The next in the Kinsey Millhone Alphabet mystery series from bestselling author Sue Grafton. “J” is for Jaffe: Wendell Jaffe, dead these past five years. Or so it seemed until his former insurance agent spotted him in the bar of a dusty little resort halfway between Cabo San Lucas and La Paz. “In truth, the facts about Wendell Jaffe had nothing to do with my family history, but murder is seldom … but murder is seldom tidy and no one ever said revelations operate in a straight line. It was my investigation into the dead man’s past that triggered the inquiry into my own, and in the end the two stories became difficult to separate.”
Five years ago, when Jaffe’s thirty-five-foot Fuji ketch was found drifting off the Baja coast, it seemed a sure thing he’d gone overboard. The note he left behind admitted he was flat broke, his business bankrupt, his real estate gambit nothing but a huge Ponzi scheme about to collapse, with criminal indictment certain to follow. When the authorities soon after descended on his banks and his books, there was nothing left: Jaffe had stripped the lot.
“Given my insatiable curiosity and my natural inclination to poke my nose in where it doesn’t belong, it was odd to realize how little attention I’d paid to my own past. I’d simply accepted what I was told, constructing my personal mythology on the flimsiest of facts.”
But Jaffe wasn’t quite without assets. There was the $500,000 life insurance policy made out to his wife and underwritten by California Fidelity. With no corpse to prove death, however, the insurance company was in no hurry to pay the claim. Dana Jaffe had to wait out the statutory five years until her missing husband could be declared legally dead. Just two months before Wendell Jaffe was sighted in that dusty resort bar, California Fidelity finally paid in full. Now they wanted the truth. And they were willing to hire Kinsey Millhone to dig it up.
As Kinsey pushes deeper into the mystery surrounding Wendell Jaffe’s pseudocide, she explores her own past, discovering that in family matters as in crime, sometimes it’s better to reserve judgment.
“J” is for judgment: the kind we’re quick to make and often quicker to regret.
“J” Is for Judgment: Kinsey Millhone’s tenth excursion into the dark places of the heart where duplicity is the governing rule and murder the too-frequent result.
“A” Is for Alibi
“B” Is for Burglar
“C” Is for Corpse
“D” Is for Deadbeat
“E” Is for Evidence
“F” Is for Fugitive
“G” Is for Gumshoe
“H” Is for Homicide
“I” Is for Innocent
“J” Is for Judgment
“K” Is for Killer
“L” is for Lawless
“M” Is for Malice
“N” Is for Noose
“O” Is for Outlaw
“P” Is for Peril
“Q” Is for Quarry
“R” Is for Ricochet
“S” Is for Silence
“T” Is for Trespass
“U” Is for Undertow
“V” Is for Vengeance
“W” Is for Wasted
“X”
more
4 out of 5 stars to J is for Judgment, the 10th book in the “Kinsey Millhone” mystery series, written in 1993 by Sue Grafton. As I read the book details of this one, I vivdly recalled the main character, Wendall Jaffe, and Kinsey’s pursuit of this case. Wendall supposedly died 5 years ago, and his wife collected major bucks from his insurance policy. But when he’s spotted alive not all that far away, Kinsey takes the case. And when she gets into it, her life starts to explode. She’s such an amazing character to keep reading about. Always humorous, but not in a laugh-out-loud-non-stop way. More like a witty chuckle each chapter. And her friends and neighbors are truly great supporting characters. I like that she takes a trip out of Santa Teresa in this one, but is also around the homestead for parts of it. She’s more open about her own life and history, which we needed more of in this series. And the mystery, a normal one — is he or isn’t dead — turns the whole case upside down. There’s more going on that Kinsey realizes, and I was glad to keep reading about it.
Wendell Jaffe disappeared five years ago, gone overboard somewhere near Baja where his ketch was found. But his body was never surfaced. His death was hard on his family, his sons aged 12 and 17, and his widow Dana Jaffe who was forced to wait out the statutory five years before California Fidelity would pay up the $500,000 life insurance.
Shortly thereafter, an insurance agent spots him in a bar in Mexico, a dusty resort aptly named dark winds, and Kinsey Milhone is sent to investigate.
What follows is by turns scary and hilarious. My favorite episodes are the ones where Kinsey plays hooker to escape from an awkward situation, and another where she parrots a telemarketer in order to get valuable information on Wendell Jaffe’s death out of an unsuspecting person.
Another entertaining read. Five Stars!
Best series ever.
Read it so long ago that i can’t remember it. I have read all of her books and liked them all.
Great series
I have this series in hardback and reread it every couple of years.
Even though these were written many years ago, I find them enjoyable.
Great easy read. You must read all the previous books to get a feel for the main characters.
All the books in the series are worth finding and reading.
There is no Z, as The author passed away before finishing the last book.
This series of books are great. Very entertaining.
I LOVE all her books. Would like some newer ones.
I love the Alphabet murders.
Read them all, they are timeless.
Always like Sue Grafton’s books! So sorry she has passed away and we won’t have anymore Kinsey Milhone mysteries!
Sue Grafton was a wonderfully creative author. I loved every one of hers. They are entertaining and laugh out loud funny!
Great series!
Love her books
Enjoy the entire series.
If you haven’t already, youbshould read Sue Graffon. I suggest startin with A is for Alibi. You can read them out ofnorder, but sone character changes and plots to carry over.
Definently a great read.
Sue Grafton will always be the queen of witty mysteries. I always anticipated her next book to come out.
love her early books because of the characters and mystery