Average customer rating:
- Sue Grafton Mystery
- Flimsy, disappointing characters and plot -- a chase and travelogue, not a detective story
- Slow paced
- L is for Lawless
- L is for Lovin' It!
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L Is for Lawless
Sue Grafton
Manufacturer: Fawcett
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Binding: Mass Market Paperback
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Similar Items:
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K Is for Killer (Kinsey Millhone Mysteries)
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M Is for Malice
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J Is for Judgment
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N Is for Noose
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O Is for Outlaw
ASIN: 0449221490
Release Date: 1996-07-31 |
Amazon.com
Both new readers and old fans will welcome this 12th Kinsey Milhone adventure in the "A" is for Alibi series by Sue Grafton. In this case, Kinsey agrees to do a favor for a friend of a friend and gets herself into so much trouble that she promises at the outset never to do such a thing again without careful consideration.
Henry Pitt, her longtime landlord asks her to help a fellow neighbor find evidence that his grandfather served in the military during the Second World War. With such proof, the man can be decently buried, courtesy of the U.S. government. It seems such a simple thing, but with Kinsey, it rarely is. Before long she finds herself entangled with an eccentric and quarrelsome family as well as a long lost buddy who has turned up just in time to get himself beaten up in a robbery attempt of the alleged veteran's apartment. It seems there is a reason the Armed Services have no record of the dead man's service. Kinsey sets out to determine what he might have been doing instead of fighting against the Japanese and why someone might think his shabby apartment worth a burgle.
Typical of the series, the mystery is not the central point of the story, but rather a starting point for Kinsey to become embroiled in a suspenseful (and delightful) search-and-rescue operation, usually against her better judgement. In this case, a gun-toting, arthritic octogenarian and revelations of the inner workings of bargain-rate motels are all part of the adventure. This is an easy and enjoyable read, and a solid addition to Grafton's string of alphabetical hits. --K.A. Crouch
Book Description
"THIS IS ONE OF GRAFTON'S MOST FUN-TO-READ BOOKS. . . . One of [Kinsey Millhone's] wildest adventures yet."
--San Francisco Examiner
When Kinsey Millhone agrees to do a favor for Henry Pitts, her lovable octogenarian landlord, she literally gets taken for the ride of her life. The family of a recently deceased WWII veteran wants her to find out why the military has no record of his service. All Kinsey has to do, she thinks, is cut through some government red tape. But when the dead man's house is ransacked and his old army buddy is beaten up, she quickly realizes he was not all he seemed. Before long Kinsey is trailing crooks halfway across the country, impersonating a hotel maid, tangling with a baseball bat-wielding grandmother, and running from one very dangerous character. With her money almost gone and her nerves frayed, Kinsey's got to solve a decades-old crime and make it back home in time for Henry's wedding . . . if she can make it back at all. . . .
Customer Reviews:
Sue Grafton Mystery.......2007-10-04
Haven't read this one yet - service was terrific. Book received in the condition it was advertised. Great seller!
Flimsy, disappointing characters and plot -- a chase and travelogue, not a detective story.......2007-07-11
As soon as I read her earliest books, Sue Grafton became one of my favorite writers of light, straight, credible detective fiction. She can be a terrific storyteller. Unfortunately, after rallying from the skimpy, disorganized "G" and "H" stories with stronger efforts in "I," "J," and "K," the "Lawless" book dropped right back to the bottom of the barrel.
"Lawless" worried me from the start, because it recalled not only the light-weight "action" or "chase" approaches of the "G" and "H" books but also a trait of the weakest of Marcia Muller's work: a small-potatoes, penny-ante case, here an investigation into getting VA burial benefits for a neighbor's friend. Unlike Muller, Grafton usually manages to build something bigger out of such mundane beginnings of a story. Not so here.
"Lawless" is merely a fast-paced legwork/chase story about a supposed hidden treasure. It involves a small circle of characters (65-year-old Ray Rawson, his estranged daughter Laura, his aged mom Helen, and his nemesis, Gilbert Hays; Rawson, in jail for the last 45 years, and Hays, who snitched and got out early, along with a now-dead Asian named Johnny and three others robbed a bank in Louisville decades before).
There are no suspects and no suspense about what is going on or who is doing it, no serious legwork or detection. The story simply involves running away from Gilbert and for the money, with Millhone whining all along the way (as constant and tedious as Roderick Alleyn about his lack of official authority in "Death And Dancing Footman") that she's not getting paid for anything. The only thing that kept any interest going at all was what sort of treasure it would be and where it would be, with two keys conveniently turning up along the way to help provide the answer.
A double meaning of "Lawless" and a reference to the rag-tag 65-year-old, his raggedy daughter, and his old mother as being something like a "family" to Millhone is a mildly interesting intersection of the case and the personal, but that is about all there is to recommend this book other than its breezy readability. It is hard to believe how relatively complicated and consequential the "K" book is compared to this one.
"Lawless" is nothing more than a ride-along buddy tale. And because the whole story pretty much takes place on the road, there is nothing interesting to be learned about Millhone or her environs, just a travelogue about flights from Santa Theresa to Dallas and drives from Dallas, through Arkansas, to Louisville, in tow with some not-very-interesting marginal types. Contrary to simplistic, happy-talk reviews that seem unable to come to grips with the weaknesses as well as the strengths of Grafton's work, the book cannot be given a pass simply because of its supposed "humor" or any other strained, contrived excuse. The book is a very flimsy, disappointing effort that ranks with "G" and "H" as Grafton's worst.
Slow paced.......2006-07-29
I recently read "I", "K", and "L" in succession. Compared to "Innocent" and "Killer", I found Lawless to be slow paced (even though this edition finds Kinsey spontaneously traveling across the country) and the plot twists less surprising. With others I've read in the series, I am usually hooked relatively early in the story line. I was 1/3 of the way through this iteration before becoming mildly interested in the outcome. Even the subplots were not overly attention grabbing (Kinsey has little contact with immediate family, ergo she substitutes others in her life--Henry, Rosie, Pitt family, the criminal elements in this book--as her family...). I also found it hard to believe that some of the characters that appear in "L" could be so dim-witted on one page, and great possessors of vast knowledge with incredible powers of deduction on the next. Anyway, there are others in this series I would recommend more highly ("M" being one of them).
L is for Lawless.......2005-09-10
I have read or listened to everyone one of the alphabet series and always look forward to the next one. I travel a lot and these tapes have brought me a lot of entertainment on the road. Judy Kaye has an amazing voice.
L is for Lovin' It!.......2005-04-15
This is another good story in the line of alphabet mysteries by Sue Grafton. Her few "detours" from great writing in previous "letters" seem to have been a minor bump in the road and she now returns to a good plot and strong characters.
I have to admit that one of my favorite characters in this series is Henry Pitt, Kinsey Millhone's landlord and friend. I enjoyed the Henry who wrote crossword puzzles and tried them out on Kinsey before he sent them in for publication. I enjoyed the Henry who always had something baking in his kitchen. And many times I have wondered why some sexy senior citizen hasn't snagged this wonderful catch of a man!
This story gives us a little more insight into Henry than we've seen in the past. Henry convinces Kinsey to help a friend of his on a simple matter - she needs to show that Henry's friend served in the military during World War II so he can be buried as a veteran. Such a simple request and it should have a simple solution, but as we've seen with Kinsey in the past, nothing is an easy task, so the plot thickens...
The family of the deceased is too busy fighting among themselves to be much help to Kinsey. Then an old friend shows up and gets attacked at the dead guy's apartment. Once again we're on a race to see what's around the next corner for Kinsey and to find out why the government has no record of this veteran serving his country.
There's a little bit of mystery, but more suspense in this book. And more laughs than we've seen in the past with Grafton's other books. I'd recommend this easy read to anyone wanting a few hours of enjoyment as it's definitely one of Sue Grafton's better books in this series. I only hope she will continue with this quality and not hit any more bumps that throw her off to only mediocre writing!
Book Description
This important work constitutes a systematic, nationwide empirical account of the effects of gender on political ambition. Based on data from the Citizen Political Ambition Study, a national survey of 3,800 "potential candidates" conducted by the authors, it relates these findings: --Women, even at the highest levels of professional accomplishment, are significantly less likely than men to demonstrate ambition to run for elective office. --Women are less likely than men to be recruited to run for office. --Women are less likely than men to consider themselves "qualified" to run for office. --Women are less likely than men to express a willingness to run for a future office. According to the authors, this gender gap in political ambition persists across generations, despite contemporary society's changing attitudes towards female candidates. While other treatments of gender in the electoral process focus on candidates and office holders, It Takes a Candidate makes a unique contribution to political studies by focusing on the earlier stages of the candidate emergence process and on how gender affects the decision to seek elective office.
Customer Reviews:
Why Women Don't Run.......2007-05-12
This is an excellent book for researching women and politics. It is easy to read and understand and provides insight that has never been covered. I highly recommend this book to anyone researching women in politics.
Book Description
Hola, amigos! Come join in the puzzling fun with The Everything KIDS' First Spanish Puzzle and Activity Book! Filled to the brim with mazes, crosswords, hidden picture puzzles, and matching games, this fun and easy activity book makes learning Spanish straightforward and entertaining!
With The Everything KIDS' First Spanish Puzzle and Activity Book, you, the estudiante, will learn basic Spanish speaking skills through puzzles and activities, including words and phrases like:
Playtime - ¡Tiempo de jugar !
Food and drink - Comida y bebida
Puzzling People - Personas interesantes
My House - Mi casa
When I Grow Up - Cuando me hago mayor
Loaded with fun activities like this and more, The Everything KIDS' First Spanish Puzzle and Activity Book is your key to learning Español-hoy (today)!
Book Description
The help you need to continue helping those in need
This book is for mental health professionals who wonder how to survive in the constantly changing mental health services marketplace. It provides crucial advice on how to build and run a mental health practice while serving clients and coping with the seemingly endless series of adjustments, documentation requirements, and ethical dilemmas that confront the profession today.
Successful psychotherapist and practice consultant Linda L. Lawless takes you step by step through the process of evaluating your current position, choosing a professional path, and taking decisive action to achieve your business goals. She covers the nuts and bolts of the business side of private practiceâincluding renting office space, securing referrals, billing and record keeping, and office management.
This accessible guidebook also shows you how to:
- Market your services effectively and ethically
- Enhance your professional reputation
- Build a steady client referral base either inside or outside the managed care system
- Position yourself to serve client and community needs, while building the kind of practice you want
Supplemented with dozens of sample brochures, business plans, marketing plans, and self-assessment exercises, Therapy, Inc. is the book that beleaguered therapists and counselors have been waiting for.
Customer Reviews:
Disappointed.......2003-03-15
I was expecting much more from this book- and for its price. Pretty much standard fare. Unoriginal. I was hoping this book would help motivate me to get my practice off the ground, but rather I felt disillusioned upon reading it through. She tried, though!
I keep coming back.......2001-02-19
I bought this book two years ago and keep coming back to it as my private practice grows. There is always some kind of business or marketing issue that comes up that is new to me. I consistently find answers and resources in this book that help me move to the next level of developing my practice.
Customer Reviews:
shocking information.......1999-04-01
although 20 years old this book is extremely valuable, anyone should read about it to find how abusive US bureacracies have been
Book Description
Now more than ever, it's critical for mental health professionals to find new ways to succeed in today's competitive marketplace. Written by health niche marketing specialists Linda Lawless and Jean Wright, this book provides step-by-step guidelines to get referrals by building and leveraging relationships with other professionals, community leaders, and the media.
You'll find out how to develop three primary skills that are essential to weaving a sustainable practice:
- How to interact with and relate to the local community and region. From setting up community forums to creating discussion groups, you'll discover new ways to gain clients in your area.
- How to work with managed care organizations and professional associations. Find out how to help your practice grow by taking advantage of the services provided by other professionals and organizations.
- How to network with the World Wide Web community. Learn which sites to visit and how to best reach potential clients.
Each chapter is organized to assist mental health professionals in developing a strategic marketing plan for getting referrals from:
- Physicians
- Attorneys
- Religious Leaders
- Educators and the Educational Community
- Managed Care Organizations
- Mental Health and Complementary Healthcare Professions
- The Community
How to Get Referrals is an excellent guide for getting the referrals necessary for a successful practice. With its concrete, practical advice on building networks and securing client recommendations, this book is a must for any healthcare professional!
Customer Reviews:
unhelpful.......2002-12-31
It's not clear that the author actually has experience in the mental health field. Her suggestion to make friends with the office manager, offer to pitch in and help are very unrealistic for anyone trying to make a living.
Not very insightful.......2001-05-11
I think this book would be good for someone who has never been exposed to any marketing concepts but it is not very original and was mostly disappointing to me. There were defintely not any "a-ha" moments as I read through this book, just the standard encouragements that most marketing books would offer you. It is just a very basic book!
More than a marketing book.......2001-02-19
The best marketing for professional services is word of mouth. This easy to follow book helped me with a step by step process of connecting with the referral sources that work the best for my specialities. Using the guidelines in this book I was able to step out of my office, comfortably, and connect with the people and organizations that I could refer clients to for resources, and they in turn sent clients to me as they learned about what I did. This is a marketing book written with an ethical professional in mind.
Product Description
6 massmarket paperback Titles in Kinsey Millhone Mysteries: G - L ; G is for Gumshoe - H is for Homicide - I is for Innocent - J is for Judgment - K is for Killer - L is for Lawless
Books:
- Last Man Standing
- Lean Mean Thirteen (Stephanie Plum Novels)
- Little Red Book of Selling: 12.5 Principles of Sales Greatness
- Locked Rooms (Mary Russell Novels)
- Magic Tree House Boxed Set 1, Books 1-4: Dinosaurs Before Dark, The Knight at Dawn, Mummies in the Morning, and Pirates Past Noon
- Messenger of Truth: A Maisie Dobbs Novel (Maisie Dobbs Novels)
- Mind Hunter: Inside the FBI's Elite Serial Crime Unit
- My Grandfathers Blessings : Stories of Strength, Refuge, and Belonging
- Old Souls: Compelling Evidence from Children Who Remember Past Lives
- Our Iceberg Is Melting: Changing and Succeeding Under Any Conditions
Books Index
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