V is for Vengence: 3 Stars

 V is for Vengeance by Sue Grafton

Much like with Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald, I chose this book for the title to fit into my goal of reading a book that starts with every letter of the alphabet. Sue Grafton was kind enough to have an alphabet series, so I anticipate probably reading the Q book as well. I have never read a Sue Grafton novel, much less on from the alphabet series, so starting with the letter V, which is nearly the end, was quite strange.

Despite the oddity of starting at the back end of a series, the novel was quite good for a light read.  Following the adventure of Kinsey Millhone, a private detective, Grafton spins a tale of mystery. Not knowing any of the back story or characters, I did not feel like I was missing out on anything crucial. I was able to follow the story easily and gain a sense of character for many of the people introduced in the book.

The book started out by telling about five different storylines that seems unrelated. You read on wondering how each of these stories are going to intersect, some of them never reveled until nearly the end. The stories were easy to keep track of and the characters were also easy to remember.

The unique element to this story was that she gave a different sense of right and wrong. There were cops and "gangsters".  Typically you would hate the gangsters and like the cops. However, Grafton gave a sense of liking some of each and hating some of each. This element left you wondering how this story could possibly end well. I personally am a big fan of not knowing how books will end.

At the end of the day, this was just another mystery. I did really enjoy the book, and plan on reading more in the series. Would I recommend this book?  Perhaps, but it would not be one of the first books that would cross my mind. I would most likely say something like "You should read one of Sue Grafton's books. She's a good writer".