SOURCE: Melton, Emily. Review of “L” Is for Lawless, by Sue Grafton. Booklist 91, no. 21 (July 1995): 1835.

In the following review, Melton states that although the novel is flawed, “L” Is for Lawless is still likely to please Grafton fans.

Grafton has covered 11 letters of the alphabet and produced 11 bestsellers starring the popular Kinsey Millhone. The gritty PI has reached near-cult status for many readers, guaranteeing a built-in audience for all her adventures. But Grafton's huge success and the accompanying pressure to produce another 15 “alphabet” books seems to have resulted—at least in her last couple of efforts—in less quality. This time [in “L” Is for Lawless] the plot sounds slightly contrived, the writing is a little tired, and Kinsey's spunky earthiness is sometimes grating, The action centers on Kinsey tracking down half-a-million dollars from a decades-old bank heist carried out by a motley trio: Johnny, now dead, Gilbert...