N Is for Noose (Kinsey Millhone Mysteries) Reviews

• The Whole Town Is Against Me

  
  By A1K1JW1C5CUSUZ on 2000-05-03
  One of my favorite detective story lines is the one where the whole community turns against the protagonist. Despite this, the detective solves the crime. N Is for Noose follows that plot, and is well done. In fact, the book borders on the genre of the Western in many ways. Read it that way, and you'll like it better.

  The book has one uncharacteristic quality for this series, Kinsey is quite slow to solve the mystery. I found that intriguing. Most problem-solving is slow and ineffective. To me, it made the story more realistic and interesting to follow. Others will call it slow plot development.

  The resolution in the end is extremely unusual. It combines elements that are found in many other stories, but never in combination. It literally took my breath away. I could not read it fast enough, even though it is over quickly. Such a powerful coda after so many lento sections is an astonishing surprise, and one that worked well for me.

  Although this is certainly not the best book in the series, it is a very fine one. I urge you to read it, and appreciate its strengths.
  
  

• Grafton Running Out of Steam??

  
  By A2E9Q3T876TQ6C on 2005-04-30
  In N IS FOR NOOSE, Kinsey Millhone takes on one of Robert Dietz' cases after he has knee surgery. (Remember her bodyguard turned lover from G IS FOR GUMSHOE?? Well, heeee's baaaack... or at least we get a glimpse of him anyway). Ok, back to the book ... Kinsey drives Dietz' Porsche back to Carson City for him and is a little shocked at his lifestyle - he actually lives in a penthouse! This part of the story falls short - I wasn't sure if this romance would continue sometime in the future, or if the spark had been doused. I guess Grafton wants to keep all the possibilities open and kept any details locked away from her readers!
  
  From Carson City, Kinsey goes to Nota Lake and her new case, that of a Selma Newquist. Selma's husband (a police detective) dies suddenly from a heart attack, but Selma suspects something else had killed her husband and Kinsey is the one to help solve the puzzle. Selma is a fresh character -- she's not too bright, applies her make up with a trowel, and just has one of those unique personalities that intrigue you and drive you nuts at the same time!
  
  I found this book to be very predictable (to the point of being almost boring) and found the most enjoyable parts to be those in which Selma was involved. The overall mystery was not there, and the normal spellbinding material that was typical for Grafton is missing.
  
  As Sue Grafton continues on her alphabetic journey, I sense she's running out of enthusiasm. Maybe she should jump out of this alphabet nightmare and write something different before she continues.
  
  Do I recommend this book? Yeah, but with reservations - it's not the worst book on the market, but it's definitely not the best either!
  
  
  

• One Woman Takes on the Whole Town!

  
  By A1K1JW1C5CUSUZ on 2001-02-19
  If you are like me, you will see N Is for Noose as the ultimate development of the theme, "I am woman . . . hear me roar."

  One of my favorite detective story lines is the one where the whole community turns against the protagonist. Despite this, the detective solves the crime. N Is for Noose follows that plot, and is well done. In fact, the book borders on the genre of the Western in many ways. Read it that way, and you'll like it better.

  The book has one uncharacteristic quality for this series, Kinsey is quite slow to solve the mystery. I found that intriguing. Most problem-solving in reality is slow and ineffective. To me, it made the story more realistic and interesting to follow. Others will call it slow plot development.

  The resolution in the final 40 pages or so is extremely unusual. It combines elements that are found in many other stories, but never in combination. It literally took my breath away. I could not read it fast enough, even though it is over quickly. Such a powerful coda after so many lento sections is an astonishing surprise, and one that worked well for me. Think of this book as having three long, slow movements followed by one allegro one done fortissimo!

  Although this is certainly not the best book in the series, it is a very fine one. I urge you to read it, and appreciate its strengths.

  Also, think about whether you really want your novels (and especially mysteries) to be too predictable. What kind of unpredictability is good? What kind isn't?

  Stand up for what you believe in, too!
  
  

• She�s Still Poking her Nose in Trouble

  
  By A33HIQR1X1G4GI on 2003-10-10
  Kinsey takes a seemingly routine assignment to help a widow find out why her police officer husband was brooding before he died.
  
  And when she starts poking her nose where others think it doesn't belong, she meets unexpected resistance and then the routine investigation turns into a double-murder probe with Kinsey on the list to be number three.

  Kinsey's character just keeps getting better. I loved this book.
  
  

• Kinsey Just Keeps Stepping into the Thick of Things

  
  By A32WYIUWD2HJHU on 2004-03-01
  Private eye Kinsey Milhone is a thirty-something, twice divorced, tomboy of a woman, who has been having an on-and-off romance with a fellow detective named Dietz for a while now. She lives and works in fictional, Santa Teresa, California and, though trained as a police officer, she seems to have a knack for making cops of all strips see red.

  At the beginning of the story Kinsey is with Dietz, who is recovering from knee surgery. He sends her on to a case involving a former client. It seems a police officer in a northern California town has died of a heart attack. His social climber wife says he was troubled about something before he kicked the bucket, something he wouldn't talk about, and she hires Kinsey to find out.

  Of course some bodies start to pile up and Kinsey is in the thick of things and even though I figured out who the killer was well before our intrepid heroine did, it didn't spoil the story for me one bit. I'm a big Sue Grafton fan and as far as I'm concerned, this one is another winner. The book zipped along, the characters, as usual, were great, the plot solid, an outstanding, well written, witty book.
  
  

• This Is Why Sue Grafton Is The Top Selling Female PI Writer!
  By A1D600X7EDGIVD on 2001-10-21
  I have read many of the reviews of Sue Grafton's books that you people have put here. I know many of you share a hate-like relationship of her books, but whoever reviews Patricia Cornwell better bear in mind that in my opinion Sue Grafton and Sara Paretsky beat her out any day. The main plot of "N" is For Noose centers in Nota Lake, Kinsey has been hired by Selma Newquist to find out how her husband Tom Newquist died. Sue Grafton always writes her novels with lots of description and I mean lots, hilarious dialogue, action, and smart-mouthed Kinsey Millhone who keeps getting better by the book, In Stephen King's On Writing he says that Grafton, although she writes real fast, seems to produce great books, He's right. Her best novel is probably O is for Outlaw, Her weakest would be L is for Lawless, since there wasn't a real mystery in this. If you are a fan of Grafton (Like I Am) I suggest you get this one, if you have read all of Grafton's books and need something to read that's like her style I recommend Sara Paretsky, Janet Evanovich and Marcia Muller. If you want Alternatives to other mystery writers, read Kathy Reichs, she's like Patricia Cornwell except much, much better. If you like British Mystery like P.D. James read Elizabeth George. As for N is for Noose it is excellent, exciting and fun. Grade: A-
  
  
• Cold Case file
  By A34UTL4AVX80MK on 2003-08-19
  A woman wanted to know why her recently dead husband was under stress. She was willing to hire Kinsey Milhone to find the reason. Her husband Tom Newquist had not been sleeping well. The job was in the vicinity of Carson City. It was the sort of place where people might wear a combination of snow and western clothing. The widow of the dead man, Selma, was very helpful. Tom Newquist did not smile. In his picture he had the look of a police officer. Before his death by heart attack he was not necessrily a healthy man. He drank, he smoked, he was overweight, and he was strait-laced. He saw the world in rigid terms. He was a good investigator by all reports. His sister believed he tried too hard to please his wife who was a snob. Kinsey was assaulted and felt herself going into shock. She received help getting to the hospital. I did not realize that investigators liked to dig into old unsolved cases, but apparently they do. Tom Newquist was probably involved in such a venture when he died. Uncharacteristically he ate away from home just prior to his death. An unidentified woman was seen within a quarter mile of his pick up truck parked by the side of the road. The break in the case came from someone in Nota Lake who believed the dead man had an interest in a female investigator from another sheriff's department.
  
  
• A bit slow
  By A28WTZ2LOD2I00 on 2000-07-21
  N is for Noose by Sue Grafton Henry Holt and Company 1998

  I have read nearly all Sue Grafton's books in this series and find that this is a little slower than the others and not nearly as exciting. The widow of a small town policeman asks Kinsey Millhone to find the reason for her husbands fretfulness and ill-ease just before he dies of a heart attack. While this appears at first to be a fruitless exercise, Kinsey obviously disturbs someone during her rooting around into his life and begins to wonder who is upset enough to harm her. Two related murders separated by 5 years throw suspicion on the staff of the local police department and others in the small town in the Sierra mountains. Kinsey's search puts her in harms way and only through skilful questioning and deduction does she arrive at the answers she seeks and escapes a final deadly encounter with the guilty party.

  The story moves fairly quickly but there is a lack of tension and excitement until the final chapter where Kinsey once again survives to rule the day.

  On the whole this book is not up to the standards I have come to expect from Sue Grafton but I still look forward to her next mystery "O is for Outlaw".
  
  

• Great fare but not the best
  By A3EUCPZ1LFBKO6 on 2000-05-19
  I'd really give this 4 1/2 stars because it was still suspenseful despite some moments of slowness. I didn't really enjoy the catalyst for Kinsey's case, Selma - Grafton probably intended that since many of the townfolk felt the same. I prefer Kinsey when she works from Santa Teresa, but the townfolk of Nota Lake were at least interesting. And I had to chuckle when Kinsey fired up that iron - it may not have worked, but there's ingenuity at its best! Enjoyable, especially if you're going through the series like I am.
  
  
• Not Grafton's best but still entertaining.
  By ANJSIJDI5U0FW on 1999-12-13
  I have read all of Ms. Grafton's books through N is for Noose. I agree with most of the readers that this was not her best work. However, Kinsey is so endearing to those of us who "know" her that the book was still enjoyable. I will continue to read this series and I am looking forward to "O."
  
  
• Sue Grafton and Kinsey Milhone never disappoint!!!
  By A7FGPFFLXH2EW on 1998-04-27
  I eagerly await each of Grafton's alphabet series with excitement. In fact, I have read each twice - just finishing "M is for Malice" before "N" was released. So often we wait for a book or a movie sequel and are disappointed. This has yet to be the case with Grafton. "N" is fast-paced, has beautiful descriptive narratives of the Lake Nota area, is chuck full of interesting and unique characters and is interspersed with the Kinsey humor and insights that we all know and love. These book are so involving that I found myself missing Santa Theresa and Henry along with Kinsey. And, even though I had an inkling of the killers identity, I didn't care because the plot is so skillfully written and I become so involved in Kinsey's life. I read a lot of mysteries and Grafton is by far the best. If you haven't started these books, please do. You won't regret it!!
  
  
• Disappointed!
  By A3L1N0VO1XB2LA on 2000-08-14
  After reading other authors in the genre, I decided to give Grafton a try with N is for Noose. The first 50 pages were tiresome... but I kept going. The next 50 pages were boring... kept reading, waiting for something to happen. Around page 135 I gave up... the entire book is consumed with uninteresting details that seem to lead nowhere. Closed the book and watched a Columbo movie... which was actually enjoyable after this tedious book. I'm not even interested to see how it ended.
  
  
• The alphabet won't be long enough!
  By A1VCG7N8BV7XWC on 2002-05-11
  Sue Grafton is absolutely the best. If you haven't read a Kinsey Millhone book, PLEASE do yourself a favor and pick one up. They don't have to be read in order, but starting with A IS FOR ALIBI and proceeding through will make sure you don't miss one. N IS FOR NOOSE is an almost-perfect book. The mystery -- well, wow! -- I don't want to give anything away. The thing is, it doesn't matter to me whom she's chasing or who's chasing her. Grafton is so skilled at her craft that I found myself holding my breath, literally on the edge of my chair. And how she puts the reader "in place" while reading made me so homesick for California! Here she creates a community away from her hometown of Santa Teresa (based on Santa Barbara). It's so REAL! I can still see the town in my head, along with the realistic characters. There are no cardboard cutouts here -- these characters breathe. There aren't enough words of praise for Sue Grafton -- Excellent!! Kinsey has become the definitive female detective -- and with good reason. I hope Sue keeps writing books until she's 120 years old. But by then we'll run out of letters of the alphabet -- so then what?!
  
  
• Chilly
  By A2W26AAU92CN70 on 2002-05-17
  In this one she dumps the decrepit Dietz in Nevada and holds up her return to sunny Santa Theresa to solve a mystery in a hick town in the Sierra Nevada.
  Any Sue Grafton is five stars but I wouldn't recommend this as an introduction to the series. Grafton is so good at building up atmosphere and setting scenes that her insistence on the cold and gloom in the mountains got to me and was even a shade depressing. I lit a fire in my library. It's not one of the funnier one in the series, although Mrs Newquist is a great comic creation (L is for Lawless is funniest). On the plus side it's one of the bettter plotted (B is for Burglar is best plotted). The solution has you flipping back pages and saying "why didn't I think of that." The suspense buildup is good.
  
  
• Not Kinsey's best outing
  By A2MOBMVHECYVLE on 2004-04-04
  By now, Grafton's heroine, Kinsey Millhone, is well established amongst the ranks of female detectives. This book possibly isnlt the best of the series.

  I found it a little disappointing in that it plods somewhat and I wasnlt at all guessing to the end - to me the perpetrator stood out a mile off. I found some of the peripheral characters just plain boring.
  
  

• Predictable
  By A1CQON0P01BITL on 2005-04-28
  I think this one was one of her less better ones, especially the ending. The storyline was okay...but too predictable.
  I guess will see what the letter "O" brings us.
  
  
• Is Kinsey ready for retirement?
  By on 2000-03-21
  Just because there are 26 letters in the alphabet, doesn't mean this series has to run till the bitter end! Especially since at the halfway mark Kinsey seems to be running out of steam. The pace is lackadaisical at best, and the plot is far from original. Neither Grafton nor Kinsey show much interest, so how do they expect the readers to?

  And if there are future episodes (I know "O" is already in the bookstores), then PLEASE give Kinsey a computer, cellphone, etc. Bring this woman into the 21st century! It's ridiculous to still have her searching for phone booths.
  
  

• Slow Reading
  By on 2000-06-26
  This book seemed slow, but unlike other slow books I kept on plugging through it. The part about her book that bothered me most was the fact that there was no way the reader could have figured the mystery out. There were really no hints. I think a good mystery should be fair to the reader. It should provide enough information and hints that the reader has a fair chance of solving the mystery.
  
  
• N is for Not So Fast
  By on 1999-09-12
  This is the first Sue Grafton book I've read and I have to say that I enjoyed it--UNTIL the "quickie" ending, which was such a letdown after having read sooooo many pages to get there. It seemed like the author decided she was tired of writing, couldn't be bothered to explain or justify plot points, and just wanted to be done with it! Such a disappointment.
  
  
• Kinsey doesn't run much anymore!
  By A1A6KEVAOABK2A on 1999-10-06
  I usually eagerly await the next letter of the alphabet. But no more. A major disappointment throughout. Kinsey always made me feel good but she's lost her bounce. The location seemed riddled with facts that jarred my memory of California and proved a distraction. The contrivances to get her out of town were just plain boring! The rest of the cast of characters didn't do anything to perk it up.
  
  
• N is for No!
  By on 1999-08-03
  I started to read this and I had to staple my eyes open to keep myself from not reading. the plot moved so slow that my only hope was that a great ending was my reward for passing this pacience killer. Bummer. The ending was short and ridiculous. One would have to back to and retrace through the book to try to understand the ending. It was the first book I had read by Kinsey, and probably the last.
  
  
• No Spark
  By A3AZ4O4I9S4668 on 1999-06-21
  The premise of this story was a good one, but the telling of it was lackluster. I was disappointed in M Is For Malice as well. I think I'll forgo O Is For Outlaw unless the reviews are very, very good.
  
  
• yawn...
  By on 1999-09-09
  this is the sort of mystery novel that requires absolutely no brains to solve. a complete waste of time. the plot is tired and Kinsey is simply annoying.
  
  
• Nicely done
  By A2QSRP25LFCQ7X on 1998-04-30
  I bought it Friday, and read it Sunday. As usual Sue Grafton keeps me turning the pages waiting to see what comes next. The plot was good, the characters interesting and the descriptions enjoyable. I read other customer comments, and I'd wondered why Kinsey hasn't come to the big screen. But I agree that so often movies ruin the characters. I know that while I enjoyed V I Warshawski on the big screen, she didn't fit my imagined character at all. If Kinsey ever makes it to film, I hope Ms. Grafton has total control so her vision can be portrayed.
  
  
• Not Up to Grafton's Usual Standards
  By A25773EBHHXMXF on 1998-07-23
  Having read the whole alphabet mystery by Grafton, I would have to say that she is slipping a little bit. Although I have enjoyed them all, a few of them took me a little time to get through. This one took me quite a while to get through. It was slow to build and didn't keep the reader in suspense or wondering who-dunnit. I hope that Grafton doesn't turn around and put out "O" just to keep up with her standard of putting one out every year. I think she needs to take a little time and build a more intricate and suspenseful plot. I do like the way she incorporates people from Kinsey's past in and out of the storylines. I also like the way she ever so slowly incorporated Kinsey's family in Lompoc into a couple of books and then we didn't hear anything about them for a couple of books. I hope Grafton doesn't make the mistake of having Kinsey's family descend en masse like a title wave into Kinsey's life just to bring some fresh blood into the picture. Th! at would be a mistake. Incorporating them slowly into the alphabet books is a much better idea. We'll just have to wait and see what "O" brings.
  
  
• 50 pages too long, but still a winner.
  By A36E0YFW6USU8Y on 2000-12-23
  This is the slowest of the Grafton/Kinsey Millhone books, although the final 40 pages rocket to a satisfying finish. There's definitely too much space devoted to superfluous descriptions, but it's Kinsey so all is forgiven. Good start, mediocre middle and a great ending. If this is your first Grafton, either start at the beginning ("A is for Alibi") or go directly to "F is for Fugitive" or "K is for Killer." Those books will show you what the excitement is all about.
  
  
• Energizer Bunny
  By A200XNOWFDZ38R on 2001-08-09
  Sue Grafton and Kinsey Millhone are both like the Energizer Bunny! They just keep on going! N is for Noose is another in a long line of suspenseful Kinsey mysteries.

  In this book, a detective dies and his widow hires Kinsey to find out what had been bothering him lately. Kinsey investigates and unearths a big mess, not to mention nearly losing her life!
  
  

• N is for "Not the best way to start the series"
  By A1WV5OZPI6TN96 on 2002-01-10
  This was my first Grafton read, and it did not live up to the accolades for the series I've heard from devotees. Our protagonist isn't investigating a crime, she's trying to find out what was bothering a small-town Sheriff's investigator in the weeks before he died of a heart attack. Of course, crime comes looking for her, but the wind-up at the end left me wondering what the big deal was all about?

  Perhaps this is more like what PIs encounter in real life.
  
  

• Not one of Grafton's better efforts.
  By on 2003-02-18
  Unlike the preceding 13 novels in this series, Millhone is having a week of rather bad hair days in this one and it shows. It spite of her usually optimistic approach to life, Millone is pessimistic throughout. I would hope this isn't what the rest of the series is going to be like.

  Not a particularly good novel.
  
  

• I come at this from a peculiar angle...
  By A1GARI2JT6EAWA on 2005-01-18
  I have read a number of Grafton's alphabet mysteries and I found them to be good but a bit tedious (3 stars or so). However, I've taken to listening to them as books on tape and have found them to be quite enjoyable. Judy Kaye does a fantastic job as the voice of Kinsey (she has her wry sense of humor nailed - her voice perfectly matches Grafton's words - whovever cast Kaye as the voice of Milhone should get 5 stars) and I find the books to be quite enjoyable.
  
  I do agree with other reviewers that the ending was a bit clunky, but the rest of the book built up enough tension and drama to still give the book an above-average rating in my estimation.
  
  

• M Is for Malice
• O Is for Outlaw
• L Is for Lawless (Kinsey Millhone Mysteries)
• P Is for Peril (A Marian Wood Book) (Kinsey Millhone Mysteries (Hardcover))
• K Is for Killer (Grafton, Sue. Kinsey Millhone Mysteries.)