Jumping back into the Kinsey Millhone series - I will read all of the books, and I'm more than half-way through now. It has been a while since the last one I read and yet I easily get right back into the series and I definitely love Kinsey Millhone's characterisation throughout.

There were some great bits in this book but I feel like we saw a defeated Kinsey Millhone in this, and I feel like we've never fully seen that side of her before, not fully. I loved being in the small-town setting, it really gave a sense of community, both good and bad, with Kinsey being a total outsider.

I was trying to guess the perpetrator throughout this, and it was clever how this story was more of a whodunnit, especially since we met a lot of the characters throughout the story, but there were times when Kinsey Millhone was a bit slow to connect clues and that led to detriment throughout, not only for myself as the reader but also to our main character.

I do love these books, but some are just better than others and this just came off as average - although there was plenty of times that this could've been a brilliant story.

Blurb: 'Sometimes I think about how odd it would be to catch a glimpse of the future, a quick view of events lying in store for us. Some moments we saw would make no sense at all and some, I suspect, would frighten us beyond endurance . . .'

Early spring in the Sierra Nevada, bringing the usual driving sleet and snow. PI Kinsey Millhone is on her way west when she detours into Nota Lake (pop. 2356) to check out a new client. And encounters a chill she can scarcely believe.

Only six weeks have passed since sheriff's detective Tom Newquist died of a heart attack. His widow is sure he was keeping secrets from her just before he died - and she hires Kinsey to find out exactly what.

But all Kinsey can uncover is that Newquist led an exemplary life, so what could he possibly have to conceal? And why has the town, to the last threatening redneck, closed ranks on her?

Kinsey's on the point of giving up. Until she discovers a chilling new clue: a childish drawing of a thick rope - fashioned into a hangman's noose . . .

On the shelf