He called himself Alvin Limardo, and the job he had for Kinsey was cut-and-dried: locate a kid who’d done him a favor and pass on a check for $25,000. It was only later, after he’d stiffed her for her retainer, that Kinsey found out his name was Daggett. John Daggett. Ex-con. Inveterate liar. Chronic drunk. And dead. The cops called it an accident–death by drowning. Kinsey wasn’t so sure.Pulled … sure.
Pulled into the detritus of a dead man’s life, Kinsey soon realizes that Daggett had an awful lot of enemies. There’s the daughter who grew up with a cheating drunk for a father, and the wife who’s become a religious nut in response to an intolerable marriage. There’s the lady who thought she was Mrs. Daggett–and has the bruises to prove it–only to discover the legal Mrs. D. And there are the drug dealers out $25,000. But most of all, there are the families of the five people John Daggett killed, victims of his wild, drunken driving. The D.A. called it vehicular manslaughter and put him away for two years. The families called it murder and had very good reason to want John Daggett dead.
Deft, cunning, and clever, this latest Millhone mystery also confronts some messy truths, for, as Kinsey herself says, “Some debts of the human soul are so enormous only life itself is sufficient forfeit”–but as she’d be the first to admit, murder is not a socially acceptable solution.
more
Always enjoy the Grafton alphabet mysteries
Always a good read. Love Kinsy
I have read the entire Alphabet series from Sue Grafton. They are great.
I love all these Sue Grafton books! Have read all but one. Working on getting it.
I read all her books, fun and always a great read
Kinsey is never al a toss for unusual clients. Deadbeats who turn up dead is new, though. She never met a mystery she wasn’t drawn to the very end!
Good story with twists and turns
I love anything Sue Grafton writes!
Will miss this wonderful author.
Love all of her books
I have enjoyed all of Graften’s ABC mysteries. She will be missed
Great book in a great series. RIP Sue
good traditional p.i. series
3.5 of 5 stars (rounded up!) to D is for Deadbeat. In this installment, Kinsey’s rattled when a mysterious man asks her to deliver $25K to someone who turns out to be a teenager. Shortly after the check he gave Kinsey for her own fee bounces and the guy turns up dead. Cut her losses? No… Investigate to see if you can recover your money. Sometimes Kinsey… you just don’t know when to talk away, but at least you’re not beat up in this book like previous ones. All in all, a solid book in the series. Everything is right in the comfy range here… a even-paced read, a few laugh aloud moments, a couple of hints of suspense. It’s a joy to watch Kinsey work, as it is usually direct and without gimmicks. I love other series with gimmicks too, but sometimes you just want to focus on the crime and the resolution. And the setting is always great… Santa Teresa, California where the weather seems perfect and the people have just enough wit and charm to keep you entertained and happy.
I have Sue Grafton A through Z I love her writings and would love to see more and more from her desk.You can believe if Sue Grafton writes it I will read it.I am considering starting with A and reading them all again.
This is one of my favorite series. Joined the series on H and had to go back to find the previous books of the series. Kinsey keeps me looking for clues and wanting the next book.
Predictable. Formulaic.
On a fall Saturday, Alvin walks into Kinsey’s office and asks the PI to track down someone named Tony to give him a check. However, Tony turns out to be a teenager, the check Alvin gives Kinsey for her services bounces, and then Alvin is shot. What has Kinsey stumbled into this time?
The places this book leads from that set up were absolutely wonderful, and I loved seeing where the plot lead. I did feel things stalled out a little before we reached the climax, but the book ended on a great note. Likewise, the characters could have been a little sharper, but maybe that was more my aversion to the obnoxious Christian sect we meet in this book. Overall, still a fantastic read.
Grafton’s alphabet mysteries are fun. The early ones kept a reader waiting for the next ones to be published.