U is for Undertow (Kinsey Millhone, #21)

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U is for Undertow (Kinsey Millhone #21)

by Sue Grafton

3.78 · rating details · 6,410 ratings · 1,337 reviews

C alling T is for Trespass "taut, terrifying, transfixing and terrific," USA Today went on to ask, "What does it take to write twenty novels about the same character and manage to create a fresh, genre-bending novel every time?" It's a question worth pondering. Through twenty excursions into the dark side of the human soul, Sue Grafton has never written...more

Hardcover, 403 pages

Published December 1st 2009 by Putnam Adult (first published January 1st 2009)

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Aug 23, 2011

Bernadette rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: audio-book, america, read-2010

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, due to a recent newspaper article, he now believes they may have been burying the body of Mary Claire Fitzhugh, a four-year-old child who ...moreWho’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, due to a recent newspaper article, 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 for me was that Kinsey’s is only one of several stories that unfold in this book. In addition there’s a thread that takes place in the 1960’s featuring people who may, or may not, have had something to do with the kidnapping of the young child. The person who features most strongly in that thread is a woman called Deborah Unrah whose grown son returns home greatly changed by the flower power movement and drug culture of the 1960’s. There’s also a parallel thread to Kinsey’s in 1988 featuring a middle-aged man called Walker McNally who is a rather repugnant alcoholic. These two characters, and several others who orbit around them both, 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. Instead I was gripped by Grafton’s exploration of a single concept across all the disparate threads. All of the stories, even Kinsey’s own, relate in some way to the notion of family and the myriad ways that concept can manifest in society. 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.

Grafton is one of the few authors whose books I have read in order roughly at the time they were published and due to familiarity breeding a little contempt I have tended, of late, not to look forward to them with the same anticipation that I once did. However this outing shows that Grafton still has her story telling abilities well to the fore and she is not afraid to take the risk of trying something new. Apart from discovering anew that 69-year-old Grafton is still at the top of her game I’ve also been reminded that some authors stay on the best seller lists because they are good, not merely because they have great publicity machines.

I would highly recommend the book to both Grafton’s fans, who will have just enough of the familiar to satiate their needs (though not enough Henry for most I admit), 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. All of the niggly things about the series (such as Kinsey’s failure to age and the ever-increasing gap between the technology available to Kinsey and that available to the rest of us) really take a back seat in this installment because here stories with undercurrents are all that matter.

I can also recommend to audio book fans the added treat of listening to Judy Kaye’s excellent narration which really did make the long-ish book simply fly by.(less)

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Dec 31, 2009

Kathleen Hagen added it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2009-audio-books, 2009-mysteries

U is for Undertow: a Kinsey Millhone Mystery, number 21 in the Millhone series, by Sue Grafton, a-minus, narrated by Judy Kaye, produced by Books on Tape, downloaded from audible.com

I can’t imagine the Millhone books read by anyone else but Judy Kaye. She has just the understated acerbic tone of voice to characterize Kinsey, and she can change voice and mood for the other characters as well. In this one Kinsey is sitting alone in her office doing paper work when a young man, Michae...more

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Feb 02, 2010

Vanessa rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: series, 2010-finished

Ok, I love this series, and with a few exceptions, I really liked each and every one. I think L is my least favorite, and I wasn't overly thrilled with O, or Q. But this, her latest book, is outstanding.

Kinsey Milhone is a unique and strong character, and that's one of the things I love about this series. On one hand, she dislikes socializing, but has a few really good friends she loves to hang out with. Her landlord, Henry, is a doll. He is 80 something and has three brothers in th...moreOk, I love this series, and with a few exceptions, I really liked each and every one. I think L is my least favorite, and I wasn't overly thrilled with O, or Q. But this, her latest book, is outstanding.

Kinsey Milhone is a unique and strong character, and that's one of the things I love about this series. On one hand, she dislikes socializing, but has a few really good friends she loves to hang out with. Her landlord, Henry, is a doll. He is 80 something and has three brothers in their 90's. (Or one is in his 80's, I can't remember.) They are robust elder gentlemen and often provide Kinsey with a sounding board. Married to one of the brothers is Rosie who owns the Hungarian restaurant Kinsey loves, and she's a character in her own right, strong and bossy. My only criticism of this book might be that we didn't see enough of Henry and the bunch, but you can get an ample dose from some of her other books.

Despite Kinsey's often jaded outlook on life, she still finds little things fascinating, and has a common sense approach to life and her investigations. She's a strong character who does not any problems asking people for information. In this book, which involves a 20 year old cold case where a little girl went missing and was never found, Kinsey shows an endearing compassion for the little girl's fate.

I've seen criticisms in other reviews about how all of these books are set in about the same period, the mid to late 1980's. I like it because I think it complements Kinsey's methodical detecting style. She often has to handle on the spot situations without being able to whip out her cell phone for assistance.

Now on to a little bit about the story. This book alternates back and forth between two time periods, 1967 and 1988. We follow more than one character, introduced separately and are given background so when the connections are made, we pretty much know who these people are and some of their motivations. It's not really a who-dun-it in the strictest sense, more like a how and why. We get a glimpse of how the pieces will fit, but the journey is the delight of this book.

We also get a glimpse into Kinsey's personal life as she struggles with her relatives she only had found out about a few years previously. Some resolutions are made and gave me a huge smile at the end.

It took me a while to finish, only because I had other books I needed to finish first, and other projects that kept me from listening to an audio on my regular schedule. I highly recommend the audio; Kate Reading does a great job. I always get the audios now because I can't imagine Kinsey sounding any different and enjoy Kate's interpretation immensely. (less)

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Jun 03, 2010

Afsana rated it

I thought this was an interesting idea of the boy who cried wolf and then would not be believed.

It was told from different view points, the past and present and different characters and that made it interesting

What I don't quite get and which the book didn't explain was how the the "boy who cried wolf" could have been telling the truth when he couldn't have possibly witnessed as he was in another country and this was the documented by photogrphic proof? it ...more

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Jan 26, 2010

CJ rated it

I could just say, "the best one yet" and be correct, but that seems a little too simple. I started reading this alphabet series after Grafton had written four of them. I loved her descriptions of everything and felt like I was sitting on a park bench in Santa Teresa. I still feel that way.

I met Sue Grafton at a book signing once. She had spoken about how she received letters from people admonishing her about how much Kinsey swore. She reacted by having Kinsey swear less, b...more

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Jan 18, 2010

Diane added it

Sue Grafton's skill at crafting a good mystery hasn't abated as she continues through the alphabet. She's clever enough to set U Is for Understow in 1988, when Kinsey Milhone is still a fairly young, but experience 38-years-old, and when most people didn't have access to iPods, iPhones, computers that can do everything but scrub the toilet, and all the other amenities of life in 2010. Consequently, Grafton's plot doesn't have to take this modern technology into account.

The murder at ...more

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Dec 23, 2011

Ishmael Seaward rated it

If you like Sue Grafton, this is definitely one of her better books. It is written is three voices, obviously with Kinsey taking up most of the story line. The technique is not the first time Grafton has used it, but so far it is the best. The story bounces back and forth between the current time (80's) and the 60's, bringing the sins of the latter into the former. The idiocy and arrogance of some of the 60-era people is well captured, however some of the children of that era grew up as contribu...more

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Oct 13, 2011

Carolyn Agosta rated it

Another Kinsey Millhone mystery, and true to form. Lots of detail -- more than enough, actually, I don't really need to know the history of the small towns -- but like many of the books, particularly the later ones, Grafton chooses a crime that reflects concerns we have today. I've reallyl noticed in the past few books, Grafton is really taking us into crimes that are more than just whodunnits, but crimes that illustrate real social ills. In this case, a particular callousness toward children th...more

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Jul 31, 2011

Marci rated it

· review of another edition

I liked this entry in the Kinsey Millhone saga. I liked that she still has Henry to bounce ideas off. I liked that she is still friends with Cheney Phillips after their affair ended. I liked that there was the a p.o.v. shift as in the last book, this time with several characters getting to contribute, not just Kinsey and not just Kinsey and the villain.

New characters, even those with just one scene to play, are fully rounded, such as the dog owner and the P.I. from Kinsey's distant pas...more

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Jul 10, 2011

Susan rated it

Shelves: 2010-audio-reading-challenge, 2010-cherry-hills-mystery-book-club, 2010-support-your-local-library-rea, kinsey-millhone-mystery-series

Kinsey Millhone is approached by a young man who thinks he might have witnessed the burial of a kidnapped child over 20 years ago. She reluctantly agrees to investigate his sketchy story for just one day. Her investigation takes Kinsey to Horton Ravine, an enclave of the wealthy, and reveals the attitudes of the rich toward their servants as well as the rest of the population who work for an honest living. Kinsey feels compelled by a charming photo of the kidnapped girl to pursue her investigati...more

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Jul 10, 2011

Tayra Toledo rated it

First of all, I want to clarify that when I picked-up this book, I had realistic expectations. I was not expecting great literature. I just wanted an entertaining, suspense light-read. This book didn't even provide that.

I do not understand so many positive ratings on this book. I do acknowledge that I picked it up without having read anything else in the series. However, I didn't like anything about it. There is absolutely nothing special about Grafton's writing style. She overly des...more

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Apr 26, 2011

Genie rated it

In "U is for Undertow" PI Kinsey Millhone takes on a cold case. Hired by Michael Sutton, who claims that he recently recalled an event that occurred when he was just six years old, asks for her help. Michael hopes Kinsey will be able to reconstruct the past and find out if his memories are accurate. To accomplish this, this book is split in chapters Kinsey's present in 1988 and flashbacks to 1967. These
flashbacks are essential elements needed to bring understanding of the tr...more

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Jan 30, 2011

Anna rated it

Shelves: audio-book

I've started listening to these mysteries on tape (CD, really) during my two hours of daily commuting. Unlike the Patricia Cornwall mystery that I couldn't even finish because the woman reading it was so ridiculous, the actress (Judy Kaye) that reads Grafton's books is fabulous. Her voices are distinct enough to help you keep track of who's talking without being ridiculously over the top or cartoonish.

The novels themselves are great. I would call them "trashy", but they're n...more

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Jan 22, 2011

Mary rated it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Almost the best of the series. And I say "almost" because one little nagging detail kind of spoiled it for me.

First the good: This book is cleverly written in the way it switches from Kinsey's usual first person narrative to the third person accounts of other characters. As each of the different vignettes are introduced they are absorbing but seem unrelated to the mystery at hand. Gradually the focus widens until the connection between the characters becomes clear. Mean...moreAlmost the best of the series. And I say "almost" because one little nagging detail kind of spoiled it for me.

First the good: This book is cleverly written in the way it switches from Kinsey's usual first person narrative to the third person accounts of other characters. As each of the different vignettes are introduced they are absorbing but seem unrelated to the mystery at hand. Gradually the focus widens until the connection between the characters becomes clear. Meanwhile, Kinsey is finding the connecting threads and putting the pieces together with her usual aplomb.

No Kinsey Millhone mystery would be complete without the well known characters in Kinsey's life. None of them play a major role in this story, but Henry, Rosie, William, Cheney and Dolan all make their appearances. (The Rosie scenes are always my favorites. I look forward to her appearance in each book!) Although the backstory may not be totally apparent to new readers, Kinsey gives enough of an introduction - as always - to bring us up to speed. Faithful readers will also be gratified to discover a large piece of the puzzle about Kinsey's family history with a promise of more to come.

Kinsey is more confident than ever in this installment and you can see really see where she has grown as a character. When she coolly dispatches the bad guy in the last chapter, you can't help but have a whole new respect for her. No hesitation this time, she takes aim and takes him out of commission! This is Kinsey really coming into her own.

Then the not so good: Although this story tied together many threads to reach the conclusion of the mystery, we were left hanging on a significant detail. When Michael's siblings prove that he could not have seen Walker and Jon digging on his birthday as he "remembered" since they were at Disneyland that week, it seems as though he was totally mistaken and the whole case would fall apart since it hinged on the fact that he saw them digging on the date coinciding with Mary Claire's disappearance.
With the resolution of the mystery we see that he was evidently correct in his description of what happened yet no explanation was forthcoming to explain this. If he didn't see them digging on his birthday, when was it? (It is established that he DID witness the dog burial after all.) And if he could remember all the details so clearly, enough to find the same spot 21 years later, then how could he have gotten the detail of it being his birthday wrong? He remembered the tree he hid behind but he didn't remember going to Disneyland? I was a little disappointed to have this left unexplained because otherwise it was a top rate story with a satisfying ending. If the explanation was implied somewhere in the last chapter or two, I totally missed it. I felt that the discrediting of Michael's story should have been left out entirely since it didn't affect the conclusion and only left bigger questions unanswered.

Nevertheless, an enjoyable good read as always!(less)

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Jan 04, 2011

Debbi rated it

When I started this 21st installment in the Alphabet Series, I was afraid its charm was starting to wear thin on me. Even the familiar "My name is Kinsey Millhone ..." recitation at the beginning was coming off a bit too much like a drone. However, the initial interview with her young client Michael Sutton was intriguing enough to keep me reading, even if the questioning did seem a bit like it was intended to prompt exposition more than anything. Years before, as a small child, Sutton ...more

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Jan 02, 2011

Marsha rated it

Shelves: mystery

I have always loved Sue Grafton's alphabet mysteries and I think that her novels have grown more rich and layered over time. It seems now that just as she is nearing the end of the series, her writing is perfecting itself. Kinsey Milhone is a woman out of time - our time - but is still clearly a resident of the 1980's; sans cell phone, computer and World Wide Web. She solves her cases the old-fashioned way, with lots of footwork and interviews. I like the stripped-down feel of Kinsey's life ...more

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Dec 22, 2010

Vivisection rated it

Shelves: hard-boiled-female-pi, procedural-mysteries, supporting-characters-i-love

In a world of crappy mysteries a la Dan Brown or John Grisham, it's nice to know there's always Kinsey Millhone. Methodical and inquiring in her sleuthing, Kinsey knows how to successfully unravel a mystery by tugging on threads and organizing index cards. If only other fictional sleuths were as diligent instead of drawing on The Secret or plain old uninspired legalese. With the help of her creatrix, Sue Grafton, Kinsey's work is seamlessly blended with vignettes of the baddies and other char...more

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Dec 18, 2010

Rachel rated it

Shelves: mysteries

It's been a while since I spent some time with Kinsey, and I have skipped a lot of letters so I don't know if the quirks that stuck out in this book were always there and I just missed them before (or forgot them) or if they are new. Kinsey's narration is incredibly detailed, which can be good or bad, possibly depending on my mood. Seriously. Sometimes it makes the scene easier to visualize ("I turned left onto --- street"), and sometimes you wonder, why do I need to know this? ("...more

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Dec 16, 2010

Kim rated it

Shelves: audiobooks-read

Listened to this via audiobook. The more recent books, like from O is for Outlaw on - are read by Judy Kaye. I love the reading of Judy Kaye for this series. She IS Kinsey Milhone! I've now gotten through all of the Judy Kaye read audiobooks so will have to continue on *reading* the books I haven't read yet.
Audiobook or read from the book, either way I love Kinsey! She is so down to earth - just a regular woman, very smart and very gutsy. She relies on no one but herself, though so...more

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Dec 01, 2010

Barbara Tom rated it

· review of another edition

It's been awhile since I've read one of the alphabet books. After I thought Kinsey Millhone wussed out at the end of one of the books, I grew uninterested in her goings on. I managed to stay distant through a few more of the letters, but the premise of this book sounded so intriguing that I decided to renew my acquaintance with Santa Teresa's most famous P.I. This is the thing: Nobody does it better than Sue Grafton. She still does one of the best jobs opening and closing a book, setting up the ...moreIt's been awhile since I've read one of the alphabet books. After I thought Kinsey Millhone wussed out at the end of one of the books, I grew uninterested in her goings on. I managed to stay distant through a few more of the letters, but the premise of this book sounded so intriguing that I decided to renew my acquaintance with Santa Teresa's most famous P.I. This is the thing: Nobody does it better than Sue Grafton. She still does one of the best jobs opening and closing a book, setting up the scene, reintroducing us over and over to Kinsey, and putting us in a place and time.

The place is the fictional town of Santa Teresa and the time is 1988. A young man asks Kinsey to investigate a memory. He says that as a six-year-old he saw two men bury a bag in the woods next to a middle class subdivision. As an adult he realized that it was right around the time of the kidnapping and disappearance of a young girl in 1967. It was a sensation at the time, and over the years people assumed the young girl was dead, although her body was never found. (To accommodate all the reader needs to know, part of the book is first-person Kinsey and the rest is a third-person narrative that follows several people who lived in the area.) So Sutton, the grown-up little boy, is convinced that what the men were burying was the little girl, and he wants Kinsey to find the spot. Based on Sutton's scant memories, Kinsey works the clues step by elusive step.

Instead of telling you what Kinsey and Sutton find -- because if you read this book, you have every right to be as surprised as I was by the revelations -- let me just say that this was a very satisfying book. I learned what a wuss I was for having given up on Sue Grafton. This is why she is a good writer: She doesn't beat her readers over their heads with the clues. She lets the pieces fall in place for them, too. At the end, she doesn't say that this plus that plus this other thing equals the aha! moment. I was impressed by how she slowly and carefully unfolded the story, and how she created her moments of tension and sadness seemingly without effort.

Another part of the book deals with Kinsey's newfound family. Her wealthy grandmother and other relations have been trying to draw Kinsey into the family fold. After years of neglect by this family, she isn't buying into any warm, fuzzy feelings for them. Once again, Grafton's tremendous strength as a writer is on display with this side story. Real people, real feelings -- really, really well done.(less)

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Aug 17, 2010

Kate rated it

I found myself thinking, here we go with another Kinsey Millhone book. Big deal. I've read all Sue Grafton's books, so I might as well continue, right? But it had been awhile since I read the last one, and I have to say that "U" reminded me of why I've happily read all Grafton's books over the years. If one definition of a good read is finding it hard to put the book down because you can't wait to see what happens next - then "U is for Undertow" offers that, hands down. Sue G...more

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Jul 27, 2010

Cherie rated it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I have been reading the books in this series for many years, and enjoyed this most recent one. There are several plots: the main story concerns a young man who comes to Kinsey because he has become convinced that he witnessed a crime when he was a little boy. He thinks he saw two men about to bury the body of a little girl who had been kidnapped. Then, several of his family members come forward with evidence that what he thought happened could not have happened after all.

However, Kin...more

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Jul 19, 2010

Carre rated it

In this 21st book of the Alphabet Murder Mystery Series, PI Kinsey Milhone opens a case that's been cold for 20 years: the kidnapping and presumed murder of a local 4-year old child.

I really liked the mystery in this...er...mystery. The author does something unusual in that she doesn't introduce the character whodunnit in the first chapter, as she almost always does, which was a nice change. On the other hand, Kinsey does tell us in the first chapter that she's not going to meet the ...more

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Jul 17, 2010

Wanda rated it

Normally I enjoy the Grafton series as fluffy beach reads. The suspense has kept me reading in the past and have found Kinsey Millhone to be an interesting character, with her reminiscences of former boyfriends, wonderfully paternal landlord and charmingly intrusive Hungarian restaurant owner friend. But I found this one to be a disappointment. I found myself skipping parts, which I don't normally do with Sue Grafton's books. The parts on the history of the area were not an improvement and I di...more

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Jun 09, 2010

Jlaurenmc rated it

Let me begin by getting a few things straight. I love Sue Grafton. And I love Kinsey Milhone. I love both of them in Grafton's latest novel, U is for Undertow, and I also really liked the novel. Yes, I said that exactly right -- I love Grafton & Milhone, and liked Grafton's latest book. It did what it was designed to do; it gave readers more of what they've been asking for -- more Kinsey. It just didn't (400 plus pages later) satisfy my yearning for another great Grafton mystery.

In ...moreLet me begin by getting a few things straight. I love Sue Grafton. And I love Kinsey Milhone. I love both of them in Grafton's latest novel, U is for Undertow, and I also really liked the novel. Yes, I said that exactly right -- I love Grafton & Milhone, and liked Grafton's latest book. It did what it was designed to do; it gave readers more of what they've been asking for -- more Kinsey. It just didn't (400 plus pages later) satisfy my yearning for another great Grafton mystery.

In U is for Undertow, Grafton sets up quite an interesting mystery. Michael Sutton, pariah of the upper class in Grafton's fictional Santa Teresa (a la Santa Barbara) and especially the ritzy neighborhood Horton Ravine, hires Kinsey to do some detecting for him. The local newspaper just did a piece on famous missing children who were never found, and one story in particular jumps out at him. Sutton believes he remembers stumbling upon two men (or "pirates", as his 6-year-old self thought of them) burying something. At six, he might have believed their "buried treasure" act; at close to thirty, he doesn't. Sutton persuades Kinsey to take his case and help him reconstruct that day more than twenty years ago. Fittingly, that the case begins 21 years prior, and this is Grafton's 21st Kinsey Milhone chapter.

In the novel Grafton switches between several narratives, both present-day and from 1967. She uses not only Kinsey, but also the kidnapped girl's peers and other Horton Ravine families who seemingly have little-to-no relation to the crime. As other characters play such a prominent role in the novel, the reader can easily deduce who the guilty part(ies) might be, long before Kinsey has gotten there. In fact, Kinsey does little work towards the plot's climax, leaving me wishing for more wisdom on the part of this beloved detective. Grafton does include some inner conflict for Kinsey, in the form of continued estranged family communications. However, even that leaves something to be desired.

Was I happy to have another book through which to enjoy Kinsey and her fellow recurring characters? Absolutely. Did I feel she was almost a side character in a larger novel Grafton was attempting to write? Somewhat. Did I enjoy the novel? I did. I just wished for more Kinsey-style angst and less narration from one-time characters. Would I recommend it? I would, for both long-time Grafton fans and for new readers.

If you're just now hopping on the Kinsey Milhone train, U is for Undertow wouldn't be a bad way to start. It has just enough intrigue to prove interesting, while little enough background required that a new reader would not find him- or herself lost. That being said, what Grafton first-timers should actually do is go back to the beginning and learn about Kinsey from A is for Alibi and B is for Burglar. Then make your way to U is for Undertow; by the time you're through, a new book will be out and you won't have to wait for the "V" version.

Although I would dearly love to see our Kinsey on the big screen (or even on the small screen, for that matter!), Grafton's one wish is that her detective never be immortalized in a film of any kind. I've even read that she has threatened to come back and haunt any relatives who sell rights to her books after she's dead and gone. Maybe before that happens, she'll re-think that statement. Until then, Kinsey will live in the minds of millions of readers across the world. (less)

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May 18, 2010

T. Edmund rated it

I had originally thought that entering a series at the 21st instalment was a bad plan, but the thought of trudging through U is for Undertows predecessors was somewhat paralysing. Luckily if you are in the same boat, I can totally reassure you that Grafton’s master writing skills prevent any need for backstory. Sure there was a bit (well maybe a lot of) information dump at the start of the novel which I promptly forgot, but the story was fine to follow from that perspective.

I ...more

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May 06, 2010

Jessica rated it

Shelves: mystery-and-crime-fiction

I've read the whole alphabet series and most of them are pretty good. The U plot turns on a young man who visits our intrepid Kinsey Millhone and claims to have witnessed the burial of a kidnapped child two decades earlier. Kinsey's investigation unearths a few highschool acquaintances, a long-lost pair of hippies and a country-club family torn apart by abuse allegations. Woven into the story is a new piece of Kinsey's own history. I found that part only mildly intriguing but the mystery is...more

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Mar 25, 2010

Judy rated it

When I started reading these books years ago, I thought that having the books go through the alphabet was a neat idea. I wonder if Sue Grafton has ever had second thoughts about the decision? This was an enjoyable book that, surprisingly, never really grabbed my attention. Instead of reading it through or at two and three hour periods, I found myself reading it for 30 minutes or so and then putting it down to pick up another book. Anyway, it's 1988 and Kinsey Milhone is almost 38. So she do...more

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Mar 21, 2010

Jim rated it

She gives you who did the murder pretty early in the book. I was wrong about where the body was hidden though.

I liked how she jumped time lines, suddenly introduces characters to be integrated in later, and other techniques. I don't particularly like books that switch between first person and third person, but this one carried it well to identify when it was the protagonist (first person), and all the other story bits (third person).

I thought of rating it average (3 stars...more

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Mar 20, 2010

Lain rated it

Kinsey Millhone, PI, is at it again. This time she's presented with a strange case -- a young man has suddenly remembered a key piece of evidence in a kidnapping case from two decades before. His recollection turns out to be spotty, though, and Kinsey is forced to try to separate fact from fiction while she follows the thread of a decades-old crime. Along the way issues of her own past creep up, and she tries to process some new information about her family while tracking down leads.

...more

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About Sue Grafton

Connect with Sue herself on Facebook! www.facebook.com/suegrafton

Received the Shamus Award, "The Eye" (Lifetime achievement award) in 2003.

Family History:

Father: C.W. Grafton, born 1909, third son of Presbyterian Missionaries, born and raised in China, educated Presbyterian College, Clinton, South Carolina; practicing attorney in Louisville, Kentucky w...more

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Trivia About U is for Undertow

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Quotes from U is for Undertow

“If I'd been listening closely, I'd have caught the sound of the gods having a great big old tee-hee at my expense.” — 6 people liked it

“I showered and shampooed. I even shaved the requisite legs and armpits just in case I fell in a swoon and one or the other was exposed to view. (Kinsey Millhone)” — 3 people liked it

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100+ Books in 2012

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shelf: read

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avg rating	preview: U is for Undertow Goodreads rating: 3.78 (6410 ratings)
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U is for Undertow (Kinsey Millhone #21)

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