P is for Peril

Sue Grafton

Dr. Dowan Purcell has been missing for nine weeks. He ran an elderly care facility. He left work late one Friday evening and was not seen again. His ex-wife, Fiona Purcell, hires Kinsey Milhoan to find him. Kinsey reluctantly takes the job, feeling something is wrong in the situation.

But Fiona's deposit is enough for Kinsey to put a down payment on a new office. She finds the perfect office in a small building close to her current space. The two brothers who own the building immediately accept her. The younger Heavener brother, Tommy, is attracted to Kinsey and starts asking her out. Then she learns that the brothers probably killed their parents a few years earlier. Now she has to figure how to get out of the lease and away from Tommy.

Kinsey starts interviewing the people who may have seen Dr. Purcell. His current wife had reported him missing when he had not returned home. His step daughter is rebelling and is constantly in trouble at school. His son is two, and is the light of his life. Crystal Purcell, his current wife, reports that over $30,000 and his passport is missing. The nursing home staff have not seen him since he left that evening. Kinsey also discovers that there is Medicare fraud being uncovered at the center. Dr. Purcell is the prime suspect of the fraud. So did he skip the country?

Kinsey is a hard boiled private investigator - she shuns most relationships and suspects everybody. She can lie at the drop of a thought and will not worry about bending the rules some if it helps her find the bad guy. This is part of the lengthy series that takes place in the 1980's in mid-state, western California, in the city of Santa Theresa. It is an enjoyable series, and this one goes right along with it. The characters of Tommy Heavener and Crystal's 14-year-old daughter are especially believable. Kinsey gets involved and stays aloof as usual.

Notice: Non-graphic violence, Suggestive dialogue or situations

A is for Alibi
B is for Burglar
C is for Corpse
D is for Deadbeat
E is for Evidence
F is for Fugitive
G is for Gumshoe
H is for Homicide
I is for Innocent
J is for Judgement
K is for Killer
L is for Lawless
M is for Malice
N is for Noose
O is for Outlaw
P is for Peril
Q is for Quarry
R is for Ricochet
S is for Silence
T is for Trespass
U is for Undertow