"J" Is for Judgment
LC Class PS3557.R13 J2 1993 | | |
Preceded by | "I" Is for Innocent | |
---|---|---|
Followed by | "K" Is for Killer |
"J" Is for Judgment is the tenth novel in
Plot summary
Kinsey Millhone's former employer, California Fidelity Insurance, hires her to investigate the alleged reappearance of
In Mexico, Kinsey finds Jaffe is now known as Dean DeWitt Huff. Huff/Jaffe is traveling with a woman named Renata Huff, who has a residence on the
Renata catches Kinsey searching on her property, but admits Wendell is visiting Michael. Kinsey tracks Jaffe down, but someone begins firing shots at them both and he escapes once more. The next day, the Captain Stanley Lord is found drifting a few miles off-shore just as it was the first time Jaffe vanished.
Kinsey has proved Jaffe didn't die and therefore the insurance money can be reclaimed from Dana. Though her job is done, Kinsey goes in search of the full story. She finds Brian, and also finds out from Jaffe's former business partner Carl Eckert that there was three million dollars from their fraudulent business scheme on board the missing boat. Renata confesses that she killed Wendell, dumped his body at sea, and then set the Lord adrift, making her way back to shore in her own dinghy. She then wades out into the sea to kill herself, and Kinsey is unable to stop her. Jaffe's body washes up on the shore, but Renata's never does, leaving Kinsey to wonder if, like her husband, she has managed to fake her own death.
In a subplot, Kinsey discovers she has long lost family living in nearby
Characters
- Kinsey Millhone: Private investigator who is asked to again work for the insurance company that severed ties months earlier.
Reception
"J" Is for Judgment was a New York Times best-seller and had an initial press run of nearly half a million copies.[4]
References
- ^ Rogers, Jay (May 30, 1993). "'Judgment' No. 10 in alphabetical series "J" is for Judgment". San Antonio Express-News. p. 5L.
- ^ Robertson, William (April 25, 1993). "And 'P' is for page-turner, a dip into detective fiction". Miami Herald. p. 3I.
- ^ Kelly, Ed (1993-05-02). "Kinsey hits her stride". The Buffalo News.
- ^ "Letter-Perfect: When it comes to mystery writing, Sue Grafton knows her ABCs better than anyone". The Sacramento Bee. April 20, 1993. p. D1.
External links
- Sue Grafton Alphabet Series official site