Product Description

A Kinsey Millhone mystery. . .

When Kinsey Millhone answers her office door late one night, she lets in more darkness than she realizes. Janice Kepler is a grieving mother who can't let the death of her beautiful daughter Lorna alone. The police agree that Lorna was murdered, but a suspect was never apprehended and the trail is now ten months cold. Kinsey pieces together Lorna's young life: a dull day job a the local water treatment plant spiced by sidelines in prostitution and pornography. She tangles with Lorna's friends: a local late-night DJ; a sweet, funny teenaged hooker; Lorna's sloppy landlord and his exotic wife. But to find out which one, if any, turned killer, Kinsey will have to inhabit a netherworld from which she may never return.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #395731 in Books
• Published on: 2004-05-04
• Released on: 2004-05-04
• Formats: Abridged, Audiobook
• Original language: English
• Dimensions: 5.07" h x .57" w x 5.08" l, .27 pounds
• Binding: Audio CD

From Publishers Weekly
The 11th adventure of Santa Teresa, Calif., PI Kinsey Milhone has a dark tone--due in great part to Kinsey's working this case mostly at night. Kinsey agrees to look into the 10-month-old death of Lorna Kepler, a young woman whose decomposed body was discovered in her cabin so long after death that it was impossible to determine the cause. Kinsey's client, Lorna's mother, who works the night shift in a 24-hour diner, suspects murder. So does Kinsey, especially after investigating Lorna's effects and her considerable assets, some unaccounted-for. An anonymously delivered pornographic tape adds to the emerging portrait of the dead woman as an intriguingly self-sufficient, ambitious woman of the evening. In nighttime forays, Kinsey talks to an all-night deejay whom Lorna often visited at his studio; she meets--and befriends--a prostitute who occasionally teamed up with Lorna to party with clients. She also investigates the victim's day job as a part-time receptionist for the water district, where a high-stakes development project is currently raising tempers. A host of suspects includes a porn filmmaker in San Francisco, members of Lorna's family, her landlord, the water district employees and even a smooth-dressing cop, whom Kinsey talks to at night. But lack of sleep dulls Kinsey's perceptions and it takes two more deaths and the surprise appearance of a deus ex limousine to lead her to a solution. Even sleep-deprived, Kinsey shows spunk and appeal, but she is not at her sharpest here. 600,000 first printing; author tour.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
YA-Asked to investigate the death of 25-year-old Lorna Kepler, which occurred 10 months earlier, P.I. Kinsey Millhone uncovers the young woman's secret life as a high-class call girl, her half a million dollars in blue-chip investments, but no clue as to the murderer. The main plot is strengthened by several subplots including the whereabouts of a $20,000 withdrawal made the day of Lorna's death; the misleading spying antics of her landlord's wife; and the greed and jealousy of the victim's overweight older sister. Grafton's writing is vivid when describing Kinsey's soul-searching about the evil some people commit and in the resultant powerful ending. Though the 11th in the series, "K" is neither weak nor repetitive, providing excitement, intrigue, and a fierce need to finish reading it in one sitting.
Pam Spencer, Thomas Jefferson Sci-Tech, Fairfax County, VA
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
Grafton's latest is one of her best, with popular heroine Kinsey Millhone showing more humor and spunk than we've seen in her last few outings. Grieving mother Janice Kepler asks Kinsey to investigate the nearly year-old death of her daughter Lorna. Janice believes Lorna was murdered, even though there were no signs of violence and the police concluded the young woman died of natural causes. Kinsey, always keen for a challenge, agrees to take the case and winds up working one of the oddest mysteries of her career. It seems Lorna, a part-time secretary at the local water-treatment plant, died with investments and jewelry worth nearly half-a-million dollars--surely impossible on her part-time, minimum-wage job. The trail is cold, but Kinsey is determined to uncover Lorna's secrets and find out how and why she died. Grafton's in top form on this one, offering a spicy plot, some very funny lines, and a raft of intriguing characters. Readers will puzzle and ponder over motive, method, and possible perps right up until the surprising conclusion. After somewhat lukewarm "I" and "J" books, Grafton--thank goodness!--has brought back the warm wit, idiosyncratic charm, and high-speed energy that made Kinsey Millhone such a hit. Buy a bunch of copies; this one will generate requests on a par with Grisham and King. Emily Melton