As a long time a Sue Grafton fan, my insides get quivery at the release of a new Kensie Millhone mystery. I ask myself, “What title will she come up with for this letter of the alphabet? How will it foreshadow the plot, the stories, the characters?” When I finally read her newest release and get answers to the questions, I’m never disappointed. Grafton’s latest, U is for Undertow, was no exception.
When Grafton announced her intention of writing her way through the alphabet before completing the series, many people in bookland thought she was overly ambitious. But with only V, W, X, Y, and Z to go, the naysayers aren’t saying much anymore. Even if for some unthinkable reason Grafton doesn’t make it to Z, her critics will have a hard time finding reason to complain since her writing is consistently good. Not only that, but her plots are tight, with plenty of twists and turns. She researches carefully, (In one interview Grafton said she regrets keeping the setting in the 1980s because she has to keep checking on what electronic gizmos were and weren’t available at the time) and operates within the constraints of the time period. Then she creatively explains Millhone’s investigative techniques – going to the library to use a variety of city directories to discover addresses, for example – which would otherwise make no sense to today’s cell phone savvy readers.
But best of all is the slow and steady development of Kinsey Millhone’s spectacularly flawed and completely believable character. With each mystery Kinsey solves, Grafton scatters crumbs to explain why her detective holds the world at arm’s length. In the course of the series, she follows the trail of Millhone’s orphaned past and unconventional upbringing at the hands of a maiden aunt until readers are chaffing to learn the whole story, committed to reading every novel until all is revealed with the letter Z. Grafton does an equally good job with the reoccurring characters of Kensey’s octogenarian landlord and the dictatorial owner of the Hungarian restaurant down the street.
U for Undertow is as good as any of the books in the series, with flashbacks to the 1960s so realistic I felt like it was Weekly Reader time in elementary school again. But don’t take my word for it. If you’re a Sue Grafton fan, pick up her latest as soon as you can. But if you’re new to the series, start with A is for Alibi and work your way through the series. It’s the best way to get to know Kinsey Millhone, a woman who may become one of your best fictional friends. It’ll be worth the effort. I promise.
