• D is for Deadbeat

  • A Kinsey Millhone Mystery
  • By: Sue Grafton
  • Narrated by: Mary Peiffer
  • Length: 6 hrs and 39 mins
  • 4.4 out of 5 stars (1,014 ratings)

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D is for Deadbeat  By  cover art

D is for Deadbeat

By: Sue Grafton
Narrated by: Mary Peiffer
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Publisher's summary

He calls himself Alvin Limardo, and the job he has for Kinsey is cut-and-dried: locate a kid who's done him a favor and pass on a check for $25,000. Stiffed for the retainer, Kinsey finds out Limardo's real name is John Daggett...ex-con, ex-liar, ex-alcoholic, currently dead.

The cops call it an accident but Kinsey differs. Look at his life! A lot of people hated him, from much-abused wives, to drug dealers out big money, to the families of five people he killed driving drunk. In short, Daggett wasn't popular.

Don't miss the other titles in the Kinsey Millhone Alphabet Mystery Series.
©1987 Sue Grafton (P)1993 Books on Tape

Critic reviews

"A heads-up delight." (Detroit News)

Featured Article: Best Mystery Series—Listens That'll Take You Right to the Crime Scene


While a standalone mystery is great when you're in the mood for a one-and-done, sometimes you want to feed your craving with an entire mystery series—knowing there's a world and characters you can keep coming back to for the satisfaction of solving crimes. With audiobooks, you get the added bonus of sinking deeper into the setting, clues, and suspects as the story is performed for you, so you'll feel like you're alongside detectives, ready to bust a case.

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What listeners say about D is for Deadbeat

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Another Entertaining Millhone detective story

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

If you have liked any of the other Kinsey Millhone detective series, you will like this one too.

What did you like best about this story?

The plot follows a pretty standard detective novel format but the subplots of the secondary characters keep the story interesting.

Have you listened to any of Mary Peiffer’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Yes, similair and easy to listen to.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It isn't a sob story and it isn't a side-splitting laugher either. It is just a pleasant not too violent story.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Satisfying and entertaining!

Where does D is for Deadbeat rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This is exactly the kind of book that I hope to find in the audiobook format: complex, but not too complicated to follow while I wash dishes or fold clothes.

What was one of the most memorable moments of D is for Deadbeat?

The conclusion is amazing!

What about Mary Peiffer’s performance did you like?

I think that Mary Peiffer sounds like the voice I hear in my head for Kinsey when I'm reading the books.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The most moving parts for me are the parts of the story that are about Kinsey's personal life.

Any additional comments?

This is a very satisfying, sad and funny mystery. Sue Grafton comes through once again!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Still Great!

There are a few early descriptions that are not PC, but it's a book of it's decade. Great Mystery. 

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

GOOD BOOK

I enjoyed the reader of the book really put me in the scene and the book was really interesting.I love sue Grafton

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Love Kinsey Millhone

These stories are always great. They pull you in and don't let go until it's over. Look forward to the next one.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

I am enjoying these more and more

I am up to D now and I must say I really enjoy the main character and am definitely going to read more. This one was a bit more gritty than the others with I enjoyed, but I didn't care about the characters as much as in the other books. I am looking forward to reading the others.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Another great Kinsey mystery

What I like about the earlier Kinsey Millhone mysteries is how good Sue Grafton is at developing characters and intricate plots. The characters are all really believable and have depth, especially Kinsey. I really like the fact that she's a woman, and her somewhat spunky attitude. That's why I really enjoy this narrator, Mary Peiffer, who has the perfect voice for Kinsey's personalty. The books read by her are fun and full of energy (well, fun for the most part - after all, these are murder mysteries). The narrator for all the later books always sounds fearfully, worried, and bogged down in angst, and that is so wrong! They should have stuck to Mary Peiffer.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

good story if a little vulgar

narrator was excellent, ending was strong. a typical Milhone story with everyday conversation gradually revealing the culprit with short, action laced ending

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

narrator not great love series

I love this series but this narrator is not great. would be better with different one. I like Kinsey and the stories are good. this one ended in a way I never saw coming.

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Completely hooked!

I am completely enamored by this author's style, plot and main character. As one who rarely reads fiction, this series has taken me by surprise. Moving on to "E".

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3 people found this helpful