V is for Vengeance by Sue Grafton

When Kinsey Millhone alerts a store associate about a shoplifter, she has no idea that she will end up with a broken nose on her birthday. As a private detective, Kinsey feels it's her duty to report the woman. But when the woman, Audrey Vance, ends up dead in what the authorities believe is a suicide, Kinsey is hired by Audrey's fiancee to find out about her past. Kinsey finds herself entangled with an ex-con whom she considers a friend, a crooked cop from her past, and the mob. In V is for Vengeance, Grafton has written another mystery that's hard to put down. In using multiple points of view to tell the story, she has made the characters multi-layered and interesting. Kinsey's personality shines brightly.