With a long-running series like this one, it can be difficult for a newcomer to know whether you'll enjoy the most recent addition. If all the back story, regular characters and previous adventures play a prominent part in the new adventure then a first-time reader can feel a bit lost.
That's not the case with S is for Silence.
It's a great place to start if you haven't read any of the other books.
I have read all of Sue Grafton's
alphabet series, and generally enjoy the adventures of private eye Kinsey Millhone. They tend to be medium-to-lightweight thrillers; almost like traditional whodunnits with a little spice of modern life. They aren't the sort which are packed full of sadistic psycho-murderers at every turn and a bodycount reaching into the dozens.
Instead, Kinsey normally has one or two crimes to resolve and while there is always a hint of personal danger (it would be dull if not!), the entertainment comes from following the clues and from the pleasant buzz of familiarity when Kinsey visits her regular haunts and meets familiar people.
Sue Grafton has changed her writing style for this book, and has veered away from the repetition of those familiar faces. So if you stopped reading the series because 'they all seemed the same' then this is a good one to pick up. The story revolves around the plot and the personalities involved in the
crime -- it's much more of a whodunnit and a lot less of a soap-opera about Kinsey's personal life.
