will find yourself asking WHO??? followed quickly with WHY??? If so, your questions will go largely unanswered.

An incredibly abrupt ending, with virtually all minor plot lines left dangling.

An uncharacteristically maudlin summary from Millhone in the Epilogue.

Typical Series weaknesses also continue, including:

The absence of the sort of cues that most author's use to remind readers of the identities of different characters, especially when many characters are introduced throughout the novel. Here, at most, you will be reminded of a character's first name. If you don't remember who they are among the dozen plus characters new to the novel, well, at least you have a rewind button.

And perhaps the greatest weakness of the series ~ the narrator. These novels were recorded early in the evolution of audiobooks, which is the only reason I can imagine that this narrator found any work. It seems to me that a narrator should, at least, pronounce words correctly. This one muffs some incredibly common ones ~ very distracting when listening. Characterizations, dramatic pacing, inflection ... all the other narrative skills are also weak or missing altogether.

I am 11 books into this series, and beginning to despair. Unusually, writers improve as they develop a series. That is not happening here. Sigh.


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After a couple less than worthy entries in the Kinsey Millhone series (J & K), Sue Grafton roars back with a nicely diverting addition. Yes, you will..Show More » probably anticipate much of the ending from early clues, but no matter; the ride is enjoyable even if the destination is not too much of a surprise.

Grafton offers some of her best development of secondary characters yet and has now moved well past the two-dimensional characters of her earlier novels. Add in an enjoyable, sometimes exciting plot and a more nuanced Kinsey, and this book is certainly worth a listen.

Even the much maligned (sometimes by me) narrator really steps up with this effort. As best I can tell, every word is correctly pronounced (applause) and dramatic characterizations are much more fully developed. This may not be an ~A~ game yet, but it's certainly a solid B.

You will not regret a decision to escape for a few hours into the Lawless world of Kinsey Millhone.

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I don't want to sound malicious about this Millhone edition, but part one of M is for Malice is abundant with inane details so bland that I felt as if..Show More » were peering through a window of a slow moving train into a lifeless and unchanging landscape, destination: Land of Nowhere. I seriously debated throwing myself from the train in a frantic escape, but, gritting my teeth, I continued the journey. Upon entering part two, I was richly rewarded. With relief, I saw that the sun had come out and that the landscape had brightened. In part two, I felt as if I were an inconspicuous shadow within the story, completely enthralled in all that Millhone saw, heard, said, thought and felt. It was well worth the wait.

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yes, we all know she has to write 26 books and some have been disappointing, but this one was really one of her much better efforts -- you don't know ..Show More »what's going on until almost the end (even tho you might suspect), but she blows it with a really limp ending in the last paragraph or 2. Oh well...................... still worth a listen.

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I have listened to the Millhone books starting with A and having just finished O. First let me tell you that if you are considering reading any book ..Show More »in this series, I highly recommend starting at the beginning of the alphabet. You will better understand the characters and events and how they are relate from A to B to C, etc.

I have truly enjoyed these books by Ms. Grafton. I however did not like this narrator. She makes Kinsey sound 50 years old! Mary Peiffer did an outstanding job with narrating in books A through N and I was quite disturbed at such a drastic change in narration. Also the recording quality was very poor on this book. Despite the above mentioned negatives: I am addicted to the series and have just downloaded P through T, the only remaining books in the series available from Audible.com at this time.

'Respectfully submitted,'


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In a Sue Grafton, nothing is irrelevant! I love what Judy Kaye does with the character's voice and tone. This was a great read.

It's such an easy listen. Perfect length for a trip. I can never wait for the next letter!

I have listened my way through Sue Grafton's alphabet and been rewarded with better and better tales. This is no exception.

This is a nice l..Show More »isten ~ an exciting story with engaging characters we can grow to care about.

Grafton is particularly successful in "maturing" Kinsey ~ the irreverence is still present, but it is less overpowering. Instead, we meet a more grown-up Kinsey, someone capable of really caring about others (even a cat!), of intense self-examination, of emotional growth and of committed romance. This is not the Kinsey of the early alphabet ~ this is a much more real character and one it is much easier to care for.

It is especially welcome to see Kinsey begin to develop friendships (romantic and otherwise). Such relationships have never seemed quite real in the past, in part because Grafton crafted Kinsey as a loner. Now the shell is cracking a bit, and a new Kinsey seems to be emerging.

The other characters are equally well developed. We can empathize with them, become frustrated by them, or disapprove of their behavior. We learn a bit more about the regulars (Henry, William, Rosie) and we meet some very well drawn episodic characters.

Grafton does an especially good job with the "villains" ~ both great and small. They are certainly bad enough, but Grafton gives them credible motivations for their behavior. No one likes to admit they are evil and these "bad guys" all have their own motivations and explanations that leave them less blameworthy, less evil (at least in their own eyes). This is how the real world works, and it is refreshing to see it reflected so aptly in fiction.

I've read through some of the other reviews and I do not understand the thoroughly negative ones. Grafton has never rushed her stories, and the extra details she offers help round out her characters and the world they inhabit. This leads to longish (11 hour) but certainly not overly long tales and, importantly, a series that develops and matures. Too long for you? Speed up your playback or shift to an abridged version.

For me, and happily for most other reviewers, this is just the right length and a creditworthy addition to the Kinsey Millhone series. With it, Sue Grafton is coming into her own. It almost makes you sorry the alphabet has only 26 letters.

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I really enjoyed the earlier Kinsey Milhone books, especially in audio form. Judy Kaye is a good reader. But the characters in this episode were sha..Show More »llow and artificial. Violet is so typical as a sexually-irresistable vamp, and all the men fall like dominoes at her feet. She is the typical portrayal of the calculating woman with no other dimension or interest. Yet she is the catalyst of the story.
I like graphic sexuality if it is well-integrated. Here, it just seemed gratuitous. I was quite disappointed in this book.

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I really like Sue Grafton novels and couldn't wait for this one to come out. "T" kept my interest,but but never kept me sitting in my car in the gara..Show More »ge waiting to hear what was going to happen next. Grafton added a little social commintary in this one, actually well done. Not Grafton's best, but not the worst. 6 out of 10

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"U" starts with an interesting premise...Michael Sutton remembers something from his childhood and sends Kinsey on one of her favorite type missions....Show More ».digging for clues. I also enjoyed this book because Kinsey learns more about her long unknown family, especially her grandmother and aunts. Must be because the alphabet is coming to a close--within five more volumes Grafton's fans will want to know that Kinsey's life has been wrapped up neatly. This is one I'll listen to again in a few months.

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Well this book was okay. And of course Kinsey is her usual goofy, gawky busybody self, and that is what this series is all about. So actually this boo..Show More »k does what one expects. You get an easy read, a silly story line meant to entertain and this book does that job just a-okay. Kinda like eating a grilled cheese sandwich with the yellow cheese while drinking a Shirley Temple.

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