Book Review - U is for Undertow by Sue Grafton

I got distracted from my reading list yet again with one of my favourite authors - one of my top 3 put my feet up with a glass of wine or under the duvet authors - and possibly even my favourite - and just a reminder - beware the review as there may be spoilers!!

I had read a couple reviews of this book which suggested it was a little below par for Sue Grafton and I am pleased to dispel those reviews - they were wrong.  This book is excellent, 481 pages which kept me interested and gripped on each and every one.

I love this set of novels and I love the character of Kinsey Millhone.   This time the book gave up some of the back story of Kinsey and we find out about the relationship she had with her Aunt Gin and the struggles between Gin and Kinsey's grandmother Grand over who was going to look after the young orphaned Kinsey.  There is a very touching moment at the end of the book and I am really looking forward to how that will play out into the next novel.  Although with this set of books as each one comes out it brings us nearer and nearer to the end of the series and I am beginning to feel it will be something of a bereavement when there is no longer one of these to look forward to each year.

The crime in this book is one committed in the late 1960's and the grown up recollections of a then 6 year old boy who thought he may or may not have seen something connected to the crime.  Unlike some of the reviews I have read, I think Sue Grafton has woven the multi layer story very well, weaving the different years together, the 50's (her back story), the 60's the time of the crime (seen through the eyes of middle class parents trying to come to terms with the new society and lifestyles of their children) and the 80's when Kinsey is trying to put all of the pieces together - her story and the story around the disappearance of a young girl.  This time part of her story is wound into the crime too as she was familiar with some of the principle players and even went to school with some of them.

Kinsey struggles to pull all of the pieces of the crime together, ordering and reordering her index card system (she operates without the luxury of computers, cell phones, internet etc and I think this gives the story a depth which it could loose if she could just google something!) over and over again and it still isn't clicking for her - even 20 pages from the end of the book and then a final act of violence and it all becomes clear and of course Kinsey saves the day.

A really enjoyable  story and well up to her usual standards - I look forward to her next book - even though it brings Z is for ever closer!!

Ciao
Sue
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Reading challenge 13/16 - currently reading If I Was by Midge Ure