Kinsey Millhone has been hired by Lorna Kepler's mother to investigate her death. Mrs. Kepler is convinced Lorna was murdered, but it's been 10 months, and no proof or substantial information has ever been found. How will Kinsey be able to find what the police couldn't? But of course, she finds little clues that lead her forward in her investigation. Following the footsteps of a serious night owl turns Kinsey's world upside down and throws off her game. As in all of the Alphabet Series books so far, Kinsey puts herself in danger and suffers the consequence. She also makes a bad decision that leaves her questioning not only her judgment, but her motivations and morality as well. Will she be able to recover and face what she has done in J is for Judgement?
Grafton conjures plenty of excitement and danger, but there's nothing too graphic or gruesome in her books. K is for Killer is eleventh in the Kinsey Millhone Mystery series, where each subsequent book's title takes the next letter in the alphabet. The first title, A is for Alibi, was written in 1982, and this title in 1994. Through the series, some readers may wonder why Kinsey isn't pulling out a cell phone to call for help, or to take quick picture. We're talking corded phones with attached answering machines, film based cameras, eavesdropping, and more legwork than computer work in these investigations. There is also a strong picture of how loose organizations and institutions used to be with privacy, and time and again, Kinsey is able to get information about someone just by asking or in using a tiny bit of deception. Millhone is a strong female lead, who is very down to earth and methodical in her investigations. She's also very human and makes mistakes; one major appeal of this title.