Review: V is for Vengeance

V is for Vengeance

by Sue Grafton

ISBN: 978-0-399-15786-8

Reviewed by Jacqueline Corcoran

Kinsey is hired by the boyfriend of a woman who supposedly jumped to her death after a shoplifting charge, which Kinsey instigated after witnessing the woman stealing clothes in a Nordstrom.

As a starter, I found the boyfriend’s motive for hiring Kinsey, to find out if it was true that his girlfriend had a secret life, a bit of a stretch. The guy seemed pretty entrenched in his denial and not the type to spend money on a private investigator. Also, Grafton could do well to return to writing shorter books. There were many passages detailing every move that Kinsey took. About a third of the book could have been edited down.

I’m further not keen on the alternative viewpoints in Grafton’s more recent books. We even start with another viewpoint other than hers. I particularly didn’t like the gangster character viewpoint, which seemed a bit stereotypical and inauthentic. However, the most sympathetic character (even more than Kinsey) was the gangster with a love interest.

Very late in the game, Grafton brings in a character that Kinsey has dealt with before, but his involvement, as a result of its timing, seems a bit contrived.

In the end, the resolution of the two deaths present in the book come together, leading to a satisfying conclusion. However, we could have gotten there much sooner.

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