U is for Undertow by Sue Grafton

 

 

 

I'm a late-comer reader to the Sue Grafton, Kinsey Millhone Mystery series.

 

Many years ago, I read G is for Gumshoe and although I enjoyed the book at that time, I didn't read any more of this series until the last couple of years. But I've made up for lost time, having now read almost all the books in this series to date which is currently at:  V for Vengeance.

 

What's been the biggest surprise reading this series has been how varied the style of story, Sue Grafton has written for each one. In some ways, that's been a good thing, keeping things fresh and entertaining. In other respects, not so much. I'll get into more about that in a minute...

 

For any of you that aren't familiar with this mystery series: Kinsey Millhone, the main character, is a private detective living and working in the fictional city of St. Teresa, CA which appears to be loosely based on Santa Barbara.

 

The stories are set during the 1980's and Kinsey remains a single woman (with two marriages in the past) in her 30's throughout. Kinsey is small in stature but for the most part, a " tough cookie" not afraid to take on the bad guys and definitely suited for the life of an 80's gumshoe .

 

Working as a PI during that time appears to be a lot more low-tech and labour-intensive than would be the case for modern day detectives. IMO, setting the stories in that era is a good thing, adding to the appeal of the books. But I'm guessing for some younger readers, it might be hard to fathom the pre-Internet world that Kinsey inhabits.

 

U is for Undertow was published in 2009 and is one of my favs in this series. I like a lot of stories that feature two separate time lines running parallel throughout the story and this is the case in U is for Undertow set back in the 1960's and also the present day of 1988 for this particular book.  

 

The story begins with Kinsey being hired by 27 year old, Michael Sutton who has been haunted by a memory from his childhood in the 60's that he wants Kinsey to look into. One that he believes will lead to solving a kidnapping that's been a cold case for over 2 decades.

 

Sue Grafton found just the right balance in this story featuring intriguing and varied characters, many with dark secrets that will finally be revealed by the end of the book and just enough detail and description, to keep the pages turning.

 

What I've disliked in some of Ms. Grafton's previous books is when there has been too many insignificant characters brought into the story (and for no apparent reason even by the end of the book) and sometimes over-the-top attention to details about surroundings, clothing, food...the list goes on and on. Happily, not the case in U is for Undertow. 

Not once does Kinsey obsess about her lack of clean socks or less than stellar hair style in this story! There's not even a mention of the nail scissors coming out for a trim this time. And although Kinsey's "all purpose" black dress IS mentioned briefly, it doesn't come up again and again in U is for Undertow.

 

If you've been reading along with this series, you'll know of what I speak when it comes to Ms. Grafton's love of minute details! ;<)

 

Another thing I do like about this entire series is the fact that you don't have to read the book before the one you have to get into the story. Ms. Grafton does a great job of bringing the reader up to speed with Kinsey, recent cases if relevant and then it's onward to the story at hand, in short order.

 

So, even if you haven't read any previous Kinsey Millhone Mysteries, you could definitely pick up a copy of U is for Undertow and enjoy it, without the need for referencing earlier books in the series.

 

I'm looking forward to see what W brings!

 

Hopefully Sue Grafton has already got that one in the works.

 

Overall rating for this book: Excellent. 5 out of 5.