U Is for Undertow

A Kinsey Millhone Novel

By: Sue Grafton

Narrated by: Judy Kaye

Length: 14 hrs and 3 mins

Publisher's summary

Calling T is for Trespass "taut, terrifying, transfixing and terrific", USA Today went on to ask, "What does it take to write 20 novels about the same character and manage to create a fresh, genre-bending novel every time?"

It's a question worth pondering. Through 20 excursions into the dark side of the human soul, Sue Grafton has never written the same book twice. And so it is with this, her 21st. Once again, she breaks genre formulas, giving us a twisting, complex, surprise-filled, and totally satisfying thriller.

It's April 1988, a month before Kinsey Millhone's 38th birthday, and she's alone in her office doing paperwork when a young man arrives unannounced. He has a preppy air about him and looks as if he'd be carded if he tried to buy booze, but Michael Sutton is 27, an unemployed college dropout. Twenty-one years earlier, a four-year-old girl disappeared. A recent reference to her kidnapping has triggered a flood of memories. Sutton now believes he stumbled on her lonely burial when he was six years old. He wants Kinsey's help in locating the child's remains and finding the men who killed her. It's a long shot, but he's willing to pay cash up front, and Kinsey agrees to give him one day.

As her investigation unfolds, she discovers Michael Sutton has an uneasy relationship with the truth. In essence, he's the boy who cried wolf. Is his current story true, or simply one more in a long line of fabrications?

Grafton moves the narrative between the 80s and the 60s, changing points of view, building multiple subplots, and creating memorable characters. Gradually, we see how they all connect. But at the beating center of the novel is Kinsey Millhone, sharp-tongued, observant, a loner - "a heroine", said The New York Times Book Review, "with foibles you can laugh at and faults you can forgive."

Don't miss the other titles in the Kinsey Millhone Alphabet Mystery Series.

©2009 Sue Grafton (P)2009 Random House

Critic reviews

"As this master of suspense continues to demonstrate in superb mystery after mystery, there are more ugly twists in the human heart than there are letters in the alphabet." ( Entertainment Weekly)
"It's as if Grafton purposely begins with a standard situation-and then gleefully sets about breaking every cardinal rule of the mystery novel." ( Los Angeles Times Book Review)

Terrific Series

This series keeps getting better and better with each book!

We are almost at "Z", I wonder what is going to happen to the Kinsey Millhone series? I really hope "Z" is not the end of the series.

Another Winner!

I've enjoyed all of the Kinsey Millhone tales. This was no exception. Good story that kept me interested throughout. Judy Kaye does an awesome job with the narration.

love it

This one involves my favorite things, cold cases. I am satisfied that it is not a serial killer. And on top of that our lady dective gets some peace of mind.
I think it could have been two hours longer. I would like to see the sister called out and a few other clean ups.

Good listen

If you like Grafton you'll enjoy this. It got a little disjointed in parts - not typical. Would have given this a higher rating if it weren't for this.

Intricate plot and believable characters

Grafton has crafted a gripping story. Kinsey Milhone is a savvy private eye from the late 80s who uses both her inquiring mind and desire for answers to pursue her client's investigation. Add a good dose of serendipity and she solves a 20 year old murder before the police have enough hard evidence to act, but not soon enough to stop a second murder. Well-written with plenty of plot twists, this book was worth listening to and will likely be listened to again. I have read a number of Grafton's books and look forward to "V".

U is for Undertow

interesting and typical Crafton. I enjoyed it.

A brilliant departure from the familiar

Who'd a thunk it? 21 installments into a series and, far from being a return to a comfort zone, Sue Grafton's latest effort is something of a departure from the routine. As the book opens private investigator Kinsey Millhone is asked to do a day's work by a young man, Michael Sutton. When he was six years old he saw two men burying something in the woods and he now believes they may have been burying the body of Mary Claire Fitzhugh, a four-year-old child who was kidnapped in 1967 and has never been seen since. Kinsey soon learns that it's not as clear-cut as Michael thought but, as always, she doggedly nuts out all the facts and builds her case.

With respect to the doggedness of Kinsey the book is as familiar as an old cardigan but the surprising element was that Kinsey's is only one of several stories that unfold. In addition there's a thread in the 1960's featuring a woman called Deborah Unrah whose grown son returns home greatly changed by the flower power movement and drug culture of the time and another 1988 thread featuring a middle-aged Walker McNally who is a repugnant alcoholic. These two characters, and several others who orbit around them, are deeply and perceptively depicted as their colliding stories are told.

In some ways the ending of the book is fairly predictable but this book isn't the same kind of procedural as its predecessors and relies less on that kind of suspense for its drama and conflict. This book is really about why things happen rather than what happened and it's this that is something of a departure for this series.

I would highly recommend the book to both Grafton's fans, who will have just enough of the familiar to satiate their needs, and those who have never read Grafton before because this, more than most of her other alphabet tales, is a standalone book of the highest quality. I can also recommend to audio book fans the added treat of listening to Judy Kaye's excellent narrataion which really did make the book fly by.

Cold Case Kinsey

A man with an unstable past approaches Kinsey with the story of a twenty year old murder that he witnessed as a boy. Despite serious reservations there is something haunted about the man that draws her in and she dives into the past. There she steps into the mid and late sixties; a time of revolution with hippies and wannabe hippies and a time when irresponsibility was portrayed as righteous rebellion. A game of connect the dots begins and leads to more murders as two men who were teenagers try to hide from what they did as adolescents.

Always consistently Good

Once again the author and the reader do not disappoint. If you like these mysteries, they are a great listen, easy to follow when you are driving, and not so intense you plow into a truck.

well written even better narration

Ms Grafton is a talented craftsperson weaving a thoughtful, interesting story that kept us guessing and wanting more stories.
Judy Kaye's narration is splendid and added depth, texture and drama to the novel.
We will be purchasing more of these works.