Rating: 
Summary: Another Super Offering in the Grafton Series
Review: Sue Grafton's Kinsey Millhone is at it again. Brought into a case that is 18 years old, she tries to discover the identity of a young woman who was murdered, her body found in a quarry. But Kinsey's investigation stirs up something that no one anticipated. Two additional murders make the supposedly cold case hot again. Grafton's Kinsey Millhone is a well defined character that followers of this series rely upon for her intuition and intelligence. This is a super addition to the long line of "alphabet" murder mysteries. The only question is...what happens when Kinsey reaches the "Z"enith in her case file? Will we start over again? Or is it all over for Kinsey Millhone?
Rating:
Summary: Kinsey at Her Best
Review: I always look forward to a new Sue Grafton mystery around this time of year. Q is for Quarry does not disappoint. Grafton has constructed her story loosely around a true story of a woman who was murdered and left unidentified for the last 30 odd years. She thoroughly researched the unsolved murder which she eventually evolved into Q is for Quarry. While the foundation is real, Grafton turns the case over to Kinsey at her fictional best. In Quarry, Kinsey Milhone (the barely aging private eye who works out of Santa Teresa, California) is teamed with two rather sick and elderly cops who were at the scene of a murder many years earlier. As their own careers come to an end, they would like to "close the case" on the unidentified woman from the early years of their career, and, they ask Kinsey for help. The story is a delight. The two cops who ask for Kinsey's help are like The Odd Couple with poor health. One suffers from a heart attack during the investigation and the other is waiting to die (only to be told his cancer is in remission). They are serious detectives but classically funny characters. Kinsey, always at her best, deals the deck she is given to play and works with these guys like one of their old buddies. The story is unpredictable, yet ultimately logical. Unlike its real life counterpart, Kinsey closes the case. (Sadly, the real woman on whom the story was based, continues to be an unknown victim.) I enjoy Sue Grafton's novels because of the wonderful character she has realized in her loving creation of Kinsey Milhone. Kinsey has become a comfortable friend over the years. As a reader, I feel as if she is real (quick reality check disclaimer -- I know she is not!) I know her family story, her quirks, her favorite food and her eccentricities. While not the most contemporary cop with all the latest high tech toys and tricks, Kinsey is an enjoyable and tough sleuth. I am always in the rooting box giving her encouragement to take the next step. Grafton makes sure she does. Highly recommended. If you have never read any of Sue Grafton's novels, this is as good a place to start as any. Once hooked, you can go back and enjoy 17 earlier stories that revolve around Kinsey Milhone. Go for it! Daniel J. Maloney
Saint Paul, Minnesota
Rating: 
Summary: Could have been better
Review: Kinsey has been my favourite detective for so long that I started this one with a lot of expectation. But it failed to sway me too far this time. In fact I started another similar novel along with this one and ended up being glued to Catharine from HK Bains's Dangerous Intent a bit more tightly. i wonder why Bains chose to go POD when the book could have been a best seller with any lead publisher.
Rating:
Summary: A woman and two older men
Review: This novel is like a slow baseball game with two announcers, one giving the play-by-play and the other giving color commentary - in this case long descriptions of passing scenery, people, restaurant menus, etc. This is the 17th novel about private investigator Kinsey Millhone in the fictional city of Santa Teresa, California (set geographically in the location of the real life Santa Barbara). In this case, she teams up with Lieutenant Con Dolan, on medical disability from the Santa Teresa Police Department, and retired Dectective Stacey Oliphant of the Santa Teresa County Sheriff's Office. The time setting is early in 1987. Kinsey is helping out on an 18-year old unsolved murder case. Con and Stacey had been the men who discovered the body, and they are interested in closing out the case. A new look at the case reveals new evidence. The play-by-play is interesting, but the color commentary seems a bit excessive and makes the story drag. Along the way, Kinsey discovers additional information about her mother's family. A major part of the story is the rehabilitation of Con and Stacey. The novel has some motion picture potential, where the side commentary could be covered visually. As an added feature, look in the back of the book for the forensic reconstruction of an unidentified murder victim that the Santa Barbara Sheriff's Office would like help in identifying.
Rating:
Summary: The Grafton/Millhone we know and love are back !!
Review: After a "perilously" weak outing with "P", a book with which even her ardent fans were disenchanted (mostly for the many loose ends at the conclusion, atypical of our leading lady...}, Sue and Kinsey are back not only in fine form, but maybe in one of the best stories to date of this 17-book series. A fairly straightforward plot links private eye Kinsey with two older cops -- one retired (Stacey Oliphant) and one on medical leave (Con Dolan) -- who decide as a pastime, and partially to forget about their health woes, to see if they can solve an 18-year old cold murder case, one in which the young woman slain was never even identified. Their hunt for clues, dredging up the pasts of many potential suspects, was entertaining throughout. The interactions between Kinsey and the men were quite realistic, and we notice that Millhone, at the fictional age of 37, grows older herself most gracefully -- she's still an independent "cuss", but one with failings and pressures with which we can all identify. The closer the trio got to the ultimate truth, Grafton kept piling on the suspects in such a way that the suspense built to the very final page. And unlike the end of "P", which roiled her readers, this one has the usual closing epilogue in which Kinsey "respectfully submits" all the final facts and outcomes. As great icing on the cake, "Quarry" is based on a true life Santa Barbara County (Calif.) Jane Doe that similarly 33 years ago was a murder victim never even identified. Partially with the book as impetus, and with financial support from the author, the real body was exhumed and a renowned forensics sculptor brought in to recreate the victim's living likeness. Four black and white photos of the sculpture appear on the final page, the culmination of a very appealing and cogent Author's Note, indeed "respectfully submitted" by Ms. Grafton. Well done!! In sum, one of the most enjoyable of the Kinsey Millhone stories, sure to please her old and her newer readers alike. P.S.: if you liked the general gist of this story, the Christine Bennett stories by Lee Harris, many of which feature the solution of old unsolved crimes, might similarly appeal.
Rating:
Summary: Not among the better efforts
Review: After thoroughly enjoying "O is for Outlaw" and "P is for Peril," I expected that this would be another great entry in the series. Sadly, it isn't. The "mystery" doesn't mystify us at all -- about halfway into the story, the identity of and motivation for the killer are obvious to everyone but Kinsey. (In fact, I wondered why Grafton didn't spend more time justifying why Kinsey didn't see the obvious, since she's usually at least the reader's equal in figuring out the case. Here, she's several steps behind all the way through.) Although I agree that most cases that a private detective would work on would be this simple and require just legwork (in contrast to the stories in "O" and "P" that required some top-notch deduction skills), that doesn't mean I have to like it or want to read it. In the absence of a mystery, we have a character study. OK, I can live with that, because I'm fascinated with Kinsey's complex character, and this book opens with the prospect that we may get real development on that front. Her investigation causes Kinsey to interact with her family, and she learns things that Aunt Gin never told her ... but, halfway through the book, this storyline simply disappears. I found it very hard to believe that Kinsey isn't even thinking about this any longer, especially when she has so many discussions with others about their families and choices. In many ways, this is the least-believable part of the story. The other character study is of the two aging police officers who hired Kinsey for this job: recurring character Con Dolan, now on medical disability following two heart attacks, and retired country sheriff's detective (and cancer survivor) Stacey Oliphant. These two characters are the real focus of the book, and Sue Grafton has gone out of her way to provide us with their backstory. Perhaps she intends for them to be recurring characters, since developments in Henry's life (following a cruise) may lead to Kinsey needing a new place to stay. If not, she certainly has wasted a lot of energy on these two for this to be their only appearance. (By the way, I remember LOTS of controversy in this time period about both smoking and fast food, so I think the book is pretty accurate on that count.) Overall rating: mystery: 1 star, Kinsey's development: 2 stars, supporting characters: 4 stars. 7 divided by 3 is less than 2.5, but I still gave the book 3 stars. Nevertheless, this is one of the weaker books in this series. I hope they solve the Jane Doe murder that inspired this book, but I hope even more fervently that Sue Grafton doesn't use any more "real" stories for her inspiration.
Rating:
Summary: Q is for Questions Answered
Review: Can Sue Grafton continue to write absorbing mysteries with well developed characterization and intricate plot development?
The answer is a resounding yes. " Q is for Quarry" is a brilliant addition to a series which only improves in its interest and intensity. Kinsey Milhone neither wallows or whines
because of her solitary state but is committed to helping two old
friends unravel the murder of an unidentified woman eighteen years ago. Her resolve is unflappable and she begins to develop relationships within her own extended family which do not threaten her independent nature. Dolan and Stacey Oliphant are new characters, one a retired officer, the other a detective
who will ingratiate themselves with readers because of their affable bickering and bantering. Despite an abrupt climax, Kinsey is in top form and Sue Grafton continues to brightly shine
in the competitive arena of detective fiction.I can't wait for the rousing " R" in the series !
Rating:
Summary: Eat junk food and die of boredom
Review: Grafton has deliberately plotted the series in a time warp: It's always the '80s, Kinsey ages about 3 months between books, there are no computers, no email, no cell phones, and Kinsey lugs a Smith-Corona typewriter and index cards around. That's fine, but there's a concentration on junk food and health, not to mention smoking, that I don't associate with the '80s. Kinsey spends most of the book shuttling around the California desert with two old male detectives in very poor health and they go from one fast food binge to another. I couldn't get very interested in the mystery, and Kinsey seems more numb and dead-ended than usual as she, yet again, refuses to deal with her mystery family. It's getting hard to care. Having said that, this is not the worst book in the series and there are some good lines. For hard-core Grafton fans.
Rating:
Summary: Strong Milhone tale
Review: Almost twenty years ago a girl's body was found in the Grayson Quarry in Santa Thersa, California. The body was practically unrecognizable but the police were able to determine the young woman was in her teens and they had a good set of prints. Nobody ever identified the body or caught the killer and eventually the case was put in the cold case files. Two decades later, Police Lieutenant Con Dolan is on medical leave and retired police officer Stacey Oliphant is in remission from cancer. They want another crack at solving the case and hire Kinsey Millhone to help them with the legwork and to bring a new perspective. Following up every lead and piece of information that came in when the body was discovered, the trio follow the links which takes them closer to identifying the body and hopefully, flushing out the killer. Q IS FOR QUARRY is an excellent crime thriller due in part to the good relationship that Kinsey has with her two elderly clients. Readers see step by step how an investigation is conducted and become caught up in the process. Kinsey's ambivalent feelings towards her newly discovered family are a fascinating sub-plot that humanizes the character. Sue Grafton has written a fine addition to this long running series, one that her myriad of fans will want to buy. Harriet Klausner
Rating:
Summary: One of the best in the series
Review: She was found on Sunday August 3rd, 1969, Grayson Quarry off California's Highway 1. The woman was young, her wrists were bound, she had multiple stab wounds and her killer had slashed her throat. After months of investigation, the case remains as stone-cold as it was on the day her body was found. The police didn't even find out her name. It is 18 years later, and the two officers who found the body are now both ill and close to retirement. However, desiring one last crack at the case, if only just to give the poor woman a name, they turn to Kinsey Millhone for help. She is curious, and agrees to work with them. But what starts out as an investigation trying to find the identity of a dead woman, soon becomes a dangerous hunt for her killer. Some fans who may have been disappointed by her last effort, "P is for Peril", will feel much warmer feelings towards this novel, which is one of the best books in the entire "alphabet" series. It's complex, intriguing, written in sharp, efficient prose, with a great cast of characters. Kinsey is on fine form once again, and there are some real treats in store for constant-readers of Grafton, in the shape of more insights into Kinsey's family and background. She's a likeable, resourceful hero, and I am incredibly impressed that Grafton is still able to develop her main character with each new book, whilst lesser writers tend to burn out at around the five book mark. Grafton is adept at creating casts of likeable, essentially very normal, well-developed characters who keep her books moving and her plots flowing smoothly. The California she evokes is one of a mostly pleasant place full of people going about their usual business, but in all her books there is a subtle sense of darkness and evil lying beneath the genial façade, which often adds a good chill. Sue Grafton is one of the most reliable authors working today. She can always be counted upon to produce an enjoyable, compelling mystery, which is exactly what she has done here. "Q is for Quarry" is a high-class book with a rock-solid plot, and almost certainly one of her very best.
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