A former partner of PI Kinsey Millhone, if not precisely
a friend, is shot and killed; Kinsey is shocked albeit
not overly surprised as her former colleague was
acquainted with shady characters and not always
straightforward himself. However Kinsey is drawn into a
puzzling investigation when an unidentified homeless man
is found dead with her name and phone number; but what
would a homeless man want with a private investigator,
more precisely Kinsey?
Working her way down the alphabet to my immense pleasure,
W IS FOR WASTED is the latest offering from Sue Grafton,
and far from getting stale, W IS FOR WASTED is one of Ms.
Grafton's more brilliant books in this series. W IS FOR
WASTED can easily be read as a standalone, because the
author fills in the blanks for any newcomer without
weighing down the story, and reminding long-time fans why
we love Kinsey. I feel that the story being set in 1988
is a stroke of genius, making Kinsey eternally young but
in a plausible way, plus we get to experience "detecting"
without the help of today's technology, which suits
Kinsey's no-nonsense approach. I love Kinsey as I love
the tone of the narration; she is my friend and she's
speaking to me alone, which is part of the charm of this
series; Kinsey is not perfect but she is perfectly
wonderful. As are the recurring characters, among others
Kinsey's sounding board, landlord and friend, the elderly
Henry, who is utterly charming.
Ms. Grafton cinematic descriptions ensure that the
setting and the characters appear crystal clear, making
the journey almost as captivating as the destination, but
not quite. The pace is brisk, the story meticulously
crafted, great dialogues and chuckles along the way, as
well as huge plot twists which contribute to give even
greater depth to Kinsey, an already more than
multifaceted character, and lead to the fabulously
exciting conclusion.
Ms. Grafton is a writer of immense talent, and I admire
how she can grab my attention while sharing Kinsey's
daily drudgery but at the same time very cleverly and
quite surreptitiously insert little hints regarding the
investigation at hand, and before you realise it, W IS
FOR WASTED surprises you with a shocker and the book is
over! Which does not mean in the least that the ending
convoluted, definitely not; but rather that the whole
thing is so enjoyable in every way, that the pages simply
fly by! W IS FOR WASTED is an easy, fun, and captivating
read, and now that the alphabet is almost done, I wonder
what Sue Grafton has in store for us. In the meantime,
Ms. Grafton has definitely penned another winner, and on
to X!
The first victim was a local PI of suspect reputation who’d
been gunned down near the beach at Santa Teresa. The other
body was found on the beach six weeks later—a homeless man
with Kinsey Millhone’s name and number written on a slip of
paper in his pants pocket.
Two seemingly unrelated deaths, one a murder, the other
apparently of natural causes.
But as Kinsey digs deeper into the mystery of the John Doe,
some very strange linkages begin to emerge. Not just
between the two victims, but also to Kinsey’s past. And
before long Kinsey, through no fault of her own, is
thoroughly compromised…
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