A review by topdragon
N Is For Noose by Sue Grafton

5.0

Starting into the second half of the alphabet now and I have to say, reading these books at the rate of one every three months or so is just right for my tastes. Coming to each one of them after a short break like that is like visiting old friends. It’s a comfortable fit.

This time around, Kinsey Milhone, former cop turned private detective, takes a side journey to the small California mountain town of Nota Lake where a well-loved and highly respected member of the sheriff’s department, Tom Newquist, has recently passed away from a heart attack. His wife wants Kinsey to investigate what had been bothering him during the final weeks of his life so she can put her mind at ease. It seems like an easy case…either there is something there or there’s not. But it doesn’t take Kinsey too long to find out that Tom had been investigating a murder with ties to her home town of Santa Teresa. Why he was hiding what he had discovered is where the mystery lies for Kinsey. Along the way, Kinsey finds herself in danger when she starts to get too close to uncovering the truth for herself.

Once again we have an excellent plot with superb pacing. The many characters of the small town are well realized and Kinsey’s investigative skills and shear doggedness drive the story. The ending was well done, and in a way that I had not yet seen before, resulting in my own quickening heartbeat as we came to the climax.

I’m tempted to start reading “O” right away but I will force myself to be content to let it hang on the horizon for a couple of months. It’s like eating chocolate chip cookie dough…best to spread out the yumminess.