O Is for Outlaw

Grafton, Sue

ISBN 10: 0375404155 ISBN 13: 9780375404153

Publisher: Random House, 1999

Synopsis

Private detective Kinsey Millhone finds her past coming back to haunt her when an encounter with her first husband and a mysterious undelivered letter discovered among her childhood memorabilia reveal new information about an old unsolved murder. Simultaneous.

About this title

Review

Wise-cracking, staunchly independent and chronically curious, Grafton's gritty gumshoe, Kinsey Millhone is back. This time, the alphabet series star will take on the toughest case to date: her past. What begins as a random phone call from a "storage space scavenger" (buys the contents of defaulted storage units), leads Kinsey to a box of old papers and personal effects that her ex, Micky Magruder, left behind. Inside, she finds a 15-year-old unsent letter from a bartender that, among other things, reveals her former hubby was having an affair. And she left him because he asked her to lie when he was charged with murder. Although he wasn't convicted, the letter reopens the past and the possibility of foul play--which proves to be a deadly temptation for Ms. Millhone.

Die-hard fans will especially enjoy Kinsey's self-disclosure--something she's infamous for not doing--about her childhood, the fate of her parents and the randy details of her first marriage. She also reveals a very vulnerable and interesting side to her character when her obsessive-compulsive fact-finding is mixed with matters of the heart. A fast, fun read, O is for Outlaw is packed with Grafton's clear, colourful imagery and signature metaphors: "Our recollection of the past is not simply distorted by our faulty perception of events remembered, but skewed by those forgotten. The memory is like orbiting twin stars, one visible, one dark, the trajectory of what's evident forever affected by the gravity of what's concealed." This review refers to the hardcover edition of this title.

--Rebekah Warren

Review

" EVERYTHING THAT HAS ALWAYS WORKED FOR THIS FIRST-CLASS SERIES WORKS BETTER HERE. . . . O Is for Outlaw comes across with a freshness that suggests [Sue Grafton] has been taking stock of her skills, sharpening them up for the long haul."
--The New York Times Book Review
" EXTREMELY GOOD--OUTSTANDING, IN FACT. . . . As always Millhone is an engaging detective--a bit lighthearted, a bit sarcastic, always resourceful, and frequently funny."
--San Francisco Chronicle

"EVERYTHING THAT HAS ALWAYS WORKED FOR THIS FIRST-CLASS SERIES WORKS BETTER HERE. . . . O Is for Outlaw comes across with a freshness that suggests [Sue Grafton] has been taking stock of her skills, sharpening them up for the long haul."
--The New York Times Book Review
"EXTREMELY GOOD--OUTSTANDING, IN FACT. . . . As always Millhone is an engaging detective--a bit lighthearted, a bit sarcastic, always resourceful, and frequently funny."
--San Francisco Chronicle

About this edition

• Publisher: Random House
• Publication date: 1999
• ISBN 10: 0375404155
• ISBN 13: 9780375404153
• Binding: Audio Cassette