I Is for Innocent

A Kinsey Millhone Mystery

By: Sue Grafton

Narrated by: Mary Peiffer

Length: 9 hrs and 14 mins

Publisher's summary

When David Barney was acquitted in the shooting death of his wife, Isabelle, a good many thought that justice had not been served, including Kenneth Voight, Isabelle's former husband. Now, five years later, Voight is the plaintiff in a civil suit in which Barney stands accused of Isabelle's wrongful death. The stakes are high (Isabelle's estate is worth millions), but time is running short: the statute of limitations will cut Voight off in only a matter of weeks.

Enter sexy, savvy ex-cop-turned-P.I. Kinsey Millhone, brought in by Voight to gather the necessary damning evidence. It doesn't take long, however, for Kinsey to find that while a lot of people hate David Barney, a lot more hated Isabelle. Suddenly, a simple civil case becomes a deadly hunt for someone who once got away with murder, and may again.

Don't miss the other titles in the Kinsey Millhone Alphabet Mystery Series.

©1992 Sue Grafton (P)1993 Random House, Inc. Random House Audio, a division of Random House, Inc.

Critic reviews

"A sober, resolute Kinsey, romanceless at the moment, and a clever, meaty puzzle....Rack up another winner for Grafton." ( Kirkus Reviews)

A five star experience

The plot in this installment is amazing. Grafton kept me guessing and Kinsey remains perfectly composed to the bitter end. The characters are not just stock characters and for this genre they are well developed. Anyone who likes mysteries will be happy with this one.

Always entertaining

Switch between similar authors and Sue is always entertaining. I will miss Kinsey when all the Patterson books that she wrote are finished.

Great book! Best of the series. Unexpected twists

This was the best book of the series ! Absolutely, great suspense with smoothly flowing twists and turns that never let you reach the "Oh, I know who did it." too soon. Don't trust anybody and most of all remember Kinsey's warning to herself....the true detective's creedo to, "Never assume."

One of the best of a great series

Love this book. It's one of my favourite Kinsey Milhone stories, with a real sense of mystery to it as well as some tense action.

Pretty good

It Didn't keep me on the edge of my seat but it was pretty good. The narrator did a good job.

Narrator spoiled the fun

Plot twists and Kinsey's sleuthing prowess made this a really good book. However, a lot of the fun of reading Sue Grafton's books is her pacing, her dialogue, and Kinsey's smart aleck asides. These were all lost in the narrator's plodding pace, her three voices (what I assume is her real voice for narration, deeper for almost all women, including Kinsey, and deeper still for all men). Other than for Rosie, there were no accents to help differentiate between characters in dialogue. Kinsey's asides are always amusing when I read them for myself, but not in the deadened voice of this narrator.

Love Kinsey Millhone... Mary Peiffer not so much.

What made the experience of listening to I Is for Innocent the most enjoyable?

I love the convenience of streaming straight to my iPhone - So easy to play at work, at home, or exercising!

What did you like best about this story?

This is my second time "reading" this book. I love the character Sue Grafton has created - Kinsey's quick, sarcastic quips are my favorite part of each book.

What do you think the narrator could have done better?

Personally, Mary Peiffer is not my favorite Kinsey narrator. I prefer Judy Kaye.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

YES! Once I start a Kinsey Millhone book, it is so hard to put down... or stop listening to, in this case. They are addicting!

Sue Grafton at her best!

It's tragic to lose such a treasure, like Sue Grafton. I cherish the mysteries she left to us!

I Is for Innocent: A Kinsey Millhone Mystery

The Kinsey Millhone's stories are easy reads/listen. The storylines are good and have enough suspense, mystery and unexpected twists to hold the listener's interest and attention. The storylines are varied from one book to another and the story being told relates the alphabet letter in the title of the novel.

The Publisher's Summary is an excellent synopsis of this story. To say more would most likely spoil the story for interested listeners.

I've enjoyed a few of Kinsey Millhone's stories. I love her sense of humor and dogged, relentlessness as she unravels the details of the story and ultimately unmask the wrong doer. Kinsey Millhone's stories can be read in any order. But reading in order (or nearly) will give the reader a good sense of who she is and how she has evolved in the PI world. Overall, however, Sue Grafton's story telling is much like tuning into your favorite TV show, you already know the setting, the premise (finding a wrong doer), some of the relationships, and each new story is a new adventure.

Most of the stories that I've read were narrated by Judy Kaye. This is the first one I've listened to which is narrated by Mary Peiffer. Although I prefer listening to narrator Judy Kaye's voice -- even though her voice sounds a bit older than Kinsey's age -- Mary Peiffer's voice is similar enough to Judy's and even sounds a bit younger. So, for me, Mary is a close second to Judy.

Recommend Kinsey Millhone Mysteries....

A Clever Homicide Mystery, Very Well Read

"I Is for Innocent" is a clever, well crafted private detective novel, authored by Sue Grafton. It is the ninth in a series. Although it can be read as a standalone novel, there are references to prior stories. Mary Peiffer has thus far narrated all of these novels. She does an excellent job.

Sue Grafton novels are clever, professionally crafted, and clearly written. Thus an audiobook can be fairly easily comprehended. In this particular novel, there are numerous characters. At times I had trouble keeping track of each character and I was very glad that I had a Kindle which I used often to search out prior references to various characters and their previous statements. In that context if one only listened to this story, one may have trouble following every thread.

In summary, I am a big fan of Sue Grafton and continue to read her novels in order. This is a good novel that I would put in the middle of the pack of this series. There are numerous characters. I am glad I could do word search on my Kindle. Mary Peiffer is an excellent narrator. Thank You...