V is for Vengeance

V is for Vengeance (2011) by Sue Grafton. One can only guess that Grafton has made a fortune with her popular Kinsey Millhone detective series, which started with A is for Alibi and has continued through the alphabet. With V is for Vengeance, it is apparent that she is beginning to run out of ideas for fresh plots. Although she makes a valiant effort, the book just doesn't work for me. I like the parts where Kinsey Millhone takes center stage, speaking in her own voice. She is an engaging and likable character. But the parts where other characters in the story come to the fore are less effective, distracting as they do from the central thrust of the book. Don't get me wrong -- Grafton is a gifted writer, and it seems she will have no trouble completing the alphabet -- but this book just didn't quite do the trick for me. Good but not great, although it was like eating comfort food to read the parts where the Millhone character speaks and acts. Grade: B