 | By: Sue Grafton Binding: Paperback Publisher: Pan Books ISBN: 0330371967 ISBN-13: 9780330371964 Released: 12 Apr 2002 RRP: Average Rating:  |
P Is for Peril opens with Ms. Kinsey Millhone at age 36 in 1986, having survived two unsuccessful marriages, her love life at a low ebb, & needing to find a new office to house her one-woman detective agency in Santa Teresa, California. Retired geriatric specialist & now nursing home administrator, Dr. Dowan (Dow) Purcell, aged 69, is missing. He left work one night, & hasn't been seen for nine weeks. The police have looked, but have no leads. Kinsey is hired by his first wife, Fiona, to find him. There are alimony checks to be kept coming at stake! While Fiona, the ex-wife, is hiring Kinsey, Kinsey gets a bad feeling that Fiona may not be the ideal client. Fiona is one of those people who could find fault with a saint. Kinsey tells Fiona, "I'll do what I can, but I make no promises." Suspicious, Kinsey asks about the bank balance on Fiona's account before depositing the retainer check. There's just enough to cover it. Whew!
The current wife, Crystal, is a much younger woman, a former stripper from Las Vegas, whose appeal to Dow was her willingness to perform kinky bedroom games. She is expensive to maintain, & seems to be causing Dow some concern. Why was she disappearing into another man's home every morning? On the other hand, her prenuptial agreement means she gets nothing if Dow divorces her.
At the nursing home, everyone loves Dow . . . except the former assistant administrator who disagreed with his firing of the bookkeeper. And soon there are rumors of investigations by the government for Medicare fraud. How does this connect to Dow?
At the same time, Kinsey figures out that she had better find a new office. Lonnie's firm is growing & won't have room for her. She meets two nice young men who offer her a nearby steal, & she takes it. Then the story gets interesting!
One of the best parts of the book is that the patented Grafton humor is very much in evidence. She gets help from a woman at the nursing home by bringing her junk food from McDonald's. In another key scene, Kinsey thinks she is about to be discovered as an intruder & instead is trapped under a desk by an illicit tryst. Several times, Kinsey makes major judgment errors & wishes she could kick herself. It's alll good fun.
Most series that have run as long as this one has tend to wind down long before they end. This book clearly shows the benefit of lots of thinking, planning, & good writing. I just wish that Ms. Grafton had remembered that people to read about people they like. These characters do not even have charm to redeem their glaring faults.
After you read this story, think about the importance of developing & nurturing good character . . . in yourself, in your family, & in those you come into contact. How will you be remembered when you pass away? How would you like to be remembered? Consider Dow Purcell as a case example to stimulate your thinking.
Reputation is a precious asset -- protect it from peril!
But no! Ms Grafton, who refuses her heroine the luxury of a computer or a mobile phone (too easy), has indulged herself with that scourge of the modern novel, the tricksy unresolved ending. I truly thought I had bought a dud copy of the book, with the last few pages missing, until I looked at the reader reviews & realised that nobody had them.
"P is for Peril" is as skillfully crafted & well written as any of the alphabet series, except that we're left guessing at the end about what actuallly happened. But we want to KNOW!! Readers of detective stories want closure, resolution, neat endings - alll that kind of thing. That's one of the reasons they read detective stories. Cliff-hanger endings are great in their place, Ms Grafton, (at the end of chapters) but NOT at the end of the book. I beg Ms Grafton never to do this to us again, & Kinsey Millhone to sign off with her usual "Respectfully submitted, Kinsey Millhone" from now to the end of the alphabet (even if she hasn't been paid her full fee!). If Sue Grafton had started like this, she would never have got beyond A.
For this devoted fan of Kinsey Millhone & Sue Grafton, "P is for Profound Disappointment".
Like her previous novels, Grafton has crafted a world that mirrors reality too well: complex & introverted characters, brilliant settings, & a realistic PI at work. In P is for Perial, the research on medical fraud is fascinating & a must-read for anyone vaguely interested in the subject. There is also good forensic research, sharp tongue-in-cheek dialogue, and, of course, Kinsey's unique voice as the first-person narrator, a voice that has warmed the heart of millions of fans around the world. Highly recommended for novice or veteran readers of the alphabet mystery series.
My only criticism was the ending which I initiallly felt left some questions unanswered & even thought that perhaps a page was missing, however upon relection I have worked out the answers from the preceeding chapters.
Another fantastic book - please please please write more than 1 per year!
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