G Is For Gumshoe Quotes
"I report these events not necessarily in the order of importance, but in the order most easily explained."
"For the record, my name is Kinsey Millhone. I'm a private investigator, licensed by the State of California."
"I have hazel eyes, a nose that's been busted twice, but still manages to function pretty well I think."
"There is, apparently, some law of nature decreeing that all home construction must double in its projected cost and take four times longer than originally anticipated."
"I'm a born liar, but I don't do as well disguising what I feel."
"I seldom wear makeup, so whatever I look like first thing in the morning at least remains consistent as the day wears on."
"The tide was out and the beach seemed to stretch toward the horizon in a silvery mirror of reflected sky."
"My prime anxiety had always been that he'd make the apartment too fancy for my taste."
"I woke up feeling punk, coughing my lungs out."
"It was one of those mortifying moments where the lights come up and everybody jumps out from behind the furniture."
"The virtue of being single is you get to make up all the rules."
"Somehow it seems embarrassing to admit, but they had a cake and actual presents that I had to open on the spot."
"I tried to picture Tyrone Patty chatting up the subject with a hit man in Carson City."
"For one thing, it was hard to imagine the kind of person who made a living that way."
"I suppose I should have been flattered I was included in the deal."
"I can't believe this," I said, still trying to take it in."
"When the knock at the door came, I jumped like I'd been shot."
"This is why I jog and bust my hump lifting weights, so I can cope with life's little inconveniences."
"I can't say I worked with any astonishing skill, but I got the job done and the physical labor improved my mood."
"A threat on your life is a curious thing. It seems, at the same time, both abstract and absurd."
"It felt good to be in control of one small corner of the universe."
"What did they have to hope for? What ambitions could they harbor in this limbo of artificial light?"
"If I didn't watch my step, the distinction [between real and perceived danger] might prove deadly."
"Sometimes the medication has that effect; instead of calming these older patients down, it just seems to rev them up."
"My maternal instincts were extinguished by my Betsy Wetsy doll."
"I'm inclined to believe bad things only happen in the dark. Silly me."
"I had never heard so many variations on the word oh."
"I'm not interested in advertising what I do, but if this guy's watching us, I want him to understand just how hard his job is going to be."
"It's hard to warm to somebody who looks at you that way."
"I wasn't famous for letting guys tell me what to do and I was hoping I wouldn't get used to it."
"If he kills you, the game is over. That isn't what he wants. He's not a pro. He's sick. We can use that to get him."
"I'm curious at heart and I like sticking my nose in where it doesn't belong."
"I've never heard her talk about a guy the way she talks about you."
"You'd have a squad of bodyguards. They've got unlimited manpower, access to intelligence sources, and the legal authority to kick butt."
"It looks like one of those camera's-eye views of the Indy 500, only speeding straight uphill."
"I prefer 'smart.' They hire me because I'm too dumb to know when to quit."
"He was small for five. The light in the corridor glinted on his blond head."
"His eyes were pinned on me and a half-smile played on his mouth."
"By the time he checked the entrance, it was empty."
"Dietz's fingers dug painfully into the flesh of my right arm."
"The night air hit us like icy water after the warmth of the banquet room."
"We were on a darkened walkway that bordered one of the interior courtyards."
"Her voice close to a whisper. 'I'd like to see Mother. Is she all right?'"
"Irene grew still, her face blank. 'Are you saying she's dead?'"
"He leaned against the desk. 'I'm afraid we lost her.'"
"A little-used examining room at the end of the hall."
"Her knuckles were scraped. Two nails were broken."
"Her eyes filled with sudden tears, which spilled down her cheeks."
"The truth is, there was no internal trauma and the injuries were too minor."
"I'm very interested in what happened to this woman during the hours she was missing."
"It was awful. She brought it to school the next day and flung it in the teacher's face."
"I'm not about to bother them poor peoples. You leave them lay."
"L. L. Pope, Santa Teresa City Building Inspector, made the rounds of the city."