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"I met Bobby Callahan on Monday of that week. By Thursday, he was dead. He was convinced
someone was trying to kill him and it turned out to be true, but none of us figured it out in
time to save him. I've never worked for a dead man before and I hope I won't have to do it
again. This report is for him, whatever it's worth."
-Kinsey Millhone- 'C is for Corpse'

This third installment in Sue Grafton's mystery series featuring private detective, Kinsey Millhone, began on a serendipitous note. In 'C is for Corpse', Kinsey, who was attempting to regain her strength after suffering a broken left arm while working on a case featuring a missing woman (Elaine Boldt...'B is for Burglar'), was spending mornings working out with weights at Santa Teresa Fitness. Her good fortune of having plenty of money in her bank account allowed her to not worry about taking any new cases until she was feeling physically stronger; and this also placed her in just the right location and at the right moment to notice a young man who had been frequenting the guys as often as she had.

Observing this young man, she became aware that he had clearly suffered some sort of serious injury and this made her not only curious about what had happened to him, but also left her admiring him for the grit he had been displaying, showing up and working out despite the discomfort he had to be feeling. Kinsey's description of this young man's appearance provided a perfect mental picture for readers..... "... I wasn't sure what had happened to him but whatever it was, it had hurt. He was probably just short of six feet tall, with a football player's physique: big head, thick neck, brawny shoulders, heavy legs. Now the shaggy blond head was held to one side, the left half of his face pulled down in a permanent grimace. His mouth leaked saliva as though he'd just been shot up with Novocain and couldn't quite feel his own lips. He tended to hold his left arm up against his waist and he usually carried a folded white handkerchief that he used to mop up his chin. There was a terrible welt of dark red across the bridge of his nose, a second across his chest and his knees were crisscrossed with scars as though a swordsman had slashed at him. He walked with a lilting gait... Working out must have cost him everything, yet he never failed to appear."

One Monday morning, Kinsey found herself alone in the gym with this young man and it was then that he introduced himself to her as Bobby Callahan. He had heard that she was a private detective and he wanted to hire her... to find out who had tried to kill him. Initially, Kinsey was confused. If someone had attempted to murder Bobby Callahan, wouldn't the case be under investigation by the police? Bobby assured her that police were not interested in his case because they believed what had happened to him was an accident. Bobby told Kinsey he had been traveling in his Porsche with his friend, Rick Bergen , when a car began ramming his car from behind. He lost control and his car had flown off a bridge and into a rocky, 400 feet-deep-canyon. His friend Rick had been killed and he had been severely injured and in a coma for months. Because the Porsche had been demolished, the police had not found any evidence pointing to an attempted homicide. He told Kinsey that he had two problems.... the first was that his brain had been damaged in the crash and his memory was cloudy and full of holes. The second problem was that he felt his life was still in danger and he was certain that the person responsible for the crash was going to try again. Bobby needed Kinsey to find out the identity of this person and why he/she was targeting him.

Kinsey realized that Bobby's case was going to be particularly challenging because he was unable to provide any concrete details which might give her a place to start an investigation. So she began meeting with and interviewing Bobby's family, friends and anyone who might have knowledge of what had been happening in his life before the car crash. This was a painstakingly slow process; and just several days after Bobby had hired her, he was involved in another automobile accident and this time, he wasn't as lucky. *(This isn't a spoiler as Bobby's death is referred to in the opening paragraph of the novel!). Because the county pathologist, Dr. Fraker (also a friend of Bobby's family), believed that Bobby had suffered a seizure while driving, most likely an after-effect of the brain injuries from his first car crash, the second crash was ruled an accident. Kinsey disagreed. Kinsey saw Bobby's death as a homicide.. a delayed homicide, for sure, because his initial injuries which WERE caused by an attempt on his life, simply took longer to kill him.

With the support and encouragement of Bobby's mother, Glen, Kinsey decided to remain on the case and continue the investigation. The only real clue she had was a memory Bobby had related to her before his death. He remembered that he had entrusted a small red address book to someone for safekeeping before his car crash. But he hadn't remembered whom he had given the address book to. He only remembered FEELING that keeping the address book among his possessions was dangerous. So who did Bobby trust with this address book and what information could it possibly contain which would have cost him his life?

On a quest to find the elusive address book, Kinsey began re-interviewing Bobby's friends and acquaintances, pushing hard for answers about Bobby's life. Finally, a picture began to take shape for Kinsey.... that of a young man with a split life. Partly, he was a young man like any other who had been attempting to have fun and plan for a future, perhaps in medicine. But he also had a much darker side of which his family seemed to be unaware of.. a life which contained secrets, an illicit love affair and blackmail. As Kinsey explored this darker side of Bobby's life, she became increasingly concerned that her own life was in danger. Although the killer was unknown to her, she couldn't shake the feeling that the killer was acutely aware of her and was watching her every move... and waiting....

This third novel in the Kinsey Millhone series stands out for me because Sue Grafton makes great strides in fleshing out Kinsey as a character. In 'C is for Corpse', Kinsey becomes a character who is far more than her occupation. I began to see her not only in her role as a methodical and determined private detective but also as a compassionate and kind woman with a strong sense of justice. These aspects of Kinsey's character were on display with the compassion she demonstrated toward Bobby Callahan and his struggles to regain some control over his life and health; and in the way in which she doggedly pursued justice in his case, even after his death.

I listened to the audiobook version of this novel which was narrated once again by Mary Peiffer; and the hours I spent listening to Kinsey's latest case were pure pleasure.