Sue Grafton

Of the #1 New York Times–bestselling Sue Grafton, NPR's Maureen Corrigan said, she “makes me wish there were more than twenty-six letters.” X—the shortest entry in the English-language dictionary. X—notoriously slippery to pronounce.X—from Greek and Latin and commonly found in science, medicine, and religion.X—the twenty-fourth and trickiest letter in the English language. X—what can it be for? Come fall, readers everywhere will find out as Kinsey Millhone makes her much-anticipated appearance in Sue Grafton's thrilling new novel. X—only two letters left.

X Is For

Lara Engle

This book was a complete disappointment. I always look forward to a new Kinsey Millhone book. Reading one is usually like visiting an old friend who is always having new adventures. Reading this book was like reading a boring guide to water conservation. Oh, wait. About a third of this book IS a guide to water conservation, with a bit of renter's rights thrown in. The three storylines were completely disjointed, and I think Grafton forgot that she writes mysteries. I sincerely hope Y and Z are better. If they are anything like this, it will be a dismal end to what had been a bouncing thrillride.

I liked it! I was hoping for something a bit more rebellious in the side plot, but it was an interesting mystery.

Totally Addicted to Reading

I was fascinated by the premise of this tale as such I was happy when I was approved to receive a copy in exchange for an honest critique. X by Sue Grafton is book #24 in the Kinsey Millhone series; nevertheless it can be read as a stand-alone. This is my first time reading her work and I must say I was impressed with her writing style. It is evident that she is a skilled writer.

X which was set in the 1980s is different from any of the mysteries that I have read before. Initially, when the story started there was not much happening. This is not a fast paced read. I found it to be slow, but it was not boring. This is not the type of story that would have you biting your nails, so if you are the type of reader who wants non-stop action and suspense then this book may not be for you.

The story follows the life of Kinsey Millhone a female private investigator and the cases she sometimes inadvertently finds herself involved in. There was more than one case to be solved in this installment. Kinsey was hired to locate a recently released bank robber and finds herself embroiled in an unsolved case as a result. In addition, her decision to assist her friend with her tax issues placed her in the midst of another unsolved case. In addition to that her new neighbours appeared to be up to no good. Kinsey definitely has her work cut out for her when it came to uncovering the truth.

There were aspects of the story that I believed at first was not necessary, however, as it progressed I realized that it played an important role in one of Kinsey’s cases. I am referring to the irrigation and plumbing issues her friend and neighbour Henry was trying to deal with.

I must admit that it took me some time to get through the story. I believe that the slow pace contributed to this and the fact that the world championships were taking place at the same time did not help. I was rather disappointed with the ending. I don’t want to say much as I don’t want to give away the plot lines. All I can say is that I felt that not all the issues were adequately resolved.

Overall, I found X to be an interesting story and I would definitely read more from this author.

X Is For

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