I started reading this series many years ago and never finished it. Now, I had to go back and reread the ones I had already read so I wouldn’t miss out on anything. Sue Grafton passed away in 2017 before she could finish the alphabet, but I would really like to complete reading it. I chose to listen to the books this time through in audio format.

The story is told in the first-person by Kinsey. She creates reports for all of her cases, and this seems to be the report for Bobby’s case. Right from the beginning, we know Bobby is going to die. She is telling the story if what happened from the time she met him until the case was solved.

Kinsel Milhone is a private investigator in Santa Theresa, California. She is twice-divorced and living in a converted garage apartment. She enjoys her life of work and solitude. One day at the gym, she makes the acquaintance of Bobby Callahan. Bobby was in a bad car accident almost two years before and is still trying to get his body back in working order. He suffers from memory loss due to the accident but thinks someone tried to kill him. If he is correct, they did kill his best friend, who was in the car with him. They chat, and he decides to hire Kinsey to try and find out what happened that he can’t remember.

Kinsey takes an instant liking to Bobby and goes to work. Bobby is from an affluent family, whom Kinsey meets when he invites her to his mother’s cocktail party. His step-father lives at the family home along with his step-sister, Kitty. Kitty has a drug problem and overdoses that night. Luckily, they caught her in time. Among the family friends present are several other couples and Bobby and Kitty’s psychiatrist, Dr. Fraker.

While this is going on, Kinsey also has to deal with the new lady in the life of her landlord, Henry. Delilah has him wrapped around her finger. Henry is 80 years old, and there’s something about Delilah that sends up warning flags to Kinsey, but she doesn’t want to upset Henry.

I remembered parts of C is for Corpse from the first time I read it, but not all. I was also missing many of the details. I felt like Bobby with the memory gaps. It was enjoyable to listen to it again. The narrator, Mary Peiffer, gives Kinsey a deep voice, which struck me as strange. It ends up sounding a lot like the male voices she uses. I can understand not wanting to use an overly-feminine voice to give Kinsey more grit, but it was kind of strange.

The mystery was very good. I had an idea of what was going on, but I’m not sure that it wasn’t due to some memories of having read it before. The characters were interesting and not easy to define. Glen, Bobby’s mother, can be rather abrasive at times, but she obviously loves her son a great deal. Kinsey doesn’t seem to think much of her at first, but as the story goes on, she gains a deeper appreciation of what Glen’s life has been like. Kitty seemed to be a one-dimensional character and really the weakest character in the book. She was very close with her step-brother and was dating his best friend when he was killed. I felt frustrated at times by the way she was treated by Glen in particular.

In some ways, this could have been edited better. There are a lot of details about Kinsey’s life that probably could have been left out. In the long run, though, it makes for fuller characters throughout the series. We get information on exactly how Kinsey works out. We get information about what she eats. We get information on where she goes jogging in this fictional town. In the long run, it does make for a richer setting, but sometimes it led to my mind drifting while I was listening.

The book picks up with Kinsey going to the gym due to her injuries from the previous book. I like how there is some continuity to the series. There are events near the end of C is for Corpse which will lead into the next book as well. This doesn’t mean you can’t just pick up this book and read it without having read the whole series. It stands on its own just fine.

I’m definitely going to continue the series. Kinsey is interesting, and her circle of friends and acquaintances are as well. It’s well-written, and the mystery kept me invested in the story. The narration of the audiobook was a little off in some ways, but I’ve listened to worse.

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