Narrator Judy Kaye leads listeners down the convoluted path of an old murder case when private investigator Kinsey Millhone becomes curious about what a former partner was working on when he died. Kaye voices Millhone's frustration as she tries to piece together the fragments of a case gone cold. The astonishment in her voice as the killer comes into focus is palpable. In this latest “Alphabet” installment, Grafton includes a number of tangents that series fans may best appreciate. In one, Kaye perfectly renders Millhone's outrage when she discovers that an elderly couple is taking advantage of a kindhearted neighbor. Listeners may not want to join this alphabet freight train at its end but instead become more familiar with Kaye’s many earlier renditions. M.S. © AudioFile 2015, Portland, Maine

★ 06/29/2015
An inventive plot and incisive character studies elevate MWA Grand Master Grafton’s 24th Kinsey Millhone novel (after 2013’s W Is for Wasted), which includes a variety of X’s (a divorced couple named Xanakis, a spot on a map, etc.). Wealthy Hallie Bettancourt hires the Santa Teresa, Calif., PI for a simple assignment—find Christian Satterfield, a bank robber recently released from prison who was the baby 15-year-old Hallie gave up for adoption years earlier. Meanwhile, Kinsey agrees to help her friend Ruthie Wolinsky settle some papers belonging to Ruthie’s late husband, Pete, a private detective who was shot the year before in a robbery gone wrong. The two investigations spiral into complicated personal tales. Hallie has myriad secrets, and Pete’s papers lead Kinsey to finish one of his old cases, putting her in the crosshairs of the hate-filled Ned Lowe, who may be a murderer. This superior outing will remind readers why this much-loved series will be missed as the end of the alphabet approaches. Agent: Molly Friedrich, Friedrich Literary Agency. (Aug.)

Praise for X

“Grafton’s endless resourcefulness in varying her pitches in this landmark series, graced by her trademark self-deprecating humor, is one of the seven wonders of the genre.”—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“Excellent...pulse-pounding...Grafton has never been better.”—Booklist (starred review)

“Ratcheting up the heat as she heads toward the finish line of her alphabetically-framed series, Grafton has turned in a corker of a novel with X, upping her already high-level game.”—The Boston Globe

“X features a smashing ending that rivals that of her debut, A is for Alibi.”—The Washington Post

More Praise for Sue Grafton and the Alphabet Series

“I’m going to miss Kinsey Millhone. Ever since the first of Sue Grafton’s Alphabet mysteries, A Is For Alibi, came out in 1982, Kinsey has been a good friend and the very model of an independent woman, a gutsy Californian P.I. rocking a traditional man’s job...it’s Kinsey herself who keeps this series so warm and welcoming. She’s smart, she’s resourceful, and she’s tough enough to be sensitive on the right occasions.”—New York Times Book Review

“The consistent quality and skillful innovations in this alphabet series justify all the praise these books have received over the past 35 years.”—Wall Street Journal

“A superb storyteller.”—Publishers Weekly

“Grafton is a writer of many strengths—crisp characterizations, deft plotting, and eloquent dialogue among them—and she has kept her long-running alphabet mystery series fresh and each new release more welcome than the last.”—Louisville Courier-Journal

“[Grafton’s] ability to give equal weight to the story of the detective and the detective story sets her apart in the world of crime fiction.”—Richmond Times-Dispatch

03/15/2015
We're nearing the end of Grafton's alphabet mystery series starring beloved private investigator Kinsey Millhone. No word yet on the plot (or what that X will stand for), but with Grafton's credentials (the Crime Writers' Association Cartier Diamond Dagger Award, three Shamus Awards, and more), plus her status as a No. 1 New York Times best-selling author, are you really going to hesitate to buy?

Narrator Judy Kaye leads listeners down the convoluted path of an old murder case when private investigator Kinsey Millhone becomes curious about what a former partner was working on when he died. Kaye voices Millhone's frustration as she tries to piece together the fragments of a case gone cold. The astonishment in her voice as the killer comes into focus is palpable. In this latest “Alphabet” installment, Grafton includes a number of tangents that series fans may best appreciate. In one, Kaye perfectly renders Millhone's outrage when she discovers that an elderly couple is taking advantage of a kindhearted neighbor. Listeners may not want to join this alphabet freight train at its end but instead become more familiar with Kaye’s many earlier renditions. M.S. © AudioFile 2015, Portland, Maine

★ 2015-06-03
What does X stand for? Xanakis, XLNT, maybe even Father Xavier, all features of Kinsey Millhone's dense, meaty 24th case. The drought of 1989 is causing anxiety all over Santa Teresa, but money seems to have rained down on Kinsey's latest client, Hallie Bettancourt, who's seeking the current whereabouts of just-released robber Christian Satterfield, the son she had when she was only 15. Kinsey makes a few calls, rings a few bells, tracks down the address, and sends it on to the client, only to discover that everything Hallie told her, from her name to her relationship with Satterfield, was false. To add insult to injury, one of the $100 bills Hallie, or whoever she was, insisted on paying Kinsey is one of the same bills wealthy Ari Xanakis used two years ago to ransom a Turner painting back for $25,000 from his ex-wife, Teddy, who'd taken it upon herself to add it to the divorce settlement. Meanwhile, Kinsey's gotten involved in another equally messy case, driven by her unwelcome suspicion that her late colleague Pete Wolinsky—hired years ago by salesman Ned Lowe's attorney, Arnold Ruffner, to dig up dirt that would impeach the testimony of Taryn Sizemore, who'd accused him of harassment and stalking—had cast his net further and decided to blackmail either Lowe or someone else connected with the case. Showing as much initiative as Hallie or Pete and a lot more rectitude, Kinsey resolves to close the book on Pete's shadowy game and to return a pair of sentimental religious keepsakes she'd found hidden in Pete's files to their rightful owner. A droll drought-driven subplot revolving around Henry Pitts, Kinsey's ancient landlord, is the icing on the cake. Grafton's endless resourcefulness in varying her pitches in this landmark series (W Is for Wasted, 2013, etc.), graced by her trademark self-deprecating humor, is one of the seven wonders of the genre.