2005-10-25 E Is for Evidence

"E is for Evidence" is an explosive addition to the Kinsey Millhorne series of alphabet mysteries and proves to be another close shave with death for the plucky adventurous Ms Millhorne.

Just a couple of days before Christmas, Kinsey is given some routine insurance work to do. The work comes her way from California Fidelity, the insurance company from whom Kinsey rents her office space. The work seems fairly routine; they want her to check out a fire claim that has just been lodged by a manufacturer of industrial furnaces called Wood/Warren. Kinsey remembers she went to school with one of the Wood children, Ashley, and the job seems like an ideal opportunity to catch up with some old friends.

What causes the case to take a turn for the worst is the news Kinsey receives just after Christmas when a $5,000 deposit is made into her bank account, when this is quickly followed by accusations that she is taking "back-handers" from the Woods it would seem that Kinsey has been well and truly set up by someone. As usual it takes all of Kinsey's bravery and intuition to discover what's really going on between the warring factions of the Wood family, an investigation which causes the death of one of the Wood siblings and nearly claims Kinsey's own life.

This is a great book to the series, not just for the mystery side of the story but this fills in some huge blanks in Kinsey's former life as we are introduced to her second husband, the musician and apparently the most beautiful man Kinsey has met, Daniel. We do learn though of the self-destructive nature of Daniel's character and at least his reappearance confirms to Kinsey she was correct to divorce him.

There's not much of Rosie, Jonah Robb and Henry in this book, but with the appearance of Daniel, they are not missed really from a story point of view. What their absence does confirm though is perhaps the lonely life of solitude that Kinsey revels in, isn't all it's cracked up to be.

Some great poignancy here and the feelings of a lonely Christmas gives the book a lovely melancholy touch. What will Henry say when he returns from holiday and seems what has become of the garage he rents to Kinsey?