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Cover of G Is for Gumshoe by Sue GraftonG Is for Gumshoe
Modern · Fiction, Mystery

G Is for Gumshoe

by Sue Grafton
1990 · 320 pages · Fiction
60.6Must-Read
Score Modern
Critics' pick
≈ 8 hours to read · about 2 weeks at 30 minutes a day

What it's about

Irene Gersh asks private investigator Kinsey Millhone to find her elderly mother, Agnes, whom she hasn't heard from in six months. Kinsey finds Agnes in a hospital, apparently fine apart from memory lapses. And frightened.

Why it's worth reading

It won the Anthony Award. It's a Kinsey Millhone mystery.

You'll love it if you liked

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The Long GoodbyeRaymond Chandler

Good to know

You can read the alphabet series in any order.

By the numbers

60.6Must-Read Score
  • Readers28 out of 100 · counts 42%
  • Critics43 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
  • Bestseller3 out of 100 · counts 14%
  • Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%

Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.

Where it ranks

Why it made the list

Won
Anthony Award winner (1991)

Reads as

Gripping

How we rank

Already read it? Upload your Goodreads or StoryGraph history and get the 50 best books you haven't read, tuned to your taste.Get my 50

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Explore the best-of lists

All 47 best-of lists →
Mysteries and thrillersTop 25 · 623 rankedModern booksTop 25 · 1,647 rankedBooks of the 1990sTop 25 · 305 rankedFantasy booksTop 25 · 504 rankedLiterary novelsTop 25 · 325 rankedPulitzer Prize-winning novelsTop 25 · 63 rankedMemoirs and biographiesTop 25 · 290 rankedScience fiction booksTop 25 · 333 ranked

Quick answers

Is G Is for Gumshoe worth reading?

Yes. It won the Anthony Award. It ranks #2,475 of the 3,056 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 60.6 (the best book we found scores 99).

What is G Is for Gumshoe about?

Irene Gersh asks private investigator Kinsey Millhone to find her elderly mother, Agnes, whom she hasn't heard from in six months. Kinsey finds Agnes in a hospital, apparently fine apart from memory lapses. And frightened.

How long does it take to read G Is for Gumshoe?

About 8 hours (320 pages), or about 2 weeks at 30 minutes a day.

What awards has G Is for Gumshoe won?

Anthony Award winner (1991).

What should I read after G Is for Gumshoe?

If you liked it, try R Is for Ricochet by Sue Grafton, U Is for Undertow by Sue Grafton or The Long Goodbye by Raymond Chandler.