Q is for Quarry

Someone lent me Q is for Quarry by Sue Grafton* so I read it. I think it's the first of the alphabetised adventures of private eye Kinsey Millhone I've come across although her addiction to jogging seemed vaguely familiar. Maybe it's something she shares with VI Warshawski or Patricia Cornwall's coroner.

Anyway, I liked it more or less. Really good descriptions of the Californian desert which sounded just like it looks on telly. We're told what every character looks like and is wearing in a bit too much detail but I let that slide because Kinsey's a PI and meant to pay attention to that sort of stuff.

The book's set in California in 1987. What really struck me was that there didn't seem to be a single African-American (I'm sure Kinsey would have mentioned it if someone was because she doesn't hold back if describing doggy hungarian accents) and no-one has a mobile phone. Kinsey spends a lot of time at payphones and writing down her hotel's phone number for people to leave messages. Thank God things have changed!

* This site makes me wish I could get rich writing potboilers. It includes many photos of Sue, her cats, her assistant and her NEW PERSONAL CHEF.