Grafton, Sue: Kinsey and Me

The introduction to this book of short stories is very informative and fun to read. Ms. Grafton explains how Kinsey came to be. She also tells about the VW bugs that Kinsey drove that were identical to the ones she had in her own driveway. In short, she says Kinsey is her alter-ego; she would have been a PI if she hadn’t married and had kids. Her father, who was an attorney, had written three mystery novels and she read mysteries voraciously as a young girl. After the Kinsey short stores there is a brief biographical section that again explains where these wonderful mysteries come from.

The first nine short stories in this book are Kinsey Millhone mysteries. Short stories are a lot different to read than a novel, but these are well done stories. If you have read the alphabet series of novels, Kinsey comes through without a hitch. Although I am not a short story fan, I enjoyed every one.

The second part of the book starts with another biographical introduction. Ms. Grafton’s parents were both alcoholics, and she states that from the age of five she virtually raised herself. The thirteen pieces in this second half of the book feature a girl named Kit Blue and were written in the decade following her mother’s death. In them she deals with incidents that caused her pain and rage against her mother and her father. They are very well written and gripping. You can feel for the young child left to fend for herself, struggling to try to find a cure for her mother or to live a somewhat normal life despite her parents neglect.

Many books have forwards and introductions and most of them I find dry and not relevant to reading the book. The information in the forwards and introductions in this book are entertaining and enlightening. They provide an additional measure of pleasure not only in reading this book, but in understanding some of the content of the alphabet series of mystery novels Ms. Grafton is known for.

by Margie Gilbert (4/2013)