Kinsey Millhone, our heroine, is most often dashing about following leads and clues. In "H" is for Homicide she's returning to her office only to find someone has been shot in front of it. Parnell Perkins has been a claims adjuster and with California Fidelity (CF). Meanwhile, CF wants Kinsey to investigate a file from Perkins on Bibianna Diaz, who complains of whiplash, headaches, dizziness because of an auto accident. Diaz complains her car repairs total $1500 and lost wages are $1200. The address Diaz has given is a vacant lot and the work address is a dry cleaner's office where Kinsey expects the owner to give her all sorts of personal information about Diaz, which, in light of today's tight restrictions, is amusing. She has the same high hopes at the sheriff's office at the records and warrants department. Kinsey buys flowers and takes them to the dry cleaning business where fellow employees tell her where Diaz lives. After a stake-out Kinsey follows Diaz to a dive bar called the Meat Locker, where the C- singles came to hunt." (p. 59) She finds Jimmy Tate, a friend from fifth grade, an ex-cop, who is dancing with Bibianna. Eventually Tate, Bibianna and Kinsey go next door to a diner and a couple try to kidnap Bibianna. The male is killed and Bibianna identifies him as Chago, brother of Raymond Maldonado, who has Tourette's syndrome and expects to marry Bibianna. Raymond is head of an auto insurance scam. Many adventures ensue and readers learn lots about insurance fraud.
EDITORIAL REVIEW: * #1 *New York Times* bestselling author Sue Grafton’s PI Kinsey Millhone tackles insurance fraud in her latest outing—and finds that she’ll have to commit some deceit of her own to catch a cold-blooded killer…* **H IS FOR HUSTLER…** When PI Kinsey Millhone’s good friend and colleague Parnell Perkins is found murdered in the parking lot behind California Fidelity Insurance, she can’t believe he had any enemies. The only clue that raises a red flag for Kinsey is one of Parnell’s files on a Bibianna Diaz, who appears to have made a lucrative career out of scamming insurance companies with phony claims… **H IS FOR HAZARDOUS…** Taking an alias, Kinsey goes undercover to befriend Bibianna, hoping she’ll get close enough to catch the con artist at her own game. But Kinsey never dreams that hanging out with Bibianna will get them both thrown in jail. And when they’re released, Bibianna’s very jealous, very dangerous ex-fiancé Raymond Maldonado is waiting for them. ***H IS FOR HOMICIDE*** Kinsey soon discovers the short-tempered thug is the kingpin behind Bibianna’s and countless other phony insurance claims. But was Raymond also responsible for Parnell’s death? All Kinsey knows is that she’ll have to think quick to nab one of the most treacherous criminals she’s come face to face with—and keep herself alive…
What do You think about H Is For Homicide (1997)?
Kinsey Millhone goes undercover! This book was one of the better Millhone mysteries as Kinsey is pretty much in danger the whole entire time. She goes undercover to try and bust up a insurance fraud ring with some dangerous characters. She ends up living in an apartment with these guys for a few days and it is exciting! Grafton did a good job with the descriptions in this book. I felt the griminess of the apartment when it's described and I felt the danger that Kinsey was in while she was there. It was very exciting having Kinsey in the middle of the danger the entire book instead of the clues leading her to the danger at the end. There was not a whole lot of mystery to this book, mostly just Kinsey trying to get out of a bad situation and get information to Lt. Dolan. Overall 4 out of 5 stars and one of the books in the series.
—LadyCroft86
Still liking this series. This one is a bit different as Kinsey is out of her usual kind of work, and is mostly undercover in a flat in Los Angeles with a Latino insurance fraud gang. This kind of car insurance fraud has only fairly recently had a lot of publicity in the UK, so it's interesting to see it up and running back in the early 80s! (The year is 1983, and how different the story would be if Kinsey had a mobile phone instead of having to look for payphones or hunt for the hidden phone in the flat).The whole A-Z project impresses me with its planning and endurance - I'm glad I waited so long to start reading it, as I now don't have to wait a year for the next one. I also like the idea that the action in each one happens quite soon after the previous one, so there are none of the issues which arise in some other long-running series (with people mysteriously staying the same age for decades).
—Helen
Kinsey Milhoun, private investigator, reluctantly agrees to go undercover to help the police catch a group of criminals who stage car accidents to defraud insurance companies. She ends up more involved and more alone on this job than she expected. I generally do not get too picky with plot problems, but some of this book seemed a little looser than most in this alphabet murder series. For example, while Kinsey is supposed to a down on her luck hapless budding criminal, she is able to recall her insurance company's phone number and the name of the manager off the top of her head when the main criminal guy asks her to fake an accident. Why didn't he get suspicious that she would just know that information?
—Peggy
