Review: E is for Evidence (Kinsey Millhone #5) by Sue Grafton

4 stars for E is for Evidence (Kinsey Millhone book 5) by Sue Grafton.

It is good to know that when I need a good mystery story and am too tired to go in search of one, I can always fall back on author Sue Grafton's tried and tested Alphabet series.

I read the last Kinsey Millhone book, D is for Deadbeat, way back in May 2018. Fast forward three years and I have progressed by one alphabet only, from D to E. Will I ever read enough to reach the last book in the series “Y is for Yesterday"? I don't know. I really don't. But as for now, I am just pleased that I have this series to turn to for a good, down-to-earth mystery story.

E is for Evidence sees the return of Kinsey Millhone, 32-year old private investigator, for more action. Unbeknownst to her, she is tangled up in an insurance fraud and caught up in a web of family politics. To ensure her continued survival in a dog-eat-dog world, Kinsey is now her own client as she goes about collecting evidence to proof her innocence.

As with the first four books in the series, the writing is good and the plot gets better as the story develops and unfolds. There is also this unexpected twist towards the end. To top it off, the narrative is laced with a healthy dose of deadpan humour, one which I appreciate much. 

Besides the protagonist searching for evidence to protect herself, the book itself is evidence of an era past. It mentions, among other things, photo taking and typing; nothing very much special except the way it is done. In the book, taking photographs involve two rows of films, twenty-four exposures each, and typing is, well, done on a typewriter. Who still uses films for photography these days? And I'm equally sure many (youngsters) do not even know what a typewriter is! But still, seeing all these remnants of the past on print evokes a nostalgic sense of things; an era gone but not forgotten. Sure, times have changed and drastically, but for a book that was first published in 1988 and subsequently reprinted with no revision whatsoever, time stands still. That is also the reason why I sometimes prefer old publication to the revised version.

To end off this review.. since we all know that there are many next books in this series, we can do well to know that all's well that ends well. Now, the question is, will it take me another 2 years or three before I am ready for the next book, F is for Fugitive?

Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin; Reprint edition
Publication date: 11 Dec 2012

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Anyone who knows me will tell you that I cherish my unmarried state. I’m female, twice divorced, no kids and no close family ties. I’m perfectly content to do what I do . . .

It was two days after Christmas when Kinsey Millhone received the bank slip showing a credit for five thousand dollars.

The account number was correct but Kinsey hadn’t made the deposit.

Then came the phone call and suddenly everything became clear. The frame-up was working and Kinsey was trapped . . .

*Blurb from Goodreads*

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