I was looking for some light reading and mysteries are usually a quick read as one becomes absorbed in solving them. I have never read Sue Grafton and picked this book up at a library sale. It was written in 2005, and those who are Sue Grafton fans will recognize that it is part of the alphabet series she has made her own genre. I believe all her books end up on the best seller list as Grafton has a legion of fans.
The story revolves around a flamboyant woman in a small California town named Violet Sullivan who disappeared in 1953 with her little dog and a stash of cash. Violet had a penchant for the color she was named after and a thirst for liquor and men. The story moves back and forth between 1953 and 1987 which is the year her daughter Daisy hires Kinsey Milhone (a reoccurring character of Grafton's) to finally solve the mystery that has bedeviled her for most of her life.
I found the book to be standard mystery fare following the pattern of a whodunit formula. There is the usual small town characters with several red herrings thrown in, mostly men who had relationships with Violet. There is the threat of danger to our brave detective. The characters are superficially drawn without much descriptive detail or depth in their relationships. They could easily inhabit a graphic novel.
If you are a Sue Grafton fan you will like this book for it moves along with enough twists to keep you interested. The ending wraps up neatly with no gasps of surprise.
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