This is the 17th book in Sue Grafton's "alphabet series" about private investigator Kinsey Millhone. This was also a selection for the 2012 World BookThis is the 17th book in Sue Grafton's "alphabet series" about private investigator Kinsey Millhone. This was also a selection for the 2012 World Book Night, which occurs every year on 4/23. Contrary to what the status bar showed as I was marking my progress, this book has 350 pages, not 618.
I was intrigued that unlike the other books in this series, this was based on an actual unsolved case. In the summer of 1969, the body of Jane Doe was found in a quarry in Lompoc, CA. Somewhere between the ages of 16-25 and wearing what appeared to be handmade jeans with a distinct pattern, she'd been stabbed multiple times and her remains dumped. Given her young age, part of the mystery was that she was never reported missing. However, this was the late '60s so young people taking off was not that unusual. The story of how this book came to be was quite fascinating in itself.
I found the book to be typical of the rest of the books in the series. It started off slow but picked up steam about halfway through when things started to fall into place. Having grown up in a small town, I felt Grafton did a very good job of describing the locations where this took place and the mentality of the residents. I loved the interactions between Kinsey and the detectives, particularly Stacy Oliphant, though her introducing him to fast food did leave me craving it myself. I also liked that Con Dolan was given a little more depth than he has had in previous books. It made him much more human. One thing I have always wondered about these books, however, is they always end with "Respectively submitted, Kinsey Millhone" as though the entire story is her report to the client. So does she really include every little detail, such as brushing her teeth and wearing an oversize night shirt to bed in her reports?
While others who have reviewed the book have mentioned that it was nice to see more interaction between Kinsey and her new found cousins, I didn't really feel that added much to the story as it was only mentioned once or twice in the 2nd half of the book, though it was nice for Kinsey to finally have a better explanation as to why there was a rift between her grandparents, parents, and the aunt who took her in when her parents were killed. I hope this is explored further as the series progresses. It also didn't add much to have Henry "hook up" with the lady from the cruise ship, unless that is further explored in the next book. (Despite knowing Henry is an elderly white man, for some reason I always picture him as looking like Morgan Freeman).
The fictional Jane Doe was identified and as always, Kinsey solved her case. The outcome was very believable and though evidence throughout pointed to others, the actual killer made a lot of sense. I liked that it wasn't written in such a way to make it obvious who it was going to be and that the residents knew just enough to make it seem like they knew more than they were letting on, but no one really seemed outright suspicious of or pointed fingers at anyone other than those the evidence was already pointing at.
An artist's rendering was provided at the back of the book in hopes that someone would recognize the real Jane Doe and come forward. Sadly, it does not appear this has yet happened....more
There is a popular lecture series in Portland called "Science Pub," in which you can enjoy food and drink while listening to a lecture. It was at ScieThere is a popular lecture series in Portland called "Science Pub," in which you can enjoy food and drink while listening to a lecture. It was at Science Pub that I first heard of this book. I have been to several lectures but this is the only one I have left wanting to read the book that inspired the lecture. (Rebecca Skloot is an awesome presenter!)
All I can say is WOW! This is such an amazing story. In 1951, Henrietta Lacks was diagnosed with cervical cancer, which ultimately took her life. A tissue sample was taken, as was customary at the time, but instead of dying after a few hours like everyone else's did, her cells just kept growing and multiplying, which has led to significant advances in medicine including helping to create the vaccines for both polio and the HPV virus. This was done, however, without her permission or her family's knowledge-they ultimately learned of this in the early '70s when researchers started calling wanting blood samples. To date, billions of her cells, known as the HeLa line, have been bought and sold by researchers, yet her own family members spent their lives unable to afford health insurance.
The author did a great job of weaving the lives of Henrietta's family in with the scientific facts. She also did a great job of not making the scientific aspects too technical but didn't completely dumb them down either. Despite knowing this is non-fiction, I was amazed to feel that parts of the book, especially toward the end, read more like fiction. It's heartbreaking what her family members have gone through, how little they were initially told, all the misconceptions they had as they tried to learn the truth on their own and how their lives turned out as a result of growing up without a mother-the youngest was just an infant when Henrietta died. It is understandable they did not initially want to talk to the author and also that it took time to trust that unlike everyone else, Rebecca Skloot was determined to tell the story about the woman who has made (and continues to make) an impact-that she knew HeLa was much more than her cells and her story deserved to be heard.
(Sidenote: This is also one of this year's selections for World Book Night, which is an annual celebration designed to share the love of reading and books)....more
Loading...
