T Is for Trespass (Kinsey Millhone Series #20)

A terrific investigative tale

In 1987 in Santa Teresa, California abrasive octogenarian Gus Vronsky suffers a shoulder separation from a fall that he cannot get up from. His next door neighbor private investigator Kinsey Millhone and her eighty-seven years old landlord Henry hear a wail. They investigate, find Gus debilitated, call 911 and care for him until his great-niece hires nursing home aide, Solana Rojas.--------- However, Millhone becomes concerned that the care-giver is mistreating her patient. She plans to intervene if she can find proof. Unbeknownst to Millhone (ironically the reader knows on page one) is that a diabolical thug has stolen the real Rojas¿ identity and knows who she must remain vigilant against with if she is to continue with her masquerade.--------- Although the ending violently rights things, this Millhone tale is T for terrific. The story line is action-packed as Millhone wants to do the right thing for her neighbor, but finds her interference not welcomed. The fake Rojas proves a clever adversary at they play a deadly game of chess in which Gus could prove the victim. Fans of the long running series will enjoy this entry as the normally confident heroine struggles with how much involvement is acceptable.------

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

tends to get too boringly descriptive

I have read most of her other books in this alphabet series but this was the most boring yet. You knew where the plot was going with the care giver of the elderly neighbor, so no surprise ending. Too much narrative by the lead character, Kinsey Milhone.
I would not recommend this book to mystery enthusiasts.

2 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

T is for Terrific!!!

Kinsey Millhone, Sue Grafton
" I know there will always be someone poised to take advantage of the vulnerable: the very young, the very old, and the innocent of any age. I know this from long experience. Solana Rojas was one..." And so begins the prologue of "T is for Trespass" one of the most interesting yet dark and touching stories Grafton has written.

T is for Trespass is a sad, touching, and very dark tale of injustice taken from real life through the eyes of our own heroin P.I. Kinsey Millhone.
Meet Solana Rojas, the villain sociopath of the story. Grafton does a wonderful job as usual creating characters that become as real as our neighbors next door. She develops Solana's character from her early childhood up to her adulthood. What' more important, by the end of the book, Grafton makes Solana's name a symbol of evil's keen desire to take advantage on the innocent.
Solana's social and malign background set the tone of the book very early in the story, and enable readers a glimpse of the atrocities and the mayhem Solana is about to commit.
Grafton Plot and writing style is at her best, As usual we find P.I. K Millhone dealing with a couple of cases at the same time, in this case what can be characterized as insurance fraud and the anatomy of the perpetrator. Grafton always manages to overlap all cases together and make the story not only interesting but very real.

Taken from today's news, but having taken place in the late eighties Grafton touches in many social subjects such as: Identity theft, Elder abuse, sex offenders, family values, and the failure of the entities that are supposed to oversee them.

T is for Terrific, because in the 20the installment of the Millhone's series, Grafton takes P.I. Kinsey Millhone through a journey of fighting evil to protect the innocent. Grafton's pace is magnificent, a page turner.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Love Sue Grafton

I always feel like I'm visiting a friend when I read Sue Grafton's work and I almost hate to come to the end of the book, because that means my visit is over. So it was with Trespass. I thoroughly enjoyed this book as I have all the others in the series. Each one of Ms. Grafton's Kinsey Millhone mysteries is a good read.

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Best ever for Grafton!

Kinsey Millhone, the prickly star of Sue Grafton's California based alphabet series, is no slouch detective. So, when Millhone does a cursory background check on a home health aide and unwittingly places an elderly neighbor in harm's way, she feels obligated to undo the damage. The problem is that no one, especially not the neighbor's reluctant relative who hired her, wants to be bothered with the inconvenient truth.

The villain in "T is for Trespass," an evil psychopath, is one of the best that Grafton has written. I found myself gripping the pages and worrying that Millhone might not survive this one.

As is true in all the Grafton books, more than one case is being investigated, so that Millhone can pay her bills. The search for a missing witness to a car accident overlaps the search for the primary villain. Grafton has set the scenes in the two stories in such a way as to make the overlap seamless and absolutely believable.

Each book in the series is set at sequential intervals in the 80s - before cell phones. This way, Kinsey Millhone gets shot at, arrested, threatened and harassed, all without backup coming anytime soon. What a life just to avoid a 9 to 5 schedule. What a ride!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Possibly the best of the series

I am a fan of the series, and feel that this latest book may indeed be the best of all. The very real possibility of exploitation of the elderly is treated honestly, openly, and compassionately, while maintaining the integrity of the characters that populate the series as a whole. This has been skillfully melded with the very contemporary issue of identity theft, making the reader feel just a little vulnerable and determined to be rather more careful in trusting strangers, a wise practice in these times.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Very Disappointing

Having been a Sue Grafton fan for years, and having already read 'A' through 'S' I awaited the release of this book with great anticipation. However, this book was slow and arduous to read. Grafton's newest criminal , Sonya Rojas, is interesting, but not enough so to make this a 'page turner'. This is my least favorite of all of her books.

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

A reviewer

I've read all of the alphabet books, and this is one of the best. It does take some 'dark' turns, but that's to be expected considering the subject matter. I was both sad, and a little relieved, when the story ended. After reading it, I think you'll understand what I mean.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Highly Recommended

As with all the books in this series, I could not put this down. Sue Grafton knows how to keep you on the edge of your seat. My hope is that she writes many, many more books.

Great!

Received order very quickly.

Love kinsey milhone

No text was provided for this review.

different from the rest

I've read all of Sue's series and this one was more disturbing. I did't like it as much, and it had a different tone. I have a feeling we'll see the villian again. The culprit got away which may be why I feel the way I do. You really want to see her pay. She is truly evil.

Same Kinsey Millhone, Different Sue Granfton

I've read every book in the Kinsey Millhone series by Sue Grafton in order and in paperback. Each time I complete letter, I am immediately eager for the next but know it will be months before it is published. Finally, I bought the hardcover T and found myself having a difficult time jumping right into the story. I finally read it a year later on my Nook. Kinsey is the same tenacious character but the connection to 'S' was more obscure than in the past when each story reflected back on the previous case a bit more. It even seemed that Kinsey had moved farther down her timeline since S is for Silence that was normal between the books. I feel like I know Kinsey so well I can predict her next actions (not always) and if I ended up in Santa Teressa one day, I would recognize her and where she lived. What is different is what Sue Grafton decided to give Kinsey to solve in 'T'. Sue has a message she wants to deliver, a warning she want to give, a scream against wicked evil people she wants to let loose. The Prologue begins with what the Epilogue ends with. Same words. The book is different in pace and guest characters. That does not make it a book that is less interesting. It actually is a breath of fresh air as we see Kinsey more in her normal routine. All ready many of these reviews have spoiled the books story but I will still try to abstain when I say that somewhere near each of us is a Solana and a Melvin and the Fredricksons who are preying on the innocent and weak. This story has a very satisfying ending as well as tight moments of suspense. Kinsey plays catch-up a lot in this story and that, for me maker her human...so to speak.

What went wrong?

I have followed Sue Grafton's Kinsey from A through S, but T has me stumped. I'm still attempting to slog through this one. I've loved or really liked all of the previous books. Despite what some have said, Sue Grafton has taken Kinsey to the dark side many times in previous books. Q is for Quarry is very disturbing, yet ultimately satisfying. There is just something missing from the current book that results in the main story line being both depressing and dreary without any redeeming aspects. Perhaps one of the problems is the lack of the types of colorful characters such as those found in Q is for Quarry - the retired police officers helped the book retain an element of fun despite the darkness of the story line. However, I am enjoying the parts of the current book that involve the auto accident case Kinsey is working on at the same time she is trying to figure out what is going on next door (the main story is not a case, just Kinsey looking into a situation on her own). I look forward to reading the subsequent books in the series, as I imagine they will be more like the previous ones. For anyone judging the author solely on this book, I would tell them to start with A and keep reading through S. I highly recommend all of Sue Grafton's previous books.

sharing book

My hubby and I shared this book. We both like Sue Grafton. We keep on following her alphabet books. Always good.

Easy reading, exciting, interesting, good character development. Great for mystery lovers.

I have enjoyed the character development throughout Sue Grafton's series and find the situations and predicaments intriguing and compelling. Some are more intense than others but all have been worth the time and a great diversion.

Interesting and exciting!

This author is a good read for most adults. Her stories are relatively simple, but interesting. Material can be tense at times, but mainly it is an escape into fantasy.

What's going to happen when...

Sue Grafton runs out of the alphabet?! Haven't read all of them, but, yes, I enjoy her books. Perfect for escaping real life!

T is for Tresspassing

I'm sorry that I read annoynomus' review as it almost kept me from reading the book. I thought the book was excellant and typical of Sue Grafton's writing. The more books she writes; the more depth they get.

Not my favorite....

Loved all the Grafton books till this one. Was good enough to keep me reading till the end but not enough to recommend. Just a little to much on the dark side -- and no surprises that we couldn't figure out. Believing she tried this kind of thing and will now get back to what is normal for her!