THE FINAL INSTALLMENT IN SUE GRAFTON’S ALPHABET SERIES WINNER OF THE ANTHONY/BILL CRIDER AWARD FOR BEST NOVEL IN A SERIES Private investigator Kinsey Millhone confronts her darkest and most disturbing case in this #1 New York Times bestseller from Sue Grafton.In 1979, four teenage boys from an elite private school sexually assault a fourteen-year-old classmate—and film the attack. Not long … classmate—and film the attack. Not long after, the tape goes missing and the suspected thief, a fellow classmate, is murdered. In the investigation that follows, one boy turns state’s evidence and two of his peers are convicted. But the ringleader escapes without a trace.
Now, it’s 1989 and one of the perpetrators, Fritz McCabe, has been released from prison. Moody, unrepentant, and angry, he is a virtual prisoner of his ever-watchful parents—until a copy of the missing tape arrives with a ransom demand. That’s when the McCabes call Kinsey Millhone for help. As she is drawn into their family drama, she keeps a watchful eye on Fritz. But he’s not the only one being haunted by the past. A vicious sociopath with a grudge against Millhone may be leaving traces of himself for her to find…
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It is bittersweet to draft this final review for the 25th book in the Kinsey Millhone / Alphabet series written by Sue Grafton, who passed away in December 2017 shortly after publishing this book, Y is for Yesterday. Unfortunately, there will be no final 26th book, as the author told her family before her death that she didn’t want anyone to ghost write the final one if she passed on… which I respect. After ~30 years of entertaining readers, this dynamic and wonderful woman deserves tons of praise for a beautiful career delivering countless thrilling reading moments for many of us.
In this latest edition, Kinsey closes the loop on a serial killer who had gotten away previously, but now he turned his sites on her as payback for helping one of his almost-victims escape with cherished mementos of previous kills. But that’s just one of the side stories, as the main focus is on a ten-year-old case where 4 teenagers participated in the killing of a friend who was blackmailing them. It all went too far, or did it? Kinsey is asked to help track a new blackmailer once one of the four kids is released from prison on his 25th birthday. But it seems more than 1 murder may have been committed ten years ago, and it’s far from over. Who’s behind it all?
If this were a standalone book, I’d really be thrilled with it. It had lots of great moments where I went back and forth on who the killer could really be. We know who killed the girl years ago, or at least we think we do from the statements all the teens gave, but something was definitely off. Grafton keeps us guessing and delivers a fun and dirty solution in the end. However, the book was told through the eyes of the teens for at least 50% of the pages. Normally Kinsey is the primary focus, and she discovers all the secrets, but in this one, it was essential to see / hear from the different kids’ points of views. While I liked the approach, it was disheartening given I knew this was the last Kinsey Millhone book in the series. I can’t fault the author with a harsh rating, as it was a good book — just not what I wanted or expected.
It’s sad that I won’t read any more, and I’m not up for re-reading a 25 books series when I have so many others on my TBR, but if you’ve never sampled a Grafton, you really must. If you can’t commit to all 25, pick one in the early middle and you’ll have quite a ride. Goodbye, Miss Grafton and Miss Millhone. You will be missed.
I have thoroughly enjoyed the Alphabet Series and read the final book, Y is for Yesterday, while on holiday. Sue Grafton tells her tales in detail, building up great settings and characters, my favourite of which is Kinsey Millhone herself, followed swiftly by Henry, what a lovely man he would be to have in your life.
In this story Kinsey not only has a recurring problem in the form of Ned Lowe to deal with but is brought in to investigate a mystery, that is 10 years old. We get to see what happened, in a series of flashbacks, when four teenage boys assault a 14 year old girl, and film the attack. Kinsey is called in when the tape resurfaces when one of the boys , newly released from prison, is blackmailed.
I always enjoy the process Kinsey goes through in solving her cases and this was no exception. An entertaining read with one of my all time favourite characters.
Sadly, Sue Grafton didn’t get to complete her series and for her family and readers the alphabet now ends at Y. I would have loved to have seen how Sue Grafton finished the series but instead have to imagine Henry, William, Rosie, Cheney and Anna, amongst others, and of course not forgetting the terrific Kinsey Millhone simply getting on with their lives from where we leave them at the end of this read.
I’m so sad that this series only has one book left! I have enjoyed following Kinsey’s growth as a person. This book has two plots that run concurrently and have nothing to do with each other. Both plots are compelling and both come to satisfactory conclusions. I loved it!
This was my least favorite of all of Sue Grafton’s alphabet books. Too many characters and too much jumping between present day and past time. Please bring back the old Kinsey from all her other books. I usually read Grafton’s books in one or two days, this one took 5 days to finish. That says it all.
In what has sadly turned out to be Kinsey’s last investigation, she’s given a hot potato of a case where all the participants have plenty to hide. As she digs into the details with her usual tenacity, flashbacks to events ten years earlier show what really happened.
Meanwhile, lurking in the shadows is Ned Lowe, a violent killer with a score to settle. Add in a few domestic issues with Kinsey’s cousin and some unexpected visitors who take advantage of her landlord, Henry’s, hospitality, and there’s plenty to occupy my favourite private detective.
Reading Sue Grafton is always like meeting up with an old friend, catching up on events, revisiting familiar settings and the characters that bring such colour to the novels. Granted, the pace is often gentle (until the fireworks commence), but the stories are filled with intrigue and danger, laced with Kinsey’ sardonic observations and one-liners.
There was still time for a couple of neat twists to the story and a range of vivid characters to keep the story moving on to its exciting climax.
It’s sad that this will be Kinsey’s last adventure, but she bows out with her head held high at the end of a remarkable series. I tip my hat to anyone who can write a series of 25 novels, maintaining a consistently high standard of stories that entertain, intrigue and satisfy her fans.
I shall miss Kinsey Millhone, but I’m so glad I discovered Sue Grafton’s books 30 years ago. Something tells me I’ll be reading them again soon and for many years to come.
I loved this book as I did all the others in the series. I can’t believe Sue Grafton has passed and was not able to write “Z”. She will be missed.
I’m a big fan of Sue Grafton and I have read all her books from A is for Alibi to her latest: Y is for Yesterday. It’s wonderful that this her latest is still very suspenseful and she still is great at character building. The only thing I take exception to is I didn’t care for the ending.
This series has been wonderful. Kinsey Milhone is an interesting detective – tough, smart, persistent. She always finds her way through the maze to solve the mystery.
Sad that Sue Grafton didn’t make it to Z. These 25 books (A to Y) proved female PIs could hang with the best of them and find an audience hoping for one more adventure.
Thanks, Sue for a great run.
I liked the book but them I am a Sue Grafton and Kinsey Millhone fan.
Like the other books Kinsey has a crime to solve. This time the murder of a girl 10 years before while in high school. She talks to all involved and figured it out.
Reading “Y is for Yesterday” was a bittersweet experience. Having recently rediscovered my love for the Kinsey Millhone series, which was foundational for my discovery of the mystery genre back in the 90s, it was hard to read what I knew would be the last book in the series. But at the same time, I could be grateful for having gotten 25 of these delightful stories.
The good news, especially given that there will be no Z book, is that Grafton wraps up an important plot thread here. The story with Ned Lowe, which started in “X,” comes to its creepy conclusion here, so if you’ve been waiting with baited breath to find out what happens there, wait no longer. It’s truly scary, so be warned.
Some readers may not be fans of Grafton’s comparatively slow-paced plotting and use of detail, but for those of us who do enjoy it, “Y is for Yesterday” continues with the excellent character development and worldbuilding (to borrow a term from fantasy) that have so marked out Grafton’s series. Kinsey and her friends (and enemies) feel like real people inhabiting a real place. There’s not a lot of fantasy or wish fulfillment here–Kinsey is still single and, despite having a fair amount of money in the bank, taking on low-level PI jobs while living in her same old studio apartment–but there is an intense sense of reality and groundedness that make the series irresistible.
Grafton’s prose style is, as always, deceptively spare and straightforward, so that she builds a real world with some well-chosen details, simply described. If you’re a long-time fan, you’ll probably enjoy this book, and if you’ve just discovered the series, I sincerely hope you will too (otherwise I’ll have some grave doubts about your literary taste), although you might want to do yourself a favor and go all the way back to “A is for Alibi.”
It wasn’t long after reading “Y” that I learned of Sue Grafton’s passing. As a loyal reader who has read A-Y, her books never disappoint and Y is no exception. Thank you Sue, for a lifetime of wonderful adventures, for Kinsey, and for being such a role model for those of us writing first person PI series. My Ricky Steele is her own person — and came to life pre-my discovery of Grafton’s series, but Kinsey was and is still such an inspiration!
Have always enjoyed her books
What happened?? I have loved and followed this series from A. Reread many of them. This one is AWFUL! It is disjointed, the characters are shallow and disappointing. There are very graphic, sexually explicit assault scenes. Descriptors like seats plastered in “boogers” are very off-putting! This is NOT the reason I read Sue Grafton. Did a ghost writer do this one, with no proofing by the author?
I have all of Sue Grafton previous alphabet letter books. This one was disappointing. The content was graphic and the flipping back and forth from decades was distracting/confusing. Not her best work. I hope the last one, Z, is much better. Not the usual witty, surprising mystery story we’ve all come to love by her.
Not my favorite.
‘always great to spend some time with Kinsey Milhone however this book–in this great series–does not seem to have the “bite” that these books usually have.
Some of the details got repetitive, but overall, a great read, as always. Didn’t quite catch on to one of the bad guys, but then it was obvious! Duh. Worst thing? It’s the next-to-last book in the “alphabet” series. Excited for the last one, but it will be sad, too, to say so long to Kinsey.
Not as good as most of her books.
Ever since I read the first in the delightful series I have gladly read every tale by Sue Grafton. I was struck by the exceptional nature of this one. The intricate but believable unfolding of the narrative held my interest right to a satisfying end; no shootouts needed.
A little disappointing for the last book in the series. The only likable character — other than Kinsey — was the murder victim who we only get to meet through flashbacks after we already know she’s deceased.