It's 1989, and Kinsey Millhone is still haunted by the ghost Pete Wolinsky, one of her former colleagues. Kinsey, a private investigator, is contacted by a mysterious woman for what amounts to a quick and more than routine case. Ruth Wolinsky, Pete's widow, reaches out to Kinsey: the IRS is asking for old records from Pete and Kinsey's former employer. What Kinsey never expected is that two seemingly simple requests would have her digging further into the past, thus re-evaluating a lot about how she perceived Pete, with whom she'd had many bones to pick.

I'm always happy to read what new adventures my fictional friend Kinsey will have for me. X is slower- paced than some books in this series, which in no way means it's slow; it's just perfect for the story. It must be quite difficult for Ms. Grafton to come up with titles for this series, and X is simply the cleverest I think. The X in question creeps up everywhere, including a box marked X that contains the clues to everything. The story at first seems simple enough, but as little details are revealed, they work out like puzzle pieces, and the plot thickens.

One would also imagine after having gone through almost all the letters of the alphabet, that everything about Kinsey would be crystal clear, but X shows a lot of growth in Kinsey as she must take a good look at herself. As always in this series, there are all those perfectly described everyday details which make everything appear so genuine -- the fun backstories featuring beloved characters, more depth to lead characters' backgrounds. However, the subplot featuring Kinsey's new neighbours and water conservation lead to a stunning turn of events. And oh my, what a brilliant, genius ending!

Ms. Grafton's superlative writing is so easy to read, vivid and eloquent, and only gets better with time while the author keeps everything so fresh and new! Fans will definitely not be disappointed, and new readers will discover why so many of us cannot wait for the next Sue Grafton book!