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)

Another Disappointment

Grafton's alphabet mystery series has been in decline since P is for Peril, but this latest is even worse than T is for Trespass. The story is unfocused, overlong, and not at all well plotted. My advice regarding Grafton's books is to start with A and continue through N, then stop. It's been downhill from there, with the exception of S is for Silence. Unfortunately, the earlier mysteries are not available at Audible.

Best Narration

The book was very good and kept my interest but the very best is the narration. The narrator didn't try to do a different voice for each character which can sometimes be very annoying. I would definitely like to listen to books read by Judy Kaye.

Great book for a first-time audible user.

My first audiobook -- and I couldn't have picked a better one. Grafton's mysteries have gotten more sophisticated as the series have progressed -- I've particularly liked the last two or three.

The narrator did a terrific job -- with just a few character "voices" that I didn't like. I was sad when this ended.

A Goodie - Plot, Pace, and People

One of Grafton's best in terms of plot and charactarization. One of the things I appreciate about Grafton is that she can construct interesting mysteries out of sitiations that aren't particularly dangerous or gory, as she does with this one. She holds the reader's attention and curiosity to find out what happens with all of these intersting people. We spend a little time with Kinsey's family here, but not so much that it's distracting, and mercifully there's no Kinsey love plot line here (I always find those a bit awkward, like watching your parents make out). It's fun to see what gumshoes had to do in the immediate past before internet and mobile phones - it's almost like looking at a parallel universe. Narrator, as always, is THE voice of Kinsey. Great job by Judy Kaye.

Sue Grafton and Judi Kaye are awesome

I love the story! Judy does an amazing job with all of the voices. Additionally, Sue’s twists and turns in her stories are amazing. I’m so sad I didn’t become a fan sooner.

Always great

I'm Hooked. Read all books by Sue Grafton. My Favorites are T for Trespass , L is for Lawlesss and D is for Deadbeat. Mary Kay is the BEST narrator ever...brings Kinsy Millhone to life!

Winner

Story, character description and narration all excellent. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this book and highly recommend giving it a listen.

Another WinnerLL!

Another great read from Sue Grafton. The ending left u kind of guessing all the way to the verrrrrrry ends

Loved it

If you are a Kinsey fan, then you will love this one. True, the subplots are gone into with some detail & a bit more editing could have been done, but I enjoyed the way everything came together & concluded. I wasn't bothered that Kinsey's personal life was light on detail, as we know her so well & other books have focused on this, actually quite a lot of "gaps" are filled in about her past in this one. Narrator's voice didn't fit with how I have imagined Kinsey, but I got used to her.
If you have never read/listened to these before then you may well be disappointed with U as you do need to really know Kinsey as a character. Start with A and go from there, the abridged versions will be fine.

Kinsey Delivers Again

I am finally getting used to Judy Kaye and in this latest installment, she shines as Kinsey. This book is told in several alternating POV and between different times but it is still seamless, relevant and engaging. It's cliche but Kinsey really does always get her man