Status
Available
Series
Genres
Publication
Marian Wood Books/Putnam (2009), Edition: 1st, 416 pages
Description
After a recent reference to a kidnapping triggers a flood of memories, unemployed college dropout Michael Sutton hires Kinsey Millhone to locate a four-year-old girl's remains and find the men who killed her.
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Media reviews
With U is for Undertow, Sue Grafton draws closer to the end of the alphabet and, presumably, to the finish of her marvelous mysteries featuring Kinsey Millhone, the smart and scrappy private investigator who helped validate that profession for several generations of female P.I.’s. So has this
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reliable series lost its addictive appeal? Not at all — though it’s a shock to realize that the stories, set in a California coastal town in the 1980s, now read more like historical narratives than contemporary novels with a slight time lag. But it’s an object lesson in disciplined storytelling to watch Grafton manipulate that time frame to broaden the story and deepen the mystery. Show Less
U is for Undertow isn’t much of a mystery. Sure, there’s a baby who was kidnapped and murdered 20 years ago, and a 6-year-old boy, now grown, who may or may not have seen its burial. But what’s wonderful about the book is the sharp-eyed details Grafton packs into its frame.
User reviews
LibraryThing member SamSattler
I have been a fan of Sue Grafton's Kinsey Millhone series ever since "A Is for Alibi." Unfortunately, I did not discover this first volume of the series until it hit my local bookstore in paperback format. If I had been able to afford the price of a hardcover book back in 1982, today I might be the
It is 1988 and 39-year-old Kinsey Millhone, survivor of two failed marriages, is still living alone and running her one-woman detective agency in Santa Teresa, California when a young man walks into her office one afternoon looking for help. Michael Sutton is haunted by something he saw twenty years earlier, when he was six, and he wants Kinsey to find out exactly what he witnessed on the day he wandered away by himself from his neighbor's yard. Did he, as he now believes, actually see two men in the process of burying the little girl they had kidnapped several days earlier? Kinsey might doubt Michael's story but she has bills to pay - and Michael's $500 for one day's work is not something she can afford to pass up.
Thus begins a complicated investigation so intriguing to Kinsey Millhone that she finds herself working on it for many more hours than the ones for which she has been paid. Little Mary Claire Fitzhugh was kidnapped in July 1967 and, when her parents went to the police despite being warned by the kidnappers not to do so, she disappeared forever. Despite the best efforts of the Santa Teresa police and the FBI, no one was ever arrested for the crime and the little girl's body was never found. Kinsey, who was in high school when the little girl was snatched, begins to believe that Michael really might have stumbled upon the killers that long ago day - and the chase is on.
"U Is for Undertow" is a fun reminder of just how primitive 1988 technology was when compared to all the gadgets available to us today. Kinsey does not own a fax machine or a cell phone; when she is in the field, she really is out there on her own. When she needs to research old addresses, business locations, or phone numbers she heads to her local library to use the cross-references and old phone books housed there. The microfilm reader is her friend and she uses index cards to capture her thoughts in a portable format. The reader will wonder if Kinsey, who is now 61 years old in 2009, much misses those old days.
Longtime Kinsey Milholne fans will be pleased, too, to find that "U Is for Undertow" opens a treasure trove full of details about her childhood and the grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins Kinsey never learned of after the death of her parents. The chapters dealing with Kinsey's family and the flashbacks to 1967 and its "Summer of Love" give the book a depth it would otherwise not have had. This is another fine addition to the series and it is hard to believe there are only five to go. It has been a fun ride.
Rated at: 5.0
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proud owner of a little book that sells to collectors for about $1200 in the right condition and edition. Now, with "U Is for Undertow," I have come full cycle - this one I read in e-book format. It is 1988 and 39-year-old Kinsey Millhone, survivor of two failed marriages, is still living alone and running her one-woman detective agency in Santa Teresa, California when a young man walks into her office one afternoon looking for help. Michael Sutton is haunted by something he saw twenty years earlier, when he was six, and he wants Kinsey to find out exactly what he witnessed on the day he wandered away by himself from his neighbor's yard. Did he, as he now believes, actually see two men in the process of burying the little girl they had kidnapped several days earlier? Kinsey might doubt Michael's story but she has bills to pay - and Michael's $500 for one day's work is not something she can afford to pass up.
Thus begins a complicated investigation so intriguing to Kinsey Millhone that she finds herself working on it for many more hours than the ones for which she has been paid. Little Mary Claire Fitzhugh was kidnapped in July 1967 and, when her parents went to the police despite being warned by the kidnappers not to do so, she disappeared forever. Despite the best efforts of the Santa Teresa police and the FBI, no one was ever arrested for the crime and the little girl's body was never found. Kinsey, who was in high school when the little girl was snatched, begins to believe that Michael really might have stumbled upon the killers that long ago day - and the chase is on.
"U Is for Undertow" is a fun reminder of just how primitive 1988 technology was when compared to all the gadgets available to us today. Kinsey does not own a fax machine or a cell phone; when she is in the field, she really is out there on her own. When she needs to research old addresses, business locations, or phone numbers she heads to her local library to use the cross-references and old phone books housed there. The microfilm reader is her friend and she uses index cards to capture her thoughts in a portable format. The reader will wonder if Kinsey, who is now 61 years old in 2009, much misses those old days.
Longtime Kinsey Milholne fans will be pleased, too, to find that "U Is for Undertow" opens a treasure trove full of details about her childhood and the grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins Kinsey never learned of after the death of her parents. The chapters dealing with Kinsey's family and the flashbacks to 1967 and its "Summer of Love" give the book a depth it would otherwise not have had. This is another fine addition to the series and it is hard to believe there are only five to go. It has been a fun ride.
Rated at: 5.0
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LibraryThing member otterley
For a change (perhaps preparing for the end of the alphabet) - this is a multi narrator book, with Kinsey Millhone sharing the lead voice with a wide range of other characters. Very readable, cleverly plotted and narrated over two time frames, Grafton expertly pilots her reader through the novel,
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adding somewhat melancholy reflections on family, loyalty, parenthood and deception to the crime mystery narrative. Show Less
LibraryThing member koalamom
Kinsey has two interesting and unrelated problems to deal with here. One involves a 21 year old murder that a young man swears he saw back when he was 6, but since he's prone to exaggeration, few really believe him, especially when he leads them on what turns out to be a wild goose chase.
Her other
Grafton can still tell a story that keeps you wanting to continue reading, but she is getting close to the end of the alphabet - what then?
Her other
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problem, again, deals with her new found family and whether or not to attend an upcoming family reunion but she is presented with some new information by her cousin that may help her in her decision.Grafton can still tell a story that keeps you wanting to continue reading, but she is getting close to the end of the alphabet - what then?
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LibraryThing member mikedraper
In April 1988, a young man, Michael Sutton, arrives at Kinsey Millhone's office without an appointment. He tells Kinsey that over twenty years ago, when he was six, he was playing in the woods and saw two men digging a hole. This happened just after a four-year-old girl was abducted. The publicity
When Kinsey notifies the police, they arrive with a cadaver sniffing dog and find the spot where something was burried. They don't find what they thought, but the publicity sets off other actions.
The story moves between the events of 1988 and what happened twenty years prior. We read about the people who kidnapped the girl and their family histories. There are a number of sub plots and different points of view as we view the facts surrounding the abduction of the little girl. We also meet a number of interesting characters.
Kinsey is still a fresh character after being introduced over twenty novels earlier. She's a saucy, independent, investigator to has the intuition to know that although what the police found in the hole wasn't what she thought, Michael Savage may have seen the real thing. However, Michael has a habit of stretching the truth and maybe he's told too many lies in the past.
The reader always feels a part of Kinsey's clan as she tells of her mixed up family and group of septuagenarian friends.
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surrounding the twenty year anniversary of that crime, made him remember the incident. He hires Kinsey, for just a day, to help find the location in the woods and then, possibly find the killer.When Kinsey notifies the police, they arrive with a cadaver sniffing dog and find the spot where something was burried. They don't find what they thought, but the publicity sets off other actions.
The story moves between the events of 1988 and what happened twenty years prior. We read about the people who kidnapped the girl and their family histories. There are a number of sub plots and different points of view as we view the facts surrounding the abduction of the little girl. We also meet a number of interesting characters.
Kinsey is still a fresh character after being introduced over twenty novels earlier. She's a saucy, independent, investigator to has the intuition to know that although what the police found in the hole wasn't what she thought, Michael Savage may have seen the real thing. However, Michael has a habit of stretching the truth and maybe he's told too many lies in the past.
The reader always feels a part of Kinsey's clan as she tells of her mixed up family and group of septuagenarian friends.
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LibraryThing member aen1
I'm also a big fan of Sue Grafton and I've enjoyed many of her books over the years. That makes it that much more upsetting to say how disappointing this effort is. Did anyone else notice that undertow has nothing to do with the plot? How about U for Unsolved, since that's the whole theme here. And
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Kinsey does almost nothing to solve the case, it is revealed in flashbacks that leave nothing for the reader or Kinsey to solve. Kinsey is barely a minor character. I'd say U for Unsatisfying or U for Uninteresting, Unfortunately. Show Less
LibraryThing member phoenixcomet
Sue Grafton is my favorite of all the mystery writers barring Raymond Chandler. Kinsey Millhone is just shy of her 38th birthday in 1988 and she's hired by a guy who says he remembers when he was 6 years old seeing 2 'pirates' bury a treasure which he thinks is the body of Mary Claire FItzburgh. It
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is not Mary Claire's body, but the clues and the case eventually lead Kinsey to the truth. As usual, an A. Show Less
LibraryThing member EdGoldberg
What are we Sue Grafton fans going to do when she finishes her alphabet mystery series? We'll be in deep trouble, unless she starts a new series. In U is for Undertow, PI Kinsey Millhone is visited by Michael Sutton, 27 years old, who remembers something he saw 21 years ago that may shed light on a
Of course things get complicated and the mysteries grow. Indeed, she also gets caught up in family struggles that mirror her own dysfunctional family situation. Cheney, Dolan and Stacey make brief appearances.
Grafton jumps between 1988, the setting of the book, and 1967 when the original kidnapping took place. She tracks down relevant parties from 1967, some remaining local, some having moved away. As usual, her characters are colorful, her plot is exciting, her writing sucks you in. Grafton continually shows that you don't need a lot of blood and guts to create absorbing mystery.
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young girl's kidnapping in 1967. While his story sounds implausible, there are elements that sound truthful, so she begins to investigate.Of course things get complicated and the mysteries grow. Indeed, she also gets caught up in family struggles that mirror her own dysfunctional family situation. Cheney, Dolan and Stacey make brief appearances.
Grafton jumps between 1988, the setting of the book, and 1967 when the original kidnapping took place. She tracks down relevant parties from 1967, some remaining local, some having moved away. As usual, her characters are colorful, her plot is exciting, her writing sucks you in. Grafton continually shows that you don't need a lot of blood and guts to create absorbing mystery.
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LibraryThing member LesaHolstine
Tomorrow is release date for Sue Grafton's U is for Undertow. If you've been disappointed by recent books in the series, don't hesitate to pick this one up. Of course, I'm a cold case fan, so I'm prejudiced, but I think this is the best Kinsey Millhone investigation in recent years.
In April 1988,
The police were right. Kinsey did like to pick at cases, and she was willing to spend a little time trying to find an unmarked grave. In the next two weeks, she found odd clues, ranging from a dead dog to another kidnapped little girl. She also learned how unreliable her client was. How can a detective trust the story told by an unreliable witness?
While working on Sutton's case, Kinsey took care of other business, including her own family issues. After not having a family for so many years, she's overwhelmed by their requests for her attention. A couple people, including her cousin, continue to push, while Kinsey pushes back against the family. Finally, a set of letters pushes her to do her own investigation.
Kinsey is still Kinsey Millhone, stuck in the 1980s, and living her Spartan life. I loved a paragraph in which Kinsey is trying to look sharp while meeting her cousin, a paragraph that sums up Kinsey's lifestyle perfectly. "I'd been using a hand-knit wool scarf along the bottom of the door to the upstairs bath, keeping out the drafts that crept through the crack where there should have been a threshold. I snatched up the scarf, shook off a few woofies, and slung it around my neck....I was as they say, a sight for sore eyes."
As others have said, since Kinsey is stuck in the 1980s, she never ages, but she also doesn't have access to the technology we use today - no Internet, no computer, no cell phone. She's impressed with the fax machine she uses at a notary's. As a librarian who worked in the 1980s, though, Kinsey's use of the public library for reference makes me nostalgic. It's wonderful to see someone who still pulls the directories, making practical use of the reference tools available.
Sue Grafton is a true master at changing the styles of her books, keeping them fresh after twenty-one books. U is for Undertow incorporates Kinsey's viewpoint, along with accounts of people who were involved in events surrounding the 1967 kidnappings. It's fascinating to read the earlier stories, wondering how those people intersect with Kinsey Millhone's latest case. Kinsey hints at the beginning of the case, when she says, "Here's the odd part. In my ten years as a private eye, this was the first case I ever managed to resolve without crossing paths with the bad guys. Except at the end, of course."
It's an odd case for Kinsey Millhone. And, it's a wonderful book for Sue Grafton. U is for Undertow, a cold case, is my favorite Grafton in quite a while. If you've given up on the recent books, pick this one up. And, if you read every one of Kinsey Millhone's adventures, this is a 416 page, comfortable, satisfying book.
In April 1988,
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Kinsey accepted an unusual case. Michael Sutton was referred to her by a police detective who thought there just might be something to his story. Sutton thought it was possible he had information about the disappearance of a four-year-old girl, Mary Claire Fitzhugh, in 1967. Her body was never found, but as a six-year-old, he remembered two men digging a hole, men who admitted they were pirates, to a young boy's pleasure. Twenty-one years later, when the story of the little girl's kidnapping was in the newspaper as an unsolved case, it occurred to Sutton that he might have seen the kidnappers.The police were right. Kinsey did like to pick at cases, and she was willing to spend a little time trying to find an unmarked grave. In the next two weeks, she found odd clues, ranging from a dead dog to another kidnapped little girl. She also learned how unreliable her client was. How can a detective trust the story told by an unreliable witness?
While working on Sutton's case, Kinsey took care of other business, including her own family issues. After not having a family for so many years, she's overwhelmed by their requests for her attention. A couple people, including her cousin, continue to push, while Kinsey pushes back against the family. Finally, a set of letters pushes her to do her own investigation.
Kinsey is still Kinsey Millhone, stuck in the 1980s, and living her Spartan life. I loved a paragraph in which Kinsey is trying to look sharp while meeting her cousin, a paragraph that sums up Kinsey's lifestyle perfectly. "I'd been using a hand-knit wool scarf along the bottom of the door to the upstairs bath, keeping out the drafts that crept through the crack where there should have been a threshold. I snatched up the scarf, shook off a few woofies, and slung it around my neck....I was as they say, a sight for sore eyes."
As others have said, since Kinsey is stuck in the 1980s, she never ages, but she also doesn't have access to the technology we use today - no Internet, no computer, no cell phone. She's impressed with the fax machine she uses at a notary's. As a librarian who worked in the 1980s, though, Kinsey's use of the public library for reference makes me nostalgic. It's wonderful to see someone who still pulls the directories, making practical use of the reference tools available.
Sue Grafton is a true master at changing the styles of her books, keeping them fresh after twenty-one books. U is for Undertow incorporates Kinsey's viewpoint, along with accounts of people who were involved in events surrounding the 1967 kidnappings. It's fascinating to read the earlier stories, wondering how those people intersect with Kinsey Millhone's latest case. Kinsey hints at the beginning of the case, when she says, "Here's the odd part. In my ten years as a private eye, this was the first case I ever managed to resolve without crossing paths with the bad guys. Except at the end, of course."
It's an odd case for Kinsey Millhone. And, it's a wonderful book for Sue Grafton. U is for Undertow, a cold case, is my favorite Grafton in quite a while. If you've given up on the recent books, pick this one up. And, if you read every one of Kinsey Millhone's adventures, this is a 416 page, comfortable, satisfying book.
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LibraryThing member jhgreen
Like so many others who have written reviews on this book, I've been a long-time Sue Grafton fan. I've read all of her books and ordered this one as soon as it became available. I suspect Ms Grafton is getting a bit tired of Kinsey Millhone. The main clue is in the length of the book. I pulled two
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or three other of her books off the shelf, and sure enough, they are getting progressively longer. This one at 400 pages is a full hundred pages longer than, for example, "J" and "M." This length increase doesn't mean that the reader gets more value. She sacrifices the tight writing that makes her other stories move along. For me, this one drags. Shifting from first to third person as she does in this book is sometimes effective, and she handles it well without confusing the reader, but I read halfway through "U" before any connection between the characters was apparent. That's okay if the story clips along and keeps you turning pages, but this one did not, at least for me. Too frequently Kinsey dwells at length on fussy little details such as her opinions about trivia that neither characterize her nor add to the plot. Cut this book back to 300 pages, and it would equal the best of her others. Show Less
LibraryThing member Romonko
I have been reading Grafton's alphabet series for a very long time now, and I really do enjoy Kinsey and the stuff she gets up to. But, contrary to what most of the reviews say for this one, I didn't think that this book was stellar! I found that there wasn't that much suspense and the plot was
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fairly predictable. I like the mix of the times of 1988 and 1967 and the way Ms. Grafton goes back and forth between the two. The characters are still very good although there isn't that much of Henry in this one. The book is all Kinsey as she tries to find out what happened in a 20 year kidnapping case where a little girl has been missing since she was abducted. I still love the series and I really like Kinsey and in this book we get another fascinating look at her as a young child. Yes, I am waiting for "V". Show Less
LibraryThing member julyso
Michael Sutton comes to Kinsey Millhone for help about something he saw when he was six years old. He is haunted about what he thinks he saw and wants help finding out exactly what is was. Kinsey agrees to one day of investigation and it leads to much more than that. Michael believes he saw two men
Ahhh, I savored each and every page of this book. I love Sue Grafton's Kinsey Milhone series! I was so excited to get this one in my hand and it didn't disappoint. Kinsey is probably one of my all-time favorite detectives, she is just so normal, so fun, and so believable. Already looking forward to V...
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burying something...was it a little girl who had been recently kidnapped? Kinsey believes Michael and doesn't let go...Ahhh, I savored each and every page of this book. I love Sue Grafton's Kinsey Milhone series! I was so excited to get this one in my hand and it didn't disappoint. Kinsey is probably one of my all-time favorite detectives, she is just so normal, so fun, and so believable. Already looking forward to V...
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LibraryThing member KLTMD
witty, percedptive; i.e. up to her standard.
LibraryThing member she_climber
Like an old friend that you haven't seen in far too long. Great storyline, and I love how indepth the characters are. I also apreciate that the story is set in 1988: pre-internet and cell phone era to add an additional dynamic to the story where you couldn't simply Google a suspect or call for
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backup as you see a crime in progress. Grafton does a fantastic job of weaving multiple storylines together. Sad now that I have to wait for V to come out. Show Less
LibraryThing member katiefeldmom
The 21st book in the Kinsey Millhone series did not disappoint and truly proved why she is on my top 5 favorite author list!!! Kinsey was hired by Michael Sutton who thought he witnessed a kidnapping/murder from 20 years ago. Kinsey spent the book working on the case. But the book also showed the
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points of view of the people who did the crime. Sue Grafton has an excellent way of combining stories that make sense and I can't wait to see what she comes up with in "V". Show Less
LibraryThing member AnneliM
One of her best in a long line of mysteries involving Minsey Millhouse, P>I>
LibraryThing member dwcofer
U is For Undertow
U is for Undertow,” by Sue Grafton is, without doubt, her best effort in her long series of “alphabet” novels. Having read each one of them, this one is the best so far. It is unfortunate the alphabet only contains 26 lettes; I am not for sure what she will do after “Z is
“U is for Undertow” revolves around 37 year old private investigator Kinsey Millhone, hired by Michael Sutton to investigate an unsolved kidnaping and probable murder twenty years earlier. The kidnapping occurred in July of 1967; Mary Claire Fitzhugh, at the age of four, was abducted from her home. Her parents agreed to pay the ransom demanded by the kidnappers, however, the money was never picked up and young Mary was never seen again. Sutton claims he recently recalled an event that occurred when he was just six years old. Sutton remembers seeing two men digging a hole and burying something in the ground, and wonders if they were burying the corpse of Mary Claire, the kidnapped girl.
The novel’s setting splits between 1967, the year of the kidnapping, and 1988, the year Sutton hires Millhone. Grafton makes excellent use of flashbacks to fill in the details of the events from 1967, while keeping the action moving in Millhone’s 1988 investigation. The flashbacks are well constructed, and not just used as “padding” to fill pages.
Grafton is a master storyteller and “U is for Undertow” will not disappoint. Even a first time reader of a Grafton novel can appreciate this book as much as a “veteran” Grafton reader. The writing is crisp, the action moves swiftly and is well described. The dialogue is realistic and she does a masterful job with her description and setting.
What I appreciated most about this book was the reseach Grafton obviously conducted to describe an investigation in the 1980’s. A lazy writer would have set the novel in the 2000’s and used internet and computer research to solve the mystery. Grafton’s heroine had to use the technology of the “pre-internet” era, conducting her research using “old-fashioned” methods. Millhone uses library resuorces, yearbooks, telephone directories, etc., the tools of the day. Those methods are well documented in the novel and provide a realism to the novel.
“U is for Undertow” is unassailable, it will not disappoint. I cannot recommend it enough.
U is for Undertow,” by Sue Grafton is, without doubt, her best effort in her long series of “alphabet” novels. Having read each one of them, this one is the best so far. It is unfortunate the alphabet only contains 26 lettes; I am not for sure what she will do after “Z is
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for Zero;” she may have to create new letters.“U is for Undertow” revolves around 37 year old private investigator Kinsey Millhone, hired by Michael Sutton to investigate an unsolved kidnaping and probable murder twenty years earlier. The kidnapping occurred in July of 1967; Mary Claire Fitzhugh, at the age of four, was abducted from her home. Her parents agreed to pay the ransom demanded by the kidnappers, however, the money was never picked up and young Mary was never seen again. Sutton claims he recently recalled an event that occurred when he was just six years old. Sutton remembers seeing two men digging a hole and burying something in the ground, and wonders if they were burying the corpse of Mary Claire, the kidnapped girl.
The novel’s setting splits between 1967, the year of the kidnapping, and 1988, the year Sutton hires Millhone. Grafton makes excellent use of flashbacks to fill in the details of the events from 1967, while keeping the action moving in Millhone’s 1988 investigation. The flashbacks are well constructed, and not just used as “padding” to fill pages.
Grafton is a master storyteller and “U is for Undertow” will not disappoint. Even a first time reader of a Grafton novel can appreciate this book as much as a “veteran” Grafton reader. The writing is crisp, the action moves swiftly and is well described. The dialogue is realistic and she does a masterful job with her description and setting.
What I appreciated most about this book was the reseach Grafton obviously conducted to describe an investigation in the 1980’s. A lazy writer would have set the novel in the 2000’s and used internet and computer research to solve the mystery. Grafton’s heroine had to use the technology of the “pre-internet” era, conducting her research using “old-fashioned” methods. Millhone uses library resuorces, yearbooks, telephone directories, etc., the tools of the day. Those methods are well documented in the novel and provide a realism to the novel.
“U is for Undertow” is unassailable, it will not disappoint. I cannot recommend it enough.
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LibraryThing member asomers
I enjoyed the format of this story. Ms Grafton carefully wove together a tale by alternating time periods and points of view. It was a refreshing twist in her 21st book of the series.
LibraryThing member suefernandez
This is one of the best of the series. Kinsey was less "hard" than in previous books. She did a great job alternating time sequences, which is usually something I don't love. Highly recommended.
LibraryThing member mikitchenlady
I will echo the sentiments of other reviews of this book. Sue Grafton is in excellent form. This is one of the best Kinsey Milhone outings I've read in a while. The story moved through two time periods, leaving the reader wondering about the connection and relevance of characters, but the flow of
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the story tied it all together so nicely. Can't wait for "V is for?". Show Less
LibraryThing member addunn3
Two children are kidnapped, one ends up dead. 21 years later Kinsey pieces together a dead dog, pirates, and hippie types and solves the crime.
LibraryThing member angela.vaughn
This was a very good book. I couldn't believe the dark side that came out in it. The dynamics of the crimes that took place and the people involved, were a great combination. Plus, you have the familiar characters that just bring it home. I have read all the books in the series, and I have to say
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that this one is my favorite by far. Show Less
LibraryThing member sjmccreary
In this installment, 38-year old PI Kinsey Milhone is asked to look into an unsolved 21-year old kidnapping case when a young man suddenly remembers something he witnessed as a boy. Looking into the details of the case forces her to confront people and places and memories from her own high school
This has been an amazing series. Twenty-one books now, and the quality of the writing has been pretty constant. I love that it is set in the 1980's - a time that I clearly remember, yet is so different from today. No one had cell phones or personal computers. There were still pay phones on every corner. Kinsey made notes on index cards and used a real typewriter to write reports. The fax machine was the biggest gee-whiz gadget around. I also enjoy reading descriptions of the the details of the California countryside surrounding the fictional Santa Teresa - a thinly disguised Santa Barbara. Kinsey spends more time writing reports and doing research in the library or courthouse than she does chasing bad guys. Her personal life is spent cleaning house and having dinner in the neighborhood diner. She complains about her relatives. She lives such an ordinary life. I adore her. And I loved this book.
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days - before she became the confident and accomplished woman she is now.This has been an amazing series. Twenty-one books now, and the quality of the writing has been pretty constant. I love that it is set in the 1980's - a time that I clearly remember, yet is so different from today. No one had cell phones or personal computers. There were still pay phones on every corner. Kinsey made notes on index cards and used a real typewriter to write reports. The fax machine was the biggest gee-whiz gadget around. I also enjoy reading descriptions of the the details of the California countryside surrounding the fictional Santa Teresa - a thinly disguised Santa Barbara. Kinsey spends more time writing reports and doing research in the library or courthouse than she does chasing bad guys. Her personal life is spent cleaning house and having dinner in the neighborhood diner. She complains about her relatives. She lives such an ordinary life. I adore her. And I loved this book.
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LibraryThing member msgail1953
How does Ms. Grafton do it? Shakespeare, Steinbeck, Hemmingway, they all wrote some bad books. Sue Grafton consistently comes up with a great read. U is for Undertow is one of her best, It was hard to put the book down. My family had to eat sandwiches or take out, I missed sleep but enjoyed the
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read. Thanks Ms. Grafton. Show Less
LibraryThing member lynndp
I gave this Sue Grafton novel 5 stars. Okay, I'm an easy grader and I really liked this book. I think it's the best of her alphabet books so far. It's also one that you need not have read the previous A through T to appreciate. It's an excellent stand-alone "thinking man's" detective mystery novel.
LibraryThing member Kathy89
A young man hires Kinsey to look into an incident that happened when he was 6 yrs old. He saw two men burying what he now believes was a kidnapped little girl. Kinsey spends one day tracking down the location and gets the police to come and they discover a dog buried. She tells her client that
The story is also told from the perspective of the two men who kidnapped the little girl, another family whose daughter was kidnapped around the same time and a subplot of Kinsey's relationship with family members who have just recently come into her life.
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solves the case but it won't let her go and she starts poking around by tracking the owner through the dog's collar. The story is also told from the perspective of the two men who kidnapped the little girl, another family whose daughter was kidnapped around the same time and a subplot of Kinsey's relationship with family members who have just recently come into her life.
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Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2009
Physical description
9.5 inches
ISBN
039915597X / 9780399155970