Mini Reviews: Adventures with Barefoot Critters, Paris in Love & O is for Outlaw

Adventures with Barefoot Critters
by Teagan White
★★★★

This sweet children's book features woodland creatures, (a fox, deer, squirrel and inexplicably a Triceratops), having adventures. Each page is dedicated to a single letter of the alphabet and has a cute little sentence paired with rustic illustrations.

I love that the book starts at the beginning of the year and works it is way through summertime fun and ends with Z on New Year's Eve. It also doesn't keep things too simple in regards to the alphabet. Instead of each letter having a single word ("A" is for Apple, "B" is for Ball), if uses that letter in multiple words in a single sentence. For example the F page says, “We camped in the Forest, cooking Food over the Fire.”

BOTTOM LINE: A very cute children’s book that introduces kids to the alphabet.


Paris in Love 
by Eloisa James

★★

 

This memoir is based on the author’s time in Paris. She moves to the famous city from her home in New Jersey with her two children and Italian husband in tow. The family’s goal is to embrace a sweeter, slower life for a single year, savoring food and experiences.

 

The author, by her own admission, compiled her Facebook and Twitter posts about her time in Paris to create this “memoir.” The result is a completely disjointed book. There are funny bits and astute observations, but that doesn’t take away from the fact that the entire book is a series of non sequiturs with the loosest of threads holding it together. She’ll say something about her daughter’s difficult time adjusting to her new school and then the very next line is about a delicious meal she ate and then the next mentions their overweight chihuahua.

 

It was sweet to read about the wonderful meals she ate and museums she saw, but for me it wasn’t enough to justify a book. The format was too fragmented and I probably would have enjoyed it more if I’d read them on Facebook, in the original form they were intended.

 

BOTTOM LINE: There are too many great Parisian memoirs out there to make this one worthwhile. Read it only if you’re in the mood for a tiny taste of Paris and don’t care what form it comes in.

 

 

O is for Outlaw

by Sue Grafton

★★★☆

 

Kinsey’s first marriage has always been an unknown for readers. In this book we get to explore that relationship and in doing so we learn more about the tough P.I. we’ve come to know and love. O is for Outlaw has the same expected set up of the other novels, it just deals with Kinsey’s past instead of a stranger’s this time.

 

From bar fights to Vietnam Kinsey digs into her ex’s past and the confusing circumstances surrounding their break-up. She also makes a quick trip to Louisville, Ky. and spends a bit of time in the southern city.

 

BOTTOM LINE: A good addition to the series and a fun read.

 

**There’s one glaring thing I have to mention about the audio version of this book. All of the books in this series, from “A is for Alibi” to “N is for Noose” are read by Judy Kaye. She always did a fantastic job and I have a feeling her narration is a big part of why I’ve enjoyed these. This latest installment is read by Mary Peiffer. She doesn’t do a bad job; it’s just not the voice I’ve grown to connect with Kinsey Millhone. I have no idea why they switched narrators midway through the series, but it’s definitely a disappointment.

L is for Lawless and M is for Malice

L is for Lawless

by Sue Grafton

★★★☆

Kinsey is technically on vacation in this book, but of course she can’t help but get caught up in an investigation. Her landlord and friend Henry asks for a favor as his brother’s wedding to Rosie approaches. Kinsey helps him out by looking into the question of a friend’s military history. Instead of finding a simple answer Kinsey finds herself on a cross country trip to follow some missing money and uncover the answer to a 40-year-old bank robbery.

My favorite bits were meeting a few of Henry’s siblings, Kinsey’s turn as an undercover hotel maid and a sweet-as-pie Granny with a few hidden talents.  I also loved that the true focus of this one is family. Everyone from the criminals to Henry and Kinsey herself are dealing with the question of what makes you family. Is it blood or loyalty and do you get to choose your family?  

BOTTOM LINE: Like all the alphabet mysteries, this one was a quick read and an entertaining palette cleanser. I’ll keep working my way through the series whenever I need a break from my regular reading material.

M is for Malice

by Sue Grafton

★★★★

Kinsey’s cousin Tasha hires her to find a missing person. Guy Malek ran away from home as a young man and has been missing for almost 20 years. He was always the black sheep of his wealthy family, but when his father passes away and names him in the will his brothers need to locate him. When Kinsey finds him she realizes that he has become a kind and sincere man, nothing like the teenage hellion she heard tales about.

For me, this was one of the best Kinsey Millhone books I’ve read. They tend to follow the same pattern, as most detective novels do, but some cases are stronger than others. After a few mediocre ones this book felt like it got back to the heart of who Kinsey is. She can’t help but look out for people, even if it isn’t to her benefit. She finds herself drawn to Guy and trying to look out for his interests.

This installment also includes the return of Robert, the fellow P.I. and romantic flame that we met in G is for Gumshoe. His presence has an interesting effect on Kinsey. She prides herself on being self-sufficient and never really needing anyone, but having him around makes her question that.  

BOTTOM LINE: One of the best in the series so far, this case hits a lot of emotional buttons for Kinsey. It becomes very personal for her and she finds herself thinking about the losses she’s faced in her own life.

I is for Innocent

I is for Innocent
by Sue Grafton
★★★☆

Kinsey is back for another adventure in her life as a private investigator. She’s been kicked out of her former offices, California Fidelity, and she’s started and new partnership with a local lawyer, Lonnie Kingman. She’s helping him investigate his cases in exchange for rent-free office space. The only drawback is the struggle to keep her investigative methods above board. If called to testify in court she needs to be beyond reproach, so breaking and entering is no longer and option.

Morley Shine, a fellow P.I., dies and Kinsey takes over a 6-year-old cold case he had been working on. She’s trying to help Kingman find evidence against a man accused of killing his wealthy wife, but the details don’t quite add up. Soon she finds herself in the middle of a bigger mystery than she’d originally bargained for. A hit and run, shots fired through a peep-hole in a door, poisonous mushrooms and her landlord’s hypochondriac brother all complicate matters.

As with all the Kinsey Millhone books, if you like the series, you’ll like this. If you don’t, this one is no different. I love having these books as a break or buffer between some of the bigger, meatier classic or modern lit books that I enjoy. They are a great palette cleanser. If I read Henry James and then dive straight into Edith Wharton, the two tend to blur in my mind. Having a quick mystery with the no-nonsense Kinsey is a perfect buffer.

p.s. Aren't those cover awful? Somebody needs to get on that.