For gumshoe Kinsey Millhone, the year is May 1986 and she has just turned 36 years old. Sue Grafton explains prior to the novel's start that for Kinsey, time moves slower, but at no fault of her own. Grafton says that A is for Alibi began in May 1982, B is for Burglar takes place in June 1982, and C is for Corpse is in August 1982 and so on bringing us to May 1986.In this novel, Kinsey Millhone receives a phone call from a stranger, claiming he has a box salvaged from storage with her mementos in it. Curious, she agrees to meet him and buys the box for a bargain $20. It turns out that the box was put away by her first ex-husband, Mickey Magruder, whom she suddenly walked out on after a very brief marriage and has not spoken to in fourteen years. The contents of the box give the impression that he just walked around and threw her things in, including a stack of mail from the day after she left. Within the stack is a letter addressed to her from a woman who says she is his alibi for the four unaccounted hours, which means Magruder could not have murdered Benny Quintero after all. Kinsey realizes that it is unlike Magruder to let a bill go unpaid, so she assumes that something must be wrong. She also feels that she owes him one, after all, it is partly because she would not lie for him that he was forced to leave the Police Department and a life style that he loved. And so Kinsey sets off on an adventure that takes her and us into the past.I'm being careful not to say too much about the story line, as I am ready to rattle off the whole book. On the other hand, nothing I say could completely ruin it since Kinsey Millhone's attitude and antics are half the fun. She's a wise-cracking, ex-cop with complete respect for the law, but slips when it comes to actual law-abiding actions. Grafton has crafted Kinsey's character in the style of a true hard-boiled detective laced with a good dose of humorous self-deprecation.Sue Grafton (or should I say Kinsey Millhone) has a large following and I believe there is much anticipation for this new one. I am lucky that I received an advance copy, but I'm at a disadvantage because I really can't compare it. I read E is for Evidence a few years ago, enjoyed it, and since I begin this site, I have been meaning to pick up another. Reading O is for Outlaw has been like meeting up with an old acquaintance - one that feels so comfortable in the present, that I have no idea why we weren't friends in the past, but now that we've met up, I don't want to lose touch again. I'm just lucky that she isn't at the end of the alphabet now that I'm back into this series. (1999
RATING: 3.75One of the craftiest things that Sue Grafton has done in the writing of the Kinsey Millhone series is to be miserly about revealing information about Kinsey's past throughout the books. In that way, she keeps a part of Kinsey unknown to her readers. In O is for Outlaw, Grafton focuses on a part of Kinsey's past that many are very curious about, her first marriage to a cop named Mickey Magruder.Kinsey is approached by a man who buys old auction items or abandoned storage bins and then tries to profit by reselling them. He has found a box full of memorabilia from Kinsey's early years—report cards, letters and the like. Kinsey buys the box from him, and in doing so, opens the door to a past that she has long since closed behind her. When she was 21, she married a cop by the name of Mickey Magruder. It was an unsuitable marriage in many ways, but Kinsey only gave up on it after Mickey asked her to lie for him to cover up his part in a murder. In the box, she finds an old letter that provides Mickey with an alibi; and now she's not so sure that her hasty action of many years ago was valid. There's no way around it, Kinsey needs to find out if Mickey got a bum deal or not. There's more urgency to her search when Mickey is found shot and ends up in a coma in a local hospital with the prognosis poor for his future. Another level is added to the severity of the situation when the cops find that the gun used to shoot him was registered to Kinsey. Actually, it was Mickey's wedding present to her.In her own dogged way, Kinsey investigates the entire incident, all the people associated with it then and now. As she does so, she has to come to some hard truths about herself and Mickey and the conclusions she reaches are fitting. As always, Grafton does a great job of building an interesting plot. However, I did feel that the pacing was off and that the narrative could have moved ahead more quickly. It felt as if the book were too long, that there was not enough substance to justify over 300 pages. Parts of the book really dragged and suffered from being overly repetitious.I found it interesting to learn more about Kinsey's past. This is a series that has its ups and downs, but I've never found any of the books to be badly written. "O" is somewhat above average without reaching the level of the better books. The revelations about Kinsey's past make her character more vulnerable and interesting. In spite of all the issues Kinsey faces, she never loses her sense of humor. Avid readers of this series will not be disappointed.
What do You think about O Is For Outlaw (2001)?
This far into the series, the best thing about a Kinsey Milhone book is what it adds to a reader's understanding of (and liking for) the main character. Author Sue Grafton knows this, and she seems to be pacing herself through the remainder of the alphabet with developments in Kinsey's love life, revelations about her past, and coming to terms with abandonment issues in the face of new relationships with family members she's only known about for a short time.In N is for Noose, Grafton sweeps Kinsey away from her familiar stomping grounds and the focus is on story and perhaps a bit of personal growth; there's not much for those of us eager to learn more about Kinsey's past. She makes up for it (and then some) in O is for Outlaw. Not only do we finally learn something about Kinsey's seldom-discussed first husband, but Micky MacGruder is the central figure in what is so far one of the best-executed novels in the series. A creative, intriguing set-up leads to a fascinating story, which leads to Kinsey's learning more about her past than one might have hoped for in a single installment.It starts with a phone call from a guy who has come into possession of a box containing some of Kinsey's old belongings. It leads to a chance at redemption for the man she married at such a young age and divorced after such a short time. Grafton creates a really, really good plot here, putting Kinsey in a place where she willingly dredges up her past and makes herself emotionally vulnerable, something that the tough, independent Kinsey might normally shun.Readers who for some reason have stalled-out at some point in the alphabet before O are encouraged to power through those doldrums (my own were with J, K, and L) and get to O, because it is a standout in this excellent series, an entertaining and rewarding combination of intriguing storytelling and fascinating character development. This is my new favorite Kinsey.
—mitchell k dwyer
This story gave quite an amount of in depth insight into Kinsey. And while I was hoping for a different ending, it was a great tale. This was not about a paying case, but a compulsion that Kinsey won't let drop. A stranger contacts her saying he found some of her belongings in an abandoned storage locker and wants to sell them back to her. The locker belonged to her first ex-husband Mickey and one of the items she finds is a letter to her delivered to her the day after she left him following his
—Em
I know, I know. It's just a detective book and you read it and move on. You don't review them.But I really want to say a few words here. Grafton is such a terrific writer, her formula is a complete winner. She gets away with being, if you ask me, thin on plot.Kinsey is cynical in the most attractive of ways and about everybody: men, women, rich, poor. She couldn't give a damn about clothes, looks, what people think of her. Her observations about life make you nod and smile all the way through.Robert Walser drove me to this one, but I totally forgive him.
—notgettingenough
