Tag Archives: book review

Y is for Yesterday by Sue Grafton (2017) – BR00150 (2019) – 🐸🐸🐸⚪⚪

The PolyBlog
March 23 2019

Plot or Premise

With Sue Grafton’s death, there will be no Z book, so this is the last official Kinsey story. In it, she looks back at a cold case where four rich students filmed the rape of a young girl, someone stole the tape and was murdered, a court case sent two to jail, and the ringleader skipped town. Fast-forward, one of the jailed ones is out of prison, and he receives a copy of the missing tape with a blackmail demand. The parents want Kinsey’s help to ensure they only pay once, or ideally, not at all.

What I Liked

As with previous cold cases, the story bops back and forth between the past and the present. Unlike the previous books, the jumps back don’t seem as jarring, and the “kids” in the past seem realistic. Angst, jealousy, bravado, all of it. 

What I Didn’t Like

The story drags a bit in the present getting to the end, and the premise of all the kids in the present still being in contact together is really far-fetched. The explanation of what exactly happened in the past for the murdered girl was great right up until the murder. And the epilogue is extremely unsatisfying.

The Bottom Line

A good last book, not an awesome one.

W is for Wasted by Sue Grafton (2013) – BR00149 (2019) – 🐸🐸🐸🐸⚪

The PolyBlog
March 21 2019

Plot or Premise

Two deaths get Kinsey off and running – the apparent mugging death of a low-rent private investigator known for cutting corners and a John Doe homeless guy who died with Kinsey’s business address in his pocket.

What I Liked

Kinsey gets involved with the homeless friends of the dead guy, and Felix, Pearl and Dandy are great to read about. She finds out who he was, locates some personal effects, a safety deposit box and a will…and the will has a plot twist the size of Everest. It is flat-out AWESOME. And Kinsey picks up some cousins.

What I Didn’t Like

The mystery takes a long time to get to the end, when the cause is obvious pretty fast.

The Bottom Line

Great plot twist, too long a story for what’s there.

V is for Vengeance by Sue Grafton (2011) – BR00148 (2019) – 🐸🐸🐸🐸🐸

The PolyBlog
March 21 2019

Plot or Premise

Fantastic opening — a gambler who hits a run of bad luck, and a loan shark who collects from his losing client pretty aggressively. Oh, and Kinsey apparently has two black eyes from trying to catch a shoplifter?

What I Liked

There is a LOT going on, with lots of characters running around, almost all of them obsessed with money. Angry cops, mobsters, gold diggers, cheating spouses, lock pickers, blackmailers, informants…it’s complicated.

What I Didn’t Like

The story jumps around a LOT from person to person, and so it doesn’t feel like a Kinsey story for good parts of the book, but it’s not egregious.

The Bottom Line

More characters, less Kinsey, but it works.

U is for Undertow by Sue Grafton (2009) – BR00147 (2019) – 🐸🐸🐸⚪⚪

The PolyBlog
March 21 2019

Plot or Premise

Kinsey’s client thinks he remembers seeing two men digging a hole back when he was six years old, just days after a child’s kidnapping that subsequently ended tragically. Maybe it was the kidnappers?

What I Liked

The flashback story harkens back to a hippie-style couple living in a van in the driveway of his parents’ house, which was mildly interesting at first. The introduction of a reporter named Alvarez is good for future stories too. But the only really good part is filling in some of Aunt Ginny’s history, with old letters and a PI that was hired to look into Ginny’s parenting ability.

What I Didn’t Like

The flashback storyline removes almost any mystery or tension from the story. You know who the bad guys are way before Kinsey, and the storyline with the reporter holds some initial promise but ultimately goes nowhere. Just a lot of wasted time and space.

The Bottom Line

Nice ending, but the story feels like retread.

T is for Trespass by Sue Grafton (2007) – BR00146 (2019) – 🐸🐸⚪⚪⚪

The PolyBlog
March 20 2019

Plot or Premise

Kinsey and Henry’s neighbour falls, and Kinsey helps his niece arrange a nurse to look after him. Not an easy task when he’s as grumpy as all get out.

What I Liked

Kinsey’s background check doesn’t turn up any red flags, but Kinsey’s not entirely sure about the person, and how Gus is doing, particularly after the nurse moves in. Nor should she be, since the story also gives the woman’s side of the story, and she’s a sociopath. With a very large son. Meanwhile, Kinsey has a lovely car accident to over-investigate.

What I Didn’t Like

I found the storyline a bit repetitive from previous ones — a scammer on the one hand, a fake accident situation on another. And the general elder abuse is depressing. Plus at the end, the finale is way over the top, reading more like an action movie than a Kinsey story.

The Bottom Line

A generally depressing descent from beginning to end.