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Kinsey Millhone #21
U is for Undertow
Sue Grafton takes the mystery genre to new heights with this twisting, complex #1 New York Times bestseller that draws private investigator Kinsey Millhone into a case shrouded in the sins of the past.
Looking solemn, Michael Sutton arrives in Kinsey Millhone's office with a story to tell. When he was six, he says, he wandered into the woods and saw two men digging a hole. They claimed they were pirates, looking for buried treasure. Now, all these years later, the long-forgotten events have come back to him—and he has pieced them together with news reports from the time, becoming convinced that he witnesses the burial of a kidnapped child.
Kinsey has nearly nothing to go on. Sutton doesn't even know where he was that day—and, she soon discovers, he has a history of what might generously be called an active imagination. Despite her doubts, Kinsey sets out to track down the so-called burial site. And what's found there pulls her into a hidden current of deceit stretching back more than twenty years...
Looking solemn, Michael Sutton arrives in Kinsey Millhone's office with a story to tell. When he was six, he says, he wandered into the woods and saw two men digging a hole. They claimed they were pirates, looking for buried treasure. Now, all these years later, the long-forgotten events have come back to him—and he has pieced them together with news reports from the time, becoming convinced that he witnesses the burial of a kidnapped child.
Kinsey has nearly nothing to go on. Sutton doesn't even know where he was that day—and, she soon discovers, he has a history of what might generously be called an active imagination. Despite her doubts, Kinsey sets out to track down the so-called burial site. And what's found there pulls her into a hidden current of deceit stretching back more than twenty years...
496 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 1, 2009
About the author
Sue Grafton
246 books6,324 followersSue Grafton was a #1 New York Times bestselling author. She is best known for her “alphabet series” featuring private investigator Kinsey Millhone in the fictional city of Santa Teresa, California. Prior to success with this series, she wrote screenplays for television movies. Her earlier novels include Keziah Dane (1967) and The Lolly-Madonna War (1969), both out of print. In the book Kinsey and Me she gave us stories that revealed Kinsey's origins and Sue's past.
Grafton never wanted her novels to be turned into movies or TV shows. According to her family she would never allow a ghost writer to write in her name. Because of these things, and out of respect for Sue’s wishes, the family announced the alphabet now ends at “Y”
Grafton was named a Grand Master by the Mystery Writers of America and received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Private Eye Writers of America, the Ross Macdonald Literary Award, three Shamus Awards, and many other honors and awards.
Grafton had three children from previous marriages and several grandchildren, including a granddaughter named Kinsey. She and her husband lived in Montecito, California, and Louisville, Kentucky.
Grafton never wanted her novels to be turned into movies or TV shows. According to her family she would never allow a ghost writer to write in her name. Because of these things, and out of respect for Sue’s wishes, the family announced the alphabet now ends at “Y”
Grafton was named a Grand Master by the Mystery Writers of America and received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Private Eye Writers of America, the Ross Macdonald Literary Award, three Shamus Awards, and many other honors and awards.
Grafton had three children from previous marriages and several grandchildren, including a granddaughter named Kinsey. She and her husband lived in Montecito, California, and Louisville, Kentucky.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,719 reviews
September 7, 2017
3.499999 stars (rounded to 3 since that's my only option due entirely to the laws of fractions and decimals) for the twenty-first book, U Is for Undertow, a mystery published in 2009 by author Sue Grafton.
When I first stumbled upon this series, I was super excited that there would be 26 books by the same author, all about the same character. But as I started reading the series, as much as I loved it, you could tell it gets a bit harder and harder to keep up with the creativity. Grafton does a good job at this, and I suspect since she knew there would be 26, it was planned out fairly well in advanced -- at least enough to know it could sustain the plethora of content to come. Sometimes the antics remind me a bit of Scooby Doo.
U is for Undertow is nearing the end of the series, but it is still a good book. It starts off with quite an intro to the mystery. A man begs Kinsey to investigate... and she slowly realizes who he is, a bit famous for some things going on around a few years prior... and she has to investigate a rather interesting family. What's great about this series is the character of Kinsey doesn't age much throughout the books. Even though it's about 30 years from start to finish for the author to draft the books, they all take place in the 1980s... so you often have to remember that you're reading a book set 20 years prior, as the story doesn't always tell you that. It's clear in this one because there are flashbacks and actions to the 1960s...
A good entry in the series. Stick with the series if you start it. Kinsey's a combination of Stephanie Plum from Janet Evanovich's "One for the Money / Stephanie Plum) series and "VI Warshawski from Sara Paretsky's PI series. All 3 are similar, but where Stephanie is new to detective work and VI is an ole' pro, Kinsey's in the middle. She's had training. She's savvy in many areas. But she gets hurt too much for reasons a real PI would probably know better.
Best part of these books... Kinsey's relationship with Henry, her friend and landlord. They have a wonderful father / daughter connection and I enjoy those parts of the books just as much as the investigation parts. Whenever Henry's in a scene, I know it will be a good one.
About Me
For those new to me or my reviews... here's the scoop: I read A LOT. I write A LOT. And now I blog A LOT. First the book review goes on Goodreads, and then I send it on over to my WordPress blog at https://thisismytruthnow.com, where you'll also find TV & Film reviews, the revealing and introspective 365 Daily Challenge and lots of blogging about places I've visited all over the world. And you can find all my social media profiles to get the details on the who/what/when/where and my pictures. Leave a comment and let me know what you think. Vote in the poll and ratings. Thanks for stopping by. Note: All written content is my original creation and copyrighted to me, but the graphics and images were linked from other sites and belong to them. Many thanks to their original creators.
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When I first stumbled upon this series, I was super excited that there would be 26 books by the same author, all about the same character. But as I started reading the series, as much as I loved it, you could tell it gets a bit harder and harder to keep up with the creativity. Grafton does a good job at this, and I suspect since she knew there would be 26, it was planned out fairly well in advanced -- at least enough to know it could sustain the plethora of content to come. Sometimes the antics remind me a bit of Scooby Doo.
U is for Undertow is nearing the end of the series, but it is still a good book. It starts off with quite an intro to the mystery. A man begs Kinsey to investigate... and she slowly realizes who he is, a bit famous for some things going on around a few years prior... and she has to investigate a rather interesting family. What's great about this series is the character of Kinsey doesn't age much throughout the books. Even though it's about 30 years from start to finish for the author to draft the books, they all take place in the 1980s... so you often have to remember that you're reading a book set 20 years prior, as the story doesn't always tell you that. It's clear in this one because there are flashbacks and actions to the 1960s...
A good entry in the series. Stick with the series if you start it. Kinsey's a combination of Stephanie Plum from Janet Evanovich's "One for the Money / Stephanie Plum) series and "VI Warshawski from Sara Paretsky's PI series. All 3 are similar, but where Stephanie is new to detective work and VI is an ole' pro, Kinsey's in the middle. She's had training. She's savvy in many areas. But she gets hurt too much for reasons a real PI would probably know better.
Best part of these books... Kinsey's relationship with Henry, her friend and landlord. They have a wonderful father / daughter connection and I enjoy those parts of the books just as much as the investigation parts. Whenever Henry's in a scene, I know it will be a good one.
About Me
For those new to me or my reviews... here's the scoop: I read A LOT. I write A LOT. And now I blog A LOT. First the book review goes on Goodreads, and then I send it on over to my WordPress blog at https://thisismytruthnow.com, where you'll also find TV & Film reviews, the revealing and introspective 365 Daily Challenge and lots of blogging about places I've visited all over the world. And you can find all my social media profiles to get the details on the who/what/when/where and my pictures. Leave a comment and let me know what you think. Vote in the poll and ratings. Thanks for stopping by. Note: All written content is my original creation and copyrighted to me, but the graphics and images were linked from other sites and belong to them. Many thanks to their original creators.
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[polldaddy poll=9719251]
July 9, 2024
A bit different from all the other instalments in this series with a past and present pov. Wish the ending had a bit more to it.
April 27, 2019
Don't worry. If you aren't sure what the difference between an undertow and a riptide is, Kinsey will tell you in excruciating detail. She will also give you the statistics on at least three towns - including the population and every business there. In one town history, she even lets us know about the Homestead Act. It's a history-buff's wet dream!! And, there is the usual lists of things. In one store, she listed over 20 items that they carried.
Here's how I think things went down when Sue Grafton was "researching" her books:
"Hello, I'm the famous author, Sue Grafton. You might remember me from such books as, 'B is for Boredom' or 'R is for Red Pen' which I've never seen in my life. (Don't even think about it, publishers!) I was wondering if you could explain the process of welding to me in great detail. Don't spare anything - no matter how inconsequential it seems. I will be taking exact notes and putting it in my next famous book word-for-word. "
Dude in welding mask: "Um, sure, I can do that. Is your book about a welder?"
SG: "No, not at all. My main character will be driving through town and will notice someone welding on the side of the road, so it's crucial that my readers understand every bit of welding. If you happen to know the history of welding, please include that. If not, I'll get that later from the library."
Weld-man: "Uh, I don't know the history of welding. Is it important to the story? Is there something about the person she sees welding that is going to be important?"
SG: "No. She drives by him, notices him welding, and never sees him again. But, my readers are sure to want to understand the process. Besides, I have a lot of pages to fill. Writing books is hard, but I find that if I put pages and pages of unimportant information in them, I can fill the pages up pretty fast."
Weld-man: "Are you fucking with me, lady? Is there a hidden camera around here? I didn't proposition that young girl, I swear. Is Chris Hanson hiding somewhere? I'm not taking a seat!!"
*takes off mask and goes running away*
SG: I don't know why that keeps happening. I guess I'll just have to use my trusty old Encyclopedia Brittanicas again. I'll make sure to look up the population of every town around me too, and I need to check the median cost of housing. My readers are counting on me.
Sorry, buddy. Maybe next time...
Yeah, so don't worry. Sue has covered every angle that is possible to cover in minutia. Those encyclopedias were a good buy on her part.
The good news? If you skim over all of the ridiculous crap, these books are getting shorter, not longer. I'm flying through them now.
The mystery here is another really old case, which is Kinsey's specialty. She has a way of digging around in the past until someone tries to kill her and then - case solved. It's her method. Although, if I met her in person and she started talking to me, I would probably be willing to throw myself at the mercy of the courts. Or, try and kill her. Either way..
So, a little girl went missing over 20 years ago and Kinsey is on the case. There are multiple stories in different times going on and it was somewhat interesting. I liked the other POV's and actually read them thoroughly. Then, each chapter that went back to Kinsey got my now patented Jilly's School of Skimming Bullshit Program® applied to it. Take it from me, the founder, it works!
That must have been the chapter on bougainvillea. There's a fuckload of bougainvillea in this series. It's like the official flower of FakeTown, USA that she created.
I'm on such a roll. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. Freedom is coming. On to the letter V!!
Here's how I think things went down when Sue Grafton was "researching" her books:
"Hello, I'm the famous author, Sue Grafton. You might remember me from such books as, 'B is for Boredom' or 'R is for Red Pen' which I've never seen in my life. (Don't even think about it, publishers!) I was wondering if you could explain the process of welding to me in great detail. Don't spare anything - no matter how inconsequential it seems. I will be taking exact notes and putting it in my next famous book word-for-word. "
Dude in welding mask: "Um, sure, I can do that. Is your book about a welder?"
SG: "No, not at all. My main character will be driving through town and will notice someone welding on the side of the road, so it's crucial that my readers understand every bit of welding. If you happen to know the history of welding, please include that. If not, I'll get that later from the library."
Weld-man: "Uh, I don't know the history of welding. Is it important to the story? Is there something about the person she sees welding that is going to be important?"
SG: "No. She drives by him, notices him welding, and never sees him again. But, my readers are sure to want to understand the process. Besides, I have a lot of pages to fill. Writing books is hard, but I find that if I put pages and pages of unimportant information in them, I can fill the pages up pretty fast."
Weld-man: "Are you fucking with me, lady? Is there a hidden camera around here? I didn't proposition that young girl, I swear. Is Chris Hanson hiding somewhere? I'm not taking a seat!!"
*takes off mask and goes running away*
SG: I don't know why that keeps happening. I guess I'll just have to use my trusty old Encyclopedia Brittanicas again. I'll make sure to look up the population of every town around me too, and I need to check the median cost of housing. My readers are counting on me.
Sorry, buddy. Maybe next time...
Yeah, so don't worry. Sue has covered every angle that is possible to cover in minutia. Those encyclopedias were a good buy on her part.
The good news? If you skim over all of the ridiculous crap, these books are getting shorter, not longer. I'm flying through them now.
The mystery here is another really old case, which is Kinsey's specialty. She has a way of digging around in the past until someone tries to kill her and then - case solved. It's her method. Although, if I met her in person and she started talking to me, I would probably be willing to throw myself at the mercy of the courts. Or, try and kill her. Either way..
So, a little girl went missing over 20 years ago and Kinsey is on the case. There are multiple stories in different times going on and it was somewhat interesting. I liked the other POV's and actually read them thoroughly. Then, each chapter that went back to Kinsey got my now patented Jilly's School of Skimming Bullshit Program® applied to it. Take it from me, the founder, it works!
That must have been the chapter on bougainvillea. There's a fuckload of bougainvillea in this series. It's like the official flower of FakeTown, USA that she created.
I'm on such a roll. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. Freedom is coming. On to the letter V!!
March 11, 2022
Our redoubtable P.I. Kinsey Millhone has bounced back from a near death experience in the previous book and is ready for a new case. This turns out to be a young man who has memories from when he was six years old and believes he witnessed two men burying a child's body.
Kinsey is on to it immediately despite the odds being heavily against there being any truth in the tale at all. The story is told in two time lines, Kinsey's present and the past when the burial occurred. The mystery is very interesting and its final conclusion is a surprise.
I enjoyed the book very much mainly because I have read all of the books leading up to this one and have grown attached to Kinsey and her friends. Grafton also has a very definite style of writing and packs her books with information. I am very adept by now at knowing which descriptive passages I should read thoroughly and which I can skim.
I am now very much looking forward to V is for Vengeance.
Kinsey is on to it immediately despite the odds being heavily against there being any truth in the tale at all. The story is told in two time lines, Kinsey's present and the past when the burial occurred. The mystery is very interesting and its final conclusion is a surprise.
I enjoyed the book very much mainly because I have read all of the books leading up to this one and have grown attached to Kinsey and her friends. Grafton also has a very definite style of writing and packs her books with information. I am very adept by now at knowing which descriptive passages I should read thoroughly and which I can skim.
I am now very much looking forward to V is for Vengeance.
August 13, 2017
I have been a consistent fan of Sue Grafton's alphabet series, and this particular book was relatively convoluted in terms of plot and style. There are several incidents of violence and even murder---quite dissimilar from past novels. Grafton crafts the plot by transitioning between 1988, 1963 and 1964 with several points of view, including Kinsey's first- person narrative. Grafton skillfully executes the plot and manages to retain a semblance of the original, sassy Kinsey Millhone.
Kinsey is hired to investigate the disappearance of a young child two decades in the past, and despite the weak and shaky evidence her client presents, she embarks in search of clues, determined to find a resolution. The shifts in time frame allow the reader to gain a vivid idea of how and why certain events transpired. Grafton sticks mainly with the story and presents it well, but she fails to engage in the usual colorful details and comedic escapades of Millhone and her odd assortment of personal acquaintances. I recommend this book to mystery and PI fans.
Kinsey is hired to investigate the disappearance of a young child two decades in the past, and despite the weak and shaky evidence her client presents, she embarks in search of clues, determined to find a resolution. The shifts in time frame allow the reader to gain a vivid idea of how and why certain events transpired. Grafton sticks mainly with the story and presents it well, but she fails to engage in the usual colorful details and comedic escapades of Millhone and her odd assortment of personal acquaintances. I recommend this book to mystery and PI fans.
January 27, 2010
I could just say, "the best one yet" and be correct, but that seems a little too simple. I started reading this alphabet series after Grafton had written four of them. I loved her descriptions of everything and felt like I was sitting on a park bench in Santa Teresa. I still feel that way.
I met Sue Grafton at a book signing once. She had spoken about how she received letters from people admonishing her about how much Kinsey swore. She reacted by having Kinsey swear less, but felt uneasy about it. Eventually she decided that Kinsey swore because that's who she was and Grafton stopped trying to "fix" it.
In the last couple of books, I felt that Kinsey had hit her stride. She is who she is (so to speak) and she's comfortable with it (and so is Grafton). I loved this book and the only bad thing is how quickly I read it. Now I have to WAIT for the next one.
I met Sue Grafton at a book signing once. She had spoken about how she received letters from people admonishing her about how much Kinsey swore. She reacted by having Kinsey swear less, but felt uneasy about it. Eventually she decided that Kinsey swore because that's who she was and Grafton stopped trying to "fix" it.
In the last couple of books, I felt that Kinsey had hit her stride. She is who she is (so to speak) and she's comfortable with it (and so is Grafton). I loved this book and the only bad thing is how quickly I read it. Now I have to WAIT for the next one.
May 5, 2018
I enjoyed this mystery. Thought it was really good. But I always enjoy Sue Grafton. Glad I got to read another of her books. It was a very involved story with time changes, etc to tell it but when it finally got to the end, it went very quickly. I felt that there were a few unanswered questions that came up during the investigation that were never answered but all in all it was a really good book. Would definitely recommend.
May 18, 2018
Kinsey works on a case involving a kidnapping that occurred 20 years previously. A young man, who thinks he remembers something about the case, hires Kinsey to help him. It turns out the man isn't the most trustworthy, but Kinsey feels there is some truth to what he says.
The 21st book in the Kinsey Millhone series. This book is told with alternate timelines and alternate viewpoints. The mystery portion of the novel is good, but not the best in the series. I did like that we get a little more backstory on Kinsey and her family. A good read for fans of the series.
The 21st book in the Kinsey Millhone series. This book is told with alternate timelines and alternate viewpoints. The mystery portion of the novel is good, but not the best in the series. I did like that we get a little more backstory on Kinsey and her family. A good read for fans of the series.
February 3, 2010
Ok, I love this series, and with a few exceptions, I really liked each and every one. I think L is my least favorite, and I wasn't overly thrilled with O, or Q. But this, her latest book, is outstanding.
Kinsey Milhone is a unique and strong character, and that's one of the things I love about this series. On one hand, she dislikes socializing, but has a few really good friends she loves to hang out with. Her landlord, Henry, is a doll. He is 80 something and has three brothers in their 90's. (Or one is in his 80's, I can't remember.) They are robust elder gentlemen and often provide Kinsey with a sounding board. Married to one of the brothers is Rosie who owns the Hungarian restaurant Kinsey loves, and she's a character in her own right, strong and bossy. My only criticism of this book might be that we didn't see enough of Henry and the bunch, but you can get an ample dose from some of her other books.
Despite Kinsey's often jaded outlook on life, she still finds little things fascinating, and has a common sense approach to life and her investigations. She's a strong character who does not any problems asking people for information. In this book, which involves a 20 year old cold case where a little girl went missing and was never found, Kinsey shows an endearing compassion for the little girl's fate.
I've seen criticisms in other reviews about how all of these books are set in about the same period, the mid to late 1980's. I like it because I think it complements Kinsey's methodical detecting style. She often has to handle on the spot situations without being able to whip out her cell phone for assistance.
Now on to a little bit about the story. This book alternates back and forth between two time periods, 1967 and 1988. We follow more than one character, introduced separately and are given background so when the connections are made, we pretty much know who these people are and some of their motivations. It's not really a who-dun-it in the strictest sense, more like a how and why. We get a glimpse of how the pieces will fit, but the journey is the delight of this book.
We also get a glimpse into Kinsey's personal life as she struggles with her relatives she only had found out about a few years previously. Some resolutions are made and gave me a huge smile at the end.
It took me a while to finish, only because I had other books I needed to finish first, and other projects that kept me from listening to an audio on my regular schedule. I highly recommend the audio; Kate Reading does a great job. I always get the audios now because I can't imagine Kinsey sounding any different and enjoy Kate's interpretation immensely.
Kinsey Milhone is a unique and strong character, and that's one of the things I love about this series. On one hand, she dislikes socializing, but has a few really good friends she loves to hang out with. Her landlord, Henry, is a doll. He is 80 something and has three brothers in their 90's. (Or one is in his 80's, I can't remember.) They are robust elder gentlemen and often provide Kinsey with a sounding board. Married to one of the brothers is Rosie who owns the Hungarian restaurant Kinsey loves, and she's a character in her own right, strong and bossy. My only criticism of this book might be that we didn't see enough of Henry and the bunch, but you can get an ample dose from some of her other books.
Despite Kinsey's often jaded outlook on life, she still finds little things fascinating, and has a common sense approach to life and her investigations. She's a strong character who does not any problems asking people for information. In this book, which involves a 20 year old cold case where a little girl went missing and was never found, Kinsey shows an endearing compassion for the little girl's fate.
I've seen criticisms in other reviews about how all of these books are set in about the same period, the mid to late 1980's. I like it because I think it complements Kinsey's methodical detecting style. She often has to handle on the spot situations without being able to whip out her cell phone for assistance.
Now on to a little bit about the story. This book alternates back and forth between two time periods, 1967 and 1988. We follow more than one character, introduced separately and are given background so when the connections are made, we pretty much know who these people are and some of their motivations. It's not really a who-dun-it in the strictest sense, more like a how and why. We get a glimpse of how the pieces will fit, but the journey is the delight of this book.
We also get a glimpse into Kinsey's personal life as she struggles with her relatives she only had found out about a few years previously. Some resolutions are made and gave me a huge smile at the end.
It took me a while to finish, only because I had other books I needed to finish first, and other projects that kept me from listening to an audio on my regular schedule. I highly recommend the audio; Kate Reading does a great job. I always get the audios now because I can't imagine Kinsey sounding any different and enjoy Kate's interpretation immensely.
January 25, 2023
Digital audiobook performed by Judy Kaye.
Book # 21 in the mystery series starring private investigator and former cop, Kinsey Millhone. This time she gets involved in a cold case when a man comes to her with a memory from when he was only five or six years old of two “pirates burying treasure.” He thinks it may be related to a case of an abducted child who was never solved. Meanwhile, Kinsey is, herself, digging into her own murky past and uncovering some things she was never privy to.
Grafton sure could write a compelling mystery! The plot moves forward at a steady pace, not so fast to as exhaust the reader, but fast enough to keep the pages turning. She includes a couple of wonderful side characters, chiefly Henry (Kinsey’s elderly landlord), and Rosie (owner and cook of a local bar/eatery). Grafton purposely set the series in a time before cell phones and the internet, so Kinsey needs to use the old-fashioned (by today’s standards) resources of reverse directories and pay phones. Not to mention a lot of leg work.
Because this is a cold case, the plot moves back and forth between Kinsey’s current investigation and events that occurred some twenty-five years previously, and switches between different characters’ points of view. I thought the final confrontation wrapped up a tad too quickly, but it was a satisfying ending nonetheless.
I really like this series, but I haven’t been reading them in order. I think I need to go back to earlier books and correct that. While the stories can stand on their own, and Grafton wrote them with little time elapsing from A to Y, there are some revelations about Kinsey and her background that might be best revealed in order.
Judy Kaye does a fine job of narrating the audiobook. I really like the way she interprets Kinsey, Henry and Rosie.
Book # 21 in the mystery series starring private investigator and former cop, Kinsey Millhone. This time she gets involved in a cold case when a man comes to her with a memory from when he was only five or six years old of two “pirates burying treasure.” He thinks it may be related to a case of an abducted child who was never solved. Meanwhile, Kinsey is, herself, digging into her own murky past and uncovering some things she was never privy to.
Grafton sure could write a compelling mystery! The plot moves forward at a steady pace, not so fast to as exhaust the reader, but fast enough to keep the pages turning. She includes a couple of wonderful side characters, chiefly Henry (Kinsey’s elderly landlord), and Rosie (owner and cook of a local bar/eatery). Grafton purposely set the series in a time before cell phones and the internet, so Kinsey needs to use the old-fashioned (by today’s standards) resources of reverse directories and pay phones. Not to mention a lot of leg work.
Because this is a cold case, the plot moves back and forth between Kinsey’s current investigation and events that occurred some twenty-five years previously, and switches between different characters’ points of view. I thought the final confrontation wrapped up a tad too quickly, but it was a satisfying ending nonetheless.
I really like this series, but I haven’t been reading them in order. I think I need to go back to earlier books and correct that. While the stories can stand on their own, and Grafton wrote them with little time elapsing from A to Y, there are some revelations about Kinsey and her background that might be best revealed in order.
Judy Kaye does a fine job of narrating the audiobook. I really like the way she interprets Kinsey, Henry and Rosie.
August 5, 2017
Kinsey's case for U centers on a cold case. One that intersects with the people from her Senior Year in h.s. class. Which is one of those aspects, her town's size and placement- that I've always liked about this series. A locale big enough to get lost within, but not too big that you don't jut up against a rock or two of decades old acquaintances, after effect, and fall out during your harbor of life. Friendships tend to stronger memory in a town that size, IMHO. 50,000- 100,00 is just about perfect.
But here we go to my reaction. LOVED it! To a point of a 4.5 star and I did consider this particular entire to be a short peg from 5 star in this exact genre. THIS LATE IN THE ALPHABET!!! It seems shocking. There have been more than a couple that I thought barely a 3 star and filled with melodrama, so I left most of the last half of the alphabet unread. But to return to U is for Undertow- this well mazed level of who-dun-it after a couple decades length for any book series! It's more than an awesome accomplishment. Sue Grafton heads or joins many writers groups and has proven herself above the women DI/copper mystery writer genre fare of multitudes. Time and again she has aided other writers. This one surpasses. Characters, core personalities, plots, motivations. All here so fitting like a perfectly twisted Rubic's Cube to the periods of time they covered and the crisscross of their crimes. 1967-69 span and the later one of 1988. Both periods done to perfection. To fashion, to popularity and especially to "eyes". Kinsey is within a month of her 38th birthday here. And to my own taste she's aged to exactly mellow and ripe. Before this book, my own favorite was the one early in the alphabet in which she found her 2nd husband in the compromising situation. Then she was sleek and sharp. But those personas BOTH have pointy places, and now they are gone. Logical, practical, tipping to forgiveness and starting to ignore the merely annoying. She's becoming unorphaned (exactly that meaning using an unword), as well.
There are three men who have life stories in this book. We get to know each nuance, emotion, rejection, anger, onus, desire, habit of thought and present state for all 3. That was super. Just the right number to expose and parse. And through these men we got to KNOW the women in their lives. The Mona's, the Destiny's. And even as a perchance friend and lost person finding himself, a child named Sky Dancer.
Lovely, lovely work on the characterizations and the why of 1988. And the eventual reveal and outcome. Switching time periods didn't lessen the desire to read what had happened. There WAS a connection, we all know that there is. But it was fun to imagine what they could be and how Rain had been so lucky to escape the outcome of the little girl of the following week.
And it also had a few life lesson examples that were valuable to precious. Doesn't everyone know that person who constantly changes factors of detail or remembers things in a pattern to make the teller the pivot he/she wasn't, or told in a way to connect people by the teller's own motives when that didn't occur the way it was observed by others in real time! And how those siblings categorized Michael with their proofs- that's common. Sometimes the boy who cries wolf, is more accurate than at other times. So you can't ignore him despite the accuracy rate? For sure. Could it be his memory is correct in placement but wrong in time or motives observed? Which parts relate fact and which are imagined?
If you haven't read a Kinsey Milhone in a stretch, this is the one to pick up. Excellent and VERY entertaining.
Oh, I can't forget to add my own opinion- she gets the realistic hippie of 1967-68 PERFECTLY in Creed and Destiny. Few do.
But here we go to my reaction. LOVED it! To a point of a 4.5 star and I did consider this particular entire to be a short peg from 5 star in this exact genre. THIS LATE IN THE ALPHABET!!! It seems shocking. There have been more than a couple that I thought barely a 3 star and filled with melodrama, so I left most of the last half of the alphabet unread. But to return to U is for Undertow- this well mazed level of who-dun-it after a couple decades length for any book series! It's more than an awesome accomplishment. Sue Grafton heads or joins many writers groups and has proven herself above the women DI/copper mystery writer genre fare of multitudes. Time and again she has aided other writers. This one surpasses. Characters, core personalities, plots, motivations. All here so fitting like a perfectly twisted Rubic's Cube to the periods of time they covered and the crisscross of their crimes. 1967-69 span and the later one of 1988. Both periods done to perfection. To fashion, to popularity and especially to "eyes". Kinsey is within a month of her 38th birthday here. And to my own taste she's aged to exactly mellow and ripe. Before this book, my own favorite was the one early in the alphabet in which she found her 2nd husband in the compromising situation. Then she was sleek and sharp. But those personas BOTH have pointy places, and now they are gone. Logical, practical, tipping to forgiveness and starting to ignore the merely annoying. She's becoming unorphaned (exactly that meaning using an unword), as well.
There are three men who have life stories in this book. We get to know each nuance, emotion, rejection, anger, onus, desire, habit of thought and present state for all 3. That was super. Just the right number to expose and parse. And through these men we got to KNOW the women in their lives. The Mona's, the Destiny's. And even as a perchance friend and lost person finding himself, a child named Sky Dancer.
Lovely, lovely work on the characterizations and the why of 1988. And the eventual reveal and outcome. Switching time periods didn't lessen the desire to read what had happened. There WAS a connection, we all know that there is. But it was fun to imagine what they could be and how Rain had been so lucky to escape the outcome of the little girl of the following week.
And it also had a few life lesson examples that were valuable to precious. Doesn't everyone know that person who constantly changes factors of detail or remembers things in a pattern to make the teller the pivot he/she wasn't, or told in a way to connect people by the teller's own motives when that didn't occur the way it was observed by others in real time! And how those siblings categorized Michael with their proofs- that's common. Sometimes the boy who cries wolf, is more accurate than at other times. So you can't ignore him despite the accuracy rate? For sure. Could it be his memory is correct in placement but wrong in time or motives observed? Which parts relate fact and which are imagined?
If you haven't read a Kinsey Milhone in a stretch, this is the one to pick up. Excellent and VERY entertaining.
Oh, I can't forget to add my own opinion- she gets the realistic hippie of 1967-68 PERFECTLY in Creed and Destiny. Few do.
August 1, 2024
In 'U is for Undertow', Kinsey Millhone is tantalized by unexpected information coming to her attention about two unsolved mysteries that she believed it was impossible to ever know what happened.
For those new to the Kinsey Millhone detective series, this is a continuing series which in my opinion should be read in order, beginning here: A is for Alibi . There is one more little bit of information a new reader to the series should know: Sue Grafton, the author, decided to freeze Kinsey in time. Her life is always in the 1980's. In this book, the 21st volume in the series, it is 1988 and Kinsey is 37 years old.
A new client, Michael Sutton, wants her to investigate the circumstances of a memory from when he was a child. He has almost no reliable information to give her! Never mind. She is intrigued enough to help him. Sutton, as a six year old, saw two older men burying something in woods behind a kid's house in Horton Ravine where he had been dropped off by his mom. Sutton doesn't remember the kid's name, or to whom the house he had been dropped off belonged to, or exactly what the men looked like who he saw burying a covered object. When Kinsey asks him why he wants to hire her to find this house and this burial spot, Sutton reluctantly explains he thinks they were the men who had kidnapped four-year-old Mary Claire Fitzgerald in 1967. Mary Claire's body was never found. Sutton's parents are also now dead, so he can't ask them about his memory.
It is possible the arrival of a possible invitation of some sort from her newly discovered Kinsey kin had something to do with her sudden overwhelming interest in Sutton's problem. She cannot make herself open the envelope from her newly discovered relatives after discovering it on her office floor, it having been pushed through her mail slot, so she doesn't really know what the envelope contains. Instead, she throws it into her wastebasket, fighting her feelings of bitterness and resentment. She doesn't want to think about her dead mother's and Aunt Gin's family, and now apparently her own, relatives (previous book). Her parents, Randy Millhone and Rita Cynthia Kinsey, died in a car accident when Kinsey was five years old. Kinsey was raised by her Aunt Gin, who was the only person who accepted the marriage of Kinsey's mother to her father. At least this is what Kinsey believes. However, now that Kinsey is on her mother's family's radar screen, they keep trying to bring her back into their lives. She is finding herself pushing back against their efforts, determined to ignore her relatives forever, never to involve herself with them again. The fact she has agreed to take an impossible case to solve will keep her too busy, right? Right.
Never say never!
I enjoyed this walk down memory lane into the 1960's. However, flashback haters and those who despise changing points of view should be warned this story flips between 1963 and 1988, as well as between the narration of several characters.
For those new to the Kinsey Millhone detective series, this is a continuing series which in my opinion should be read in order, beginning here: A is for Alibi . There is one more little bit of information a new reader to the series should know: Sue Grafton, the author, decided to freeze Kinsey in time. Her life is always in the 1980's. In this book, the 21st volume in the series, it is 1988 and Kinsey is 37 years old.
A new client, Michael Sutton, wants her to investigate the circumstances of a memory from when he was a child. He has almost no reliable information to give her! Never mind. She is intrigued enough to help him. Sutton, as a six year old, saw two older men burying something in woods behind a kid's house in Horton Ravine where he had been dropped off by his mom. Sutton doesn't remember the kid's name, or to whom the house he had been dropped off belonged to, or exactly what the men looked like who he saw burying a covered object. When Kinsey asks him why he wants to hire her to find this house and this burial spot, Sutton reluctantly explains he thinks they were the men who had kidnapped four-year-old Mary Claire Fitzgerald in 1967. Mary Claire's body was never found. Sutton's parents are also now dead, so he can't ask them about his memory.
It is possible the arrival of a possible invitation of some sort from her newly discovered Kinsey kin had something to do with her sudden overwhelming interest in Sutton's problem. She cannot make herself open the envelope from her newly discovered relatives after discovering it on her office floor, it having been pushed through her mail slot, so she doesn't really know what the envelope contains. Instead, she throws it into her wastebasket, fighting her feelings of bitterness and resentment. She doesn't want to think about her dead mother's and Aunt Gin's family, and now apparently her own, relatives (previous book). Her parents, Randy Millhone and Rita Cynthia Kinsey, died in a car accident when Kinsey was five years old. Kinsey was raised by her Aunt Gin, who was the only person who accepted the marriage of Kinsey's mother to her father. At least this is what Kinsey believes. However, now that Kinsey is on her mother's family's radar screen, they keep trying to bring her back into their lives. She is finding herself pushing back against their efforts, determined to ignore her relatives forever, never to involve herself with them again. The fact she has agreed to take an impossible case to solve will keep her too busy, right? Right.
Never say never!
I enjoyed this walk down memory lane into the 1960's. However, flashback haters and those who despise changing points of view should be warned this story flips between 1963 and 1988, as well as between the narration of several characters.
February 19, 2022
When Michael Sutton comes into Kinsey Millhone’s office one afternoon, he comes with a tale about two men he’d seen burring something in the woods twenty-one years earlier. As a six-year-old, he believed their story that they were pirates digging for treasure, but after seeing an article about a kidnapping that took place about the same time, Michael is certain there is a connection. The catch? He doesn’t know where he was at the time. With very little to go on, Kinsey agrees to take the case. Will she find anything?
This is an excellent book in the series. While we know more than Kinsey does for most of the book, watching Kinsey figure things out keeps the pages turning. We spent time in the past as well as Kinsey’s present of 1988 to fully understand how things played out, and it always works. Kinsey is a fun main character, and a recurring series storyline comes back into play in this book, allowing for some growth for her. The rest of the cast are just as strong. I knew going in that this book would have more content than I typically get in the cozies I read, but there was some stuff in the final quarter of the book that could have been trimmed without it impacting anything. Still, overall, fans of this long running series will be happy with this book.
Read my full review at Carstairs Considers.
This is an excellent book in the series. While we know more than Kinsey does for most of the book, watching Kinsey figure things out keeps the pages turning. We spent time in the past as well as Kinsey’s present of 1988 to fully understand how things played out, and it always works. Kinsey is a fun main character, and a recurring series storyline comes back into play in this book, allowing for some growth for her. The rest of the cast are just as strong. I knew going in that this book would have more content than I typically get in the cozies I read, but there was some stuff in the final quarter of the book that could have been trimmed without it impacting anything. Still, overall, fans of this long running series will be happy with this book.
Read my full review at Carstairs Considers.
September 22, 2022
U is for Undertow (Kinsey Millhone, #21) by Sue Grafton.
This was an excellent Kinsey Millhone mystery and a very involved one at that!
Michael Sutton comes to Kinsey with his story of seeing a small dog being buried late at night. The problem is this happened when Michael was 6 years old and he's now 27. It appears this burial took place at the same time a child had been kidnapped. Did Michael really observe something small being buried years ago or was this the imagination of a child?
Kinsey goes into the lives of those involved starting in the 1960's to the present day. The story is flowing and so interesting I couldn't stop to come up for air.
I'm thankful the author put all her ducks in a row in the epilogue. Such a gifted author. I appreciate that she still lives within the pages of her alphabet books. Great read.
This was an excellent Kinsey Millhone mystery and a very involved one at that!
Michael Sutton comes to Kinsey with his story of seeing a small dog being buried late at night. The problem is this happened when Michael was 6 years old and he's now 27. It appears this burial took place at the same time a child had been kidnapped. Did Michael really observe something small being buried years ago or was this the imagination of a child?
Kinsey goes into the lives of those involved starting in the 1960's to the present day. The story is flowing and so interesting I couldn't stop to come up for air.
I'm thankful the author put all her ducks in a row in the epilogue. Such a gifted author. I appreciate that she still lives within the pages of her alphabet books. Great read.
June 4, 2021
3 Stars. A good outing with Kinsey Millhone that heats up dramatically in the last few chapters. Get set to be tense! And concerned about Kinsey's safety. At 457 pages though, it's 100 pages too long. I didn't find myself that interested in the broken relationship between Kinsey and her family in Lompoc, especially Grand, her rich and eccentric grandmother. Most of the family is estranged, other than Kinsey's Aunt Gin, her guardian after she lost her parents. Gin was strict with limited warmth; we even delve into her sexual orientation! The story begins with Kinsey doing paper work in her office, things were slow, when a handsome young man, Michael Sutton, wanders in with a strange story. He claims that, on his 6th birthday, he saw two men burying a small body in Horton Ravine in suburban Santa Teresa. 21 years ago. He had recently seen an article in the local paper about the unsolved kidnapping of 4-year-old Mary Claire Fitzhugh. And presumably, death. A memory was triggered. It's the doggedness of Millhone which shines. She's skeptical of Sutton's story, he was only 6 after all, but she pushes on. Here's a clue for you. Keep an eye on the $40,000. (June 2021)
February 12, 2012
I thought this was an interesting idea of the boy who cried wolf and then would not be believed.
It was told from different view points, the past and present and different characters and that made it interesting
What I don't quite get and which the book didn't explain was how the the "boy who cried wolf" could have been telling the truth when he couldn't have possibly witnessed as he was in another country and this was the documented by photogrphic proof? it made it unlikely- how as a writer can you prove the "hero" is lying and then not offer an explanation as to how come he saw the event that actually occured whilst in another country
That is why I gave it a 3 star
It was told from different view points, the past and present and different characters and that made it interesting
What I don't quite get and which the book didn't explain was how the the "boy who cried wolf" could have been telling the truth when he couldn't have possibly witnessed as he was in another country and this was the documented by photogrphic proof? it made it unlikely- how as a writer can you prove the "hero" is lying and then not offer an explanation as to how come he saw the event that actually occured whilst in another country
That is why I gave it a 3 star
June 6, 2017
Definitely one of the weakest in the series. Not enough Kinsey and Henry for me, and too much kidnapping, alcoholism and (stereotypical) hippies. Was she depressed writing this or was I depressed reading it?
Onward and upward! A so-so Kinsey book still beats so-so anything else.
Onward and upward! A so-so Kinsey book still beats so-so anything else.
January 4, 2010
There is a character in Sue Grafton's 21st book of her Kinsey Millhone series who is taking a class in creative writing. His teacher specifically chides him for creating "characteristics," not "characters." The teacher then goes on with specifics, pointing out that by writing out of his head and not his gut, the student failing to establish a connection between writer and reader. This, I believe, is Grafton's secret of why her novels stand out above the rest in the genre. She writes from the heart and researches everything she includes in her narratives if she hasn't experienced them first-hand. Others have tried to emulate her, (most flagrantly, Janet Evanovich, even to copying Grafton's method of titling, employing numbers instead of the alphabet). But no one has ever come close to creating a series so complex and intriguing, in which each book could possibly stand on its own. Somewhere around "K is for Killer," I saw Grafton in person, and she said that as long as there was an alphabet, she'd be in print because people, being as compulsive as they are, go right back and start with "A (is for Alibi)" no matter which letter they start with. (I started with "C" and, yes, went back and read the other 2 that preceded it).
Grafton has enhanced her prose by no longer employing only first person narration, shifting to third person for expostulation of motivation and time. She is a master at weaving seemingly disparate threads into a whole story line, and the characters reverberate with reality. Kinsey, her alter ego PI, is 38 in 1988, and those of us who have been following her for over 20 years appreciate her consistency. In this story, Kinsey's own history is further revealed to the reader as well as to her. As she gets closer to the answers to the puzzle at the center of this book, she also gets closer to the answers of her own existence.
Grafton has enhanced her prose by no longer employing only first person narration, shifting to third person for expostulation of motivation and time. She is a master at weaving seemingly disparate threads into a whole story line, and the characters reverberate with reality. Kinsey, her alter ego PI, is 38 in 1988, and those of us who have been following her for over 20 years appreciate her consistency. In this story, Kinsey's own history is further revealed to the reader as well as to her. As she gets closer to the answers to the puzzle at the center of this book, she also gets closer to the answers of her own existence.
August 17, 2010
I found myself thinking, here we go with another Kinsey Millhone book. Big deal. I've read all Sue Grafton's books, so I might as well continue, right? But it had been awhile since I read the last one, and I have to say that "U" reminded me of why I've happily read all Grafton's books over the years. If one definition of a good read is finding it hard to put the book down because you can't wait to see what happens next - then "U is for Undertow" offers that, hands down. Sue Grafton isn't Tolstoy, but she's smart and funny and eminently readable. I still like her character, Kinsey, even after all these years. She's stuck in a time warp in maybe late '70s/ early '80s Santa Teresa (Santa Barbara, CA), but not blatantly so. You only think of it when she's in trouble and think, gee - shouldn't she have a cell phone by now? Anyway, "U" is a winner and I already find myself a little sad knowing there are only five more letters in the alphabet. If you love the cold case-type shows on TV, this book will resonate with you. And if you just love Kinsey and Henry and life in ST, this latest story won't disappoint.
March 3, 2019
Love how Sue Grafton is all the way to U and she still keeps the series fresh. Another great Kinsey Millhone mystery!
2nd impressions - once again Kinsey gets involved in a cold case and it’s interesting to see what she can come up with after 21 years. This is also the third book where we get other people’s views and that’s been done slightly different each time too.
2nd impressions - once again Kinsey gets involved in a cold case and it’s interesting to see what she can come up with after 21 years. This is also the third book where we get other people’s views and that’s been done slightly different each time too.
September 3, 2010
Sturdy if not long entry in the consistently excellent PI Kinsey Millhone series. This one reads something like a novel, with different POVs and a nice slice of Kinsey's personal life offered. The detailed settings are vivid and striking. It takes a while for the mystery to unfold, but the narrative flow sweeps you along until there's traction. Like any PI worth his or her salt, Kinsey in tenacious. She never gives up once she's all in the mix. Reading the alphabet titles is a treat I look forward to. Always good stuff.
January 3, 2013
Another very good book in the series by Grafton. I like the detail she provides ... adding realism - even while unrelated to the mystery per se: little touches (e.g., the older PI she visits who is conditioning the leather of his office chairs while they talk), the coffee maker that she forgot to unplug (haven't we all?). Also the bigger touches: the description of the dropped-out generation of the 60's-70's. Brings you back in time realistically.
August 2, 2018
Believe it or not, this is my very first Sue Grafton novel that I've read. It is the 21st in her Kinsey Millhone series. I tend to not gravitate towards authors that write these massive series. So I'm glad I liked this one more than I thought I would. I liked the mystery and the way things were uncovered little by little. That kept me hanging on. The author certainly knows how to draw it out though. Sometimes that was little frustrating.
I also didn't mind the toggling around in time. That was well done. It was so purposeful...I admired that. I liked this one. I'll eventually read this series...but I think I'll start with the first one. There was some backstory that would have been helpful.
I also didn't mind the toggling around in time. That was well done. It was so purposeful...I admired that. I liked this one. I'll eventually read this series...but I think I'll start with the first one. There was some backstory that would have been helpful.
June 6, 2021
Private Investigator Kinsey Millhone is approached by Michael Sutton. Michael tells her a story about something that happened on his sixth birthday. He remembers wandering through the woods and discovering two men who are digging a hole. They told him that they were pirates searching for buried treasure. A large bundle was laying under a tree. Michael said he didn't think much about it until he recently learned about an unsolved kidnapping that took place on the same weekend. Four-year-old Mary Claire Fitzhugh was kidnapped. A ransom was delivered but the little girl was never returned. Michael believes that he could have seen the kidnappers possibly burying the body of the little girl. He wants to hire Kinsey to see if it is true.
This is the 21st book in the Kinsey Millhone series. If this particular story had been earlier in the series, I never would have made it this far. There were too many details, too many descriptions, and too many flashbacks. The story itself is set in 1988, but we had many flashbacks to 1963 and 1967. Some of those scenes were interesting, others were not. We were told the identity of the kidnappers in the middle of the story, and we get a lot of scenes of their history from childhood until the present. I don't think that helped move the story forward at all.
Since I absolutely loved the last book that I read in this series (T is for Trespass), I'll be continuing it in the future. My rating: 2.5 Stars.
This is the 21st book in the Kinsey Millhone series. If this particular story had been earlier in the series, I never would have made it this far. There were too many details, too many descriptions, and too many flashbacks. The story itself is set in 1988, but we had many flashbacks to 1963 and 1967. Some of those scenes were interesting, others were not. We were told the identity of the kidnappers in the middle of the story, and we get a lot of scenes of their history from childhood until the present. I don't think that helped move the story forward at all.
Since I absolutely loved the last book that I read in this series (T is for Trespass), I'll be continuing it in the future. My rating: 2.5 Stars.
December 29, 2009
First let me say that I absolutely positively love Sue Grafton. I couldn't wait for this book to come out. I was extremely disappointed.
Kinsey is connected with a new client, Michael Sutton. Michael was 6 years old when he saw two men digging a hole with a bundle laying next to them. Michael surmises that the bundle is of a missing girl. It is not until 21 years later that he connects these pieces. Michael's family sets him up his known "the boy who cried wolf" personality. Towards the end of the book, Michael's brother and sister come to Kinsey with new information. They have proof that Michael was not capable of witnessing any of this because they were in Disney. There are ticket stubs and pictures to collaborate their story. Yet, Kinsey keeps going on Michael's memory. Michael ends up meeting his demise because he recognizes one of the two men digging the hole. I don't understand how any of this plot works! If it is proven that Michael was not even in the state during the kidnapping, how would he know the killers and the place of burial for the missing girl? The timing of the kidnapping/murders matches Michael's time of vacation. It doesn't make sense. If anyone has a different view, I am willing to entertain it.
Kinsey is connected with a new client, Michael Sutton. Michael was 6 years old when he saw two men digging a hole with a bundle laying next to them. Michael surmises that the bundle is of a missing girl. It is not until 21 years later that he connects these pieces. Michael's family sets him up his known "the boy who cried wolf" personality. Towards the end of the book, Michael's brother and sister come to Kinsey with new information. They have proof that Michael was not capable of witnessing any of this because they were in Disney. There are ticket stubs and pictures to collaborate their story. Yet, Kinsey keeps going on Michael's memory. Michael ends up meeting his demise because he recognizes one of the two men digging the hole. I don't understand how any of this plot works! If it is proven that Michael was not even in the state during the kidnapping, how would he know the killers and the place of burial for the missing girl? The timing of the kidnapping/murders matches Michael's time of vacation. It doesn't make sense. If anyone has a different view, I am willing to entertain it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 5, 2021
Loved this one, we find out so much info about Kinsey!
August 10, 2018
Good old Goodreads. I was halfway through a considered discussion of this book when, shambalaboolipops, Goodreads wiped out what I'd written. If I were Alex Jones I'd assume it was an Illuminati, Deep State plot. As I have a brain, or some semblance thereof, I think my little accident was just yet another product of Goodreads's user-unfriendliness.
So let's try again, shall we?
It's not all that often that the death of someone I've never met -- usually a celebrity of some kind -- upsets me: John Hurt was one, Ed McBain another. Sue Grafton was yet another: everything I've been told about her tells me she was one of life's good eggs, and I got the same impression from her novels, all in the Kinsey Milhone alphabetical series and many, probably most, of which I've read.
At the same time, I don't think the novels are perfect. In particular, I tend to roll my eyes at what I regard as the dreary soap-opera bits: Kinsey's slow rediscovery of her estranged family, the romantic and other entanglements of the family of her elderly landlord and the person who runs the Greek diner down the road. Those elements I could do without. McBain mastered the art of making the digressions/padding every bit as appealing as the rest of the novel; Grafton, for me, didn't.
So I looked a bit nervously at the 400+ page-count of U is for Undertow. Was this going to be a swamp of extraneous soap-opera "bizness"?
I needn't have worried. There's some, but it's not that much and it never threatens to dominate. Instead what we have is a damn' good cold-case mystery, spanning the decades and offering enough by way of intriguing volte-faces to satisfy even a fairly demanding mystery fan like me.
Michael Sutton, wastrel heir, comes to Kinsey with his sudden flash of recollection that, over twenty years ago when he was a little kid, he stumbled across a couple of guys, disguised as pirates, who were burying a suspiciously body-shaped package in the woods. Could this, Michael thinks, be connected to the fact that, at about the same time, a child was kidnapped and never recovered?
Kinsey has her doubts, as do the cops, but being Kinsey she digs deeper and deeper until finally she solves the mystery of today's (1988) developments and the old kidnapping.
Maybe two-thirds of the narrative is Kinsey's first-person account of what's going on now. The rest's in third-person, some of it recounting what happened back in 1963-7, some of it telling us of current events where Kinsey's not in attendance. (In a particularly impressive piece of storytelling skill, at one point the first-person Kinsey is suddenly introduced into the third-person modern-day narrative.) Because Grafton was, y'know, quite good at this sort of thing, there's never any confusion as to which timestream or whose head you're in.
I've mentioned above that this novel functions as a fine cold-case mystery. That's true, but in a sense, now I think back on it, it doesn't try to be a mystery at all. From relatively early on we know who the culprits were (at least if we ignore the little voice telling us that, if it's that obvious, it can't have been them!). On the other hand, there are plenty of details still there to be unpicked, and I for one was turning the pages eagerly as Kinsey unpicked 'em.
Grafton was just 77 when she died, having failed by exactly one novel to complete the alphabet. Every now and then I have this silly fantasy that I'll wake up tomorrow to discover that rumors of her death were greatly exaggerated and that soon we'll see the publication of the long-awaited Z is for . . .?
If only.
So let's try again, shall we?
It's not all that often that the death of someone I've never met -- usually a celebrity of some kind -- upsets me: John Hurt was one, Ed McBain another. Sue Grafton was yet another: everything I've been told about her tells me she was one of life's good eggs, and I got the same impression from her novels, all in the Kinsey Milhone alphabetical series and many, probably most, of which I've read.
At the same time, I don't think the novels are perfect. In particular, I tend to roll my eyes at what I regard as the dreary soap-opera bits: Kinsey's slow rediscovery of her estranged family, the romantic and other entanglements of the family of her elderly landlord and the person who runs the Greek diner down the road. Those elements I could do without. McBain mastered the art of making the digressions/padding every bit as appealing as the rest of the novel; Grafton, for me, didn't.
So I looked a bit nervously at the 400+ page-count of U is for Undertow. Was this going to be a swamp of extraneous soap-opera "bizness"?
I needn't have worried. There's some, but it's not that much and it never threatens to dominate. Instead what we have is a damn' good cold-case mystery, spanning the decades and offering enough by way of intriguing volte-faces to satisfy even a fairly demanding mystery fan like me.
Michael Sutton, wastrel heir, comes to Kinsey with his sudden flash of recollection that, over twenty years ago when he was a little kid, he stumbled across a couple of guys, disguised as pirates, who were burying a suspiciously body-shaped package in the woods. Could this, Michael thinks, be connected to the fact that, at about the same time, a child was kidnapped and never recovered?
Kinsey has her doubts, as do the cops, but being Kinsey she digs deeper and deeper until finally she solves the mystery of today's (1988) developments and the old kidnapping.
Maybe two-thirds of the narrative is Kinsey's first-person account of what's going on now. The rest's in third-person, some of it recounting what happened back in 1963-7, some of it telling us of current events where Kinsey's not in attendance. (In a particularly impressive piece of storytelling skill, at one point the first-person Kinsey is suddenly introduced into the third-person modern-day narrative.) Because Grafton was, y'know, quite good at this sort of thing, there's never any confusion as to which timestream or whose head you're in.
I've mentioned above that this novel functions as a fine cold-case mystery. That's true, but in a sense, now I think back on it, it doesn't try to be a mystery at all. From relatively early on we know who the culprits were (at least if we ignore the little voice telling us that, if it's that obvious, it can't have been them!). On the other hand, there are plenty of details still there to be unpicked, and I for one was turning the pages eagerly as Kinsey unpicked 'em.
Grafton was just 77 when she died, having failed by exactly one novel to complete the alphabet. Every now and then I have this silly fantasy that I'll wake up tomorrow to discover that rumors of her death were greatly exaggerated and that soon we'll see the publication of the long-awaited Z is for . . .?
If only.
May 19, 2010
I had originally thought that entering a series at the 21st instalment was a bad plan, but the thought of trudging through U is for Undertows predecessors was somewhat paralysing. Luckily if you are in the same boat, I can totally reassure you that Grafton’s master writing skills prevent any need for backstory. Sure there was a bit (well maybe a lot of) information dump at the start of the novel which I promptly forgot, but the story was fine to follow from that perspective.
I was also worried, because authors who pump out endless masses of thrillers tend to produce such pulpy and superficial works that reading them is worse for one’s brain cells than bashing your own head against a wall.
My worry was misappropriated.
With Undertow, Sue Grafton proves herself to be a brilliant story weaver, introducing just the right number of characters, and blending science, insight and drama into a great book. Undertow is a slightly unusual story in that the main drama is a twenty year old kidnapping that was never solved. Grafton does attempt to tense up the story with an unfortunate piece of blunt foreshadowing but in the end the story is actually more interesting from a character drama point of view, in particular the difficult relationships of the original victim’s family – a pair of upper class parents with an advantage taking hippy son –
The main plot is compelling although it does have a slightly ridiculous line towards the end where the main character congratulates a one of the criminals on staying sober for ten days (maybe it was sarcasm but it didn’t come across very well)
Undertow is a cut above the rest, a truly intelligent thriller well worth looking into (still not entirely sure if I can stand reading the previous 20 books yet)
I was also worried, because authors who pump out endless masses of thrillers tend to produce such pulpy and superficial works that reading them is worse for one’s brain cells than bashing your own head against a wall.
My worry was misappropriated.
With Undertow, Sue Grafton proves herself to be a brilliant story weaver, introducing just the right number of characters, and blending science, insight and drama into a great book. Undertow is a slightly unusual story in that the main drama is a twenty year old kidnapping that was never solved. Grafton does attempt to tense up the story with an unfortunate piece of blunt foreshadowing but in the end the story is actually more interesting from a character drama point of view, in particular the difficult relationships of the original victim’s family – a pair of upper class parents with an advantage taking hippy son –
The main plot is compelling although it does have a slightly ridiculous line towards the end where the main character congratulates a one of the criminals on staying sober for ten days (maybe it was sarcasm but it didn’t come across very well)
Undertow is a cut above the rest, a truly intelligent thriller well worth looking into (still not entirely sure if I can stand reading the previous 20 books yet)
August 15, 2016
Sue Grafton is a master of her craft. The Kinsey Milhone mysteries are long-time favorites of mine, so perhaps I'm biased. I've listened to the majority as audio books, so I must also acknowledge Judy Kaye who's narrated all of them. She IS Kinsey for me.
Every time I read these books, I'm impressed with two things:
- What Kinsey accomplishes with seemingly simple investigative techniques
- How charming life seems in Santa Theresa in that time period
In this book, Kinsey is working on a cold case based on the recollections of her client. So instead of just the late 1980s, we get a glimpse of the late 1960s as well.
Some books thrive on the twists and turns with mysterious characters popping into view. Grafton introduces her readers to a group of characters, and then shows us how everyone connects together, waiting to pull the final strings until the end of her story. It's more of a "howdunit" and a "whydunit" than a whodunit.
I'm sorry to be at the U in the alphabet, and to know there are only a few more to go. Imagine how Sue Grafton must feel!
June 20, 2019
It has been several years since I completed a Kinsey Millhone episode. So glad I revisited the series as I was reminded what attracted me to these books to begin with. Kinsey is a strong, intelligent, witty private investigator who is not married, has no children and lives life just how she wants - on her terms.
Each episode is fresh, and they do not have to be read in order. There are constant reminders of her earlier life which explain her past if you skip around in order.
This episode was good and covers a lot of heady topics: alcoholism, child-neglect, narcissistic parents, murder, etcetera. Sounds like a lot, yet I didn't even realize how many sensitive topics were threaded within until I sat down to write this review. Now, that is a testimony to her phenomenal talent as a writer. Sue Grafton has a terrific ability make her plots not only realistic, she develops characters that are complex, captivating and consistently unique. U is For Undertow was a great reminder of why I like this series so much years ago and am glad I decided to reacquaint myself to Kinsey and co.
Each episode is fresh, and they do not have to be read in order. There are constant reminders of her earlier life which explain her past if you skip around in order.
This episode was good and covers a lot of heady topics: alcoholism, child-neglect, narcissistic parents, murder, etcetera. Sounds like a lot, yet I didn't even realize how many sensitive topics were threaded within until I sat down to write this review. Now, that is a testimony to her phenomenal talent as a writer. Sue Grafton has a terrific ability make her plots not only realistic, she develops characters that are complex, captivating and consistently unique. U is For Undertow was a great reminder of why I like this series so much years ago and am glad I decided to reacquaint myself to Kinsey and co.
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