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"Of #1 New York Times-bestselling author Sue Grafton, NPR's Maureen Corrigan said, "Makes me wish there were more than 26 letters." With only one letter left, Grafton's many devoted readers will share that sentiment. The darkest and most disturbing case report from the files of Kinsey Millhone, Y is for Yesterday begins in 1979, when four teenage boys from an elite private school sexually assault a fourteen-year-old classmate--and film the attack. Not long after, the tape goes missing and show more the suspected thief, a fellow classmate, is murdered. In the investigation that follows, one boy turns state's evidence and two of his peers are convicted. But the ringleader escapes without a trace. Now, it's 1989 and one of the perpetrators, Fritz McCabe, has been released from prison. Moody, unrepentant, and angry, he is a virtual prisoner of his ever-watchful parents--until a copy of the missing tape arrives with a ransom demand. That's when the McCabes call Kinsey Millhone for help. As she is drawn into their family drama, she keeps a watchful eye on Fritz. But he's not the only one being haunted by the past. A vicious sociopath with a grudge against Millhone may be leaving traces of himself for her to find"-- show lessTags
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This is the final Kinsey Millhone novel because the author died before finishing the series. It's heartbreaking and almost enough to drive my OCD up the wall. It's also a disappointing end because it's one of the weakest plots of the series. A teenage party ends in a girl's death, ten years later Kinsey is hired on a blackmail case related to the death. I'm never a fan of rape as a central plot point and the book needed some serious editing. I'll miss reading new mysteries with Kinsey and I wish we'd had a better conclusion to the series.
I have to give Sue Grafton kudos for having a plan and seeing it through over the course of 30 odd years. Top marks for follow-through. But these days I’m half-wishing she’d failed. Because then I wouldn’t find myself wading through books I no longer have much interest in. I’m at the point where reading them feels like more of a duty than a joy but being this close to the end I am compelled to finish. The 25th installment of private investigator Kinsey Millhone’s adventures is…well…long. And not very mysterious. And morally questionable. And did I mention the length?
The main story centres on a group of self-absorbed teenagers who morph into a group of self-absorbed young adults. In 1979 the teens attended a private school show more and were part of a cheating scandal, a brutal rape masquerading as some kind of ‘joke’ and a murder. Ten years later – in Kinsey’s ‘present day’ – one of the boys who admitted to the murder has been released from prison (having been tried as a juvenile he had to be released at the age of 25). As soon as Fritz McCabe is free his wealthy parents receive a demand for $25,000 and a copy of a tape which depicts their son and another boy repeatedly raping a girl they know while another of their friends holds the camera and a fourth acts as director. The McCabes hire Kinsey to track down the extortionist before the tape is sent to authorities. This mess gets a fairly unsatisfactory resolution but only after a lot of meandering.
The part I found morally questionably was that I could only imagine the events described on the 4 minutes of tape and my stomach was churning (it’s a lot more graphic than this series generally is). The fact that no character who watched it seemed terribly bothered by what it depicted make my skin crawl. I suppose I can buy that Fritz’ parents would put the needs of their son over the possible brutal assault he engaged in, but what’s Kinsey’s excuse? The whole ‘private investigator’s code of ethics’ thing doesn’t really do it for me I’m afraid. It didn’t help that every time some new person watched the tape or remembered their part in its recording the horrible events were described again in graphic detail and I was reminded that everyone seemed more worried by the extortion than the rape.
In addition to all of this Kinsey is being stalked by a killer who featured in this novel’s predecessor which provides an opportunity for the book to be a lot longer than it needs to be. For example a swag of time is devoted to the killer’s ex-wife – who is living somewhere in the US under an assumed name – bringing some damning evidence to Santa Theresa and all I could think was that all the faffing about with speeding and traffic snarls and airport parking could have been avoided if the police met her at the airport as any sensible person would have suggested. Other elements that add word count rather than plot advancement include the constant repetition of the central story from viewpoints that are only marginally different from each other and some nonsense about homeless people camping in Henry’s backyard.
I have long thought that Grafton backed herself into a corner by choosing to restrain herself in time with the series and each installment only adds to my conviction. By the time we get to the traditional epilogue of Y IS FOR YESTERDAY Kinsey has limped (metaphorically) into 1990 which means that the 25 tales of her cases have spanned eight years. The result is that there’s precious little time for genuine character development, though Kinsey’s loner lifestyle has been given a bit of a nudge recently with the discovery of previously unknown extended family who continue to play a role here. But the time factor has meant, for me at least, an increasing disconnect with the books. I was around 16 when I first read A IS FOR ALIBI and Kinsey was 30. I liked the depiction of a self-motivated young woman tackling life on her own terms. Now, when I am about to turn 50 and Kinsey is 38 it feels like she has nothing much of interest to say to me. To be fair to Grafton I think I’ve changed more than the series as these days I am far more interested in why people do the things they do whereas Kinsey’s stories have always been about what has happened and who did it. The ‘why’ has always been handled in a fairly perfunctory way, as it was again here.
I can’t help but wonder if this series would have found a more natural end if Grafton hadn’t been so bold as to propose 26 installments from the get-go. Which brings me back to my admiration for Grafton’s early vision and ability to bring it to fruition. I know there are series with more than 26 titles but I can’t think of another author who publically announced at the beginning of their career how many books they planned to write. And then did it. You go girl.
So despite my misgivings I’ll be back for the end which the internet tells me is to be called Zero and will be released in 2019. That sounds a bit dull to me so I shall ponder the possibility that the internet might be wrong and Z will stand for Zealot and we will meet present-day Kinsey on the trail of the murderous cult leader who held her captive in northern California since the early 90’s. show less
The main story centres on a group of self-absorbed teenagers who morph into a group of self-absorbed young adults. In 1979 the teens attended a private school show more and were part of a cheating scandal, a brutal rape masquerading as some kind of ‘joke’ and a murder. Ten years later – in Kinsey’s ‘present day’ – one of the boys who admitted to the murder has been released from prison (having been tried as a juvenile he had to be released at the age of 25). As soon as Fritz McCabe is free his wealthy parents receive a demand for $25,000 and a copy of a tape which depicts their son and another boy repeatedly raping a girl they know while another of their friends holds the camera and a fourth acts as director. The McCabes hire Kinsey to track down the extortionist before the tape is sent to authorities. This mess gets a fairly unsatisfactory resolution but only after a lot of meandering.
The part I found morally questionably was that I could only imagine the events described on the 4 minutes of tape and my stomach was churning (it’s a lot more graphic than this series generally is). The fact that no character who watched it seemed terribly bothered by what it depicted make my skin crawl. I suppose I can buy that Fritz’ parents would put the needs of their son over the possible brutal assault he engaged in, but what’s Kinsey’s excuse? The whole ‘private investigator’s code of ethics’ thing doesn’t really do it for me I’m afraid. It didn’t help that every time some new person watched the tape or remembered their part in its recording the horrible events were described again in graphic detail and I was reminded that everyone seemed more worried by the extortion than the rape.
In addition to all of this Kinsey is being stalked by a killer who featured in this novel’s predecessor which provides an opportunity for the book to be a lot longer than it needs to be. For example a swag of time is devoted to the killer’s ex-wife – who is living somewhere in the US under an assumed name – bringing some damning evidence to Santa Theresa and all I could think was that all the faffing about with speeding and traffic snarls and airport parking could have been avoided if the police met her at the airport as any sensible person would have suggested. Other elements that add word count rather than plot advancement include the constant repetition of the central story from viewpoints that are only marginally different from each other and some nonsense about homeless people camping in Henry’s backyard.
I have long thought that Grafton backed herself into a corner by choosing to restrain herself in time with the series and each installment only adds to my conviction. By the time we get to the traditional epilogue of Y IS FOR YESTERDAY Kinsey has limped (metaphorically) into 1990 which means that the 25 tales of her cases have spanned eight years. The result is that there’s precious little time for genuine character development, though Kinsey’s loner lifestyle has been given a bit of a nudge recently with the discovery of previously unknown extended family who continue to play a role here. But the time factor has meant, for me at least, an increasing disconnect with the books. I was around 16 when I first read A IS FOR ALIBI and Kinsey was 30. I liked the depiction of a self-motivated young woman tackling life on her own terms. Now, when I am about to turn 50 and Kinsey is 38 it feels like she has nothing much of interest to say to me. To be fair to Grafton I think I’ve changed more than the series as these days I am far more interested in why people do the things they do whereas Kinsey’s stories have always been about what has happened and who did it. The ‘why’ has always been handled in a fairly perfunctory way, as it was again here.
I can’t help but wonder if this series would have found a more natural end if Grafton hadn’t been so bold as to propose 26 installments from the get-go. Which brings me back to my admiration for Grafton’s early vision and ability to bring it to fruition. I know there are series with more than 26 titles but I can’t think of another author who publically announced at the beginning of their career how many books they planned to write. And then did it. You go girl.
So despite my misgivings I’ll be back for the end which the internet tells me is to be called Zero and will be released in 2019. That sounds a bit dull to me so I shall ponder the possibility that the internet might be wrong and Z will stand for Zealot and we will meet present-day Kinsey on the trail of the murderous cult leader who held her captive in northern California since the early 90’s. show less
It is a bittersweet experience to read Grafton’s last book, knowing that there will be no more Kinsey Millhone stories. I have enjoyed the series, with its feisty female private investigator, the familiar cast of characters that routinely put in an appearance and its solid 1980’s setting. I also love how Grafton has remained consistent in her story telling, focusing on what happened and who did it, with the why being more closing revelations. There is a decidedly darker feel to this story, due in part because of the violent actions of a vicious sociopath from an earlier installment and the disturbing events of 1979 perpetrated by mere teenagers. Thankfully, Grafton dulls down some of the impact of the 1979 events through a series of show more flashback chapters and tries to offset them with some more comic scenes, like when Kinsey encounters for the first time the dog that has come to live in her landlord Henry’s backyard with two homeless people Henry is helping out.
While this one did not have as many of the surprises I am used to encountering when reading Grafton’s stories, she still managed a couple of surprises. Some readers may find the story a tad on the long side with pages of descriptive details, but Grafton usually has a reason for the details she provides and it is not just done as a way to increase the page count of a book.
Another good installment in a series that has sadly ended, one book too soon. show less
While this one did not have as many of the surprises I am used to encountering when reading Grafton’s stories, she still managed a couple of surprises. Some readers may find the story a tad on the long side with pages of descriptive details, but Grafton usually has a reason for the details she provides and it is not just done as a way to increase the page count of a book.
Another good installment in a series that has sadly ended, one book too soon. show less
It's 1989, and a group of old high school friends are still dealing with the long term consequences of a pool party gone terribly wrong ten years earlier. One girl dead, two boys sent to prison, another losing his battle against the bottle, their svengali gone like the wind, an unsavory video tape being used to blackmail a fractured family...and that's where Kinsey Millhone comes in. She is hired to find out who is behind the blackmail attempt, but none of it is simple, and the threads that bound these people together a decade ago have only become more tangled and knotted with the passage of time. To complicate matters further, the psychopath who tried to kill Kinsey in X is still on the loose, and it looks like he's back in town with show more her in his sights once more. This is one of the best entries in the series, I think. Lots of character insight, lots of interesting action, Kinsey smarter than ever, and Henry's cinnamon rolls still making us both drool.
And so I have just one more Kinsey Millhone novel to look forward to...at least I assume that to be true. Maybe Grafton will decide she wants to go on after "Z" and will figure out a clever way to do that. Or maybe she will "retire" Kinsey one way or another at the end of the alphabet. Whatever she does, I hope she has made stringent provisions that will prevent anyone else from taking over the character when she's gone. Of course, Kinsey is too young to retire, and much too wonderful to kill off. I have a feeling Grafton has known for a while now how she wants to wrap up this series, and I don't expect to be disappointed by how she does it. Just bereft.
Review written in October, 2017 (Grafton died on December 28th, having left strong wishes that no one else should write in her name.) show less
And so I have just one more Kinsey Millhone novel to look forward to...at least I assume that to be true. Maybe Grafton will decide she wants to go on after "Z" and will figure out a clever way to do that. Or maybe she will "retire" Kinsey one way or another at the end of the alphabet. Whatever she does, I hope she has made stringent provisions that will prevent anyone else from taking over the character when she's gone. Of course, Kinsey is too young to retire, and much too wonderful to kill off. I have a feeling Grafton has known for a while now how she wants to wrap up this series, and I don't expect to be disappointed by how she does it. Just bereft.
Review written in October, 2017 (Grafton died on December 28th, having left strong wishes that no one else should write in her name.) show less
I love Kinsey Millhone. But she's not everyone's cup of tea. I started reading the Alphabet series a few years ago - I think at the time it was up to O is for Outlaw. The idea of a mystery series each title beginning with a new letter amused me. I don't know why. I don't think it's particularly original. At least - I've seen a few others since. At the time though it was new to me and it just struck me as perfect. I flew through the series. Kinsey is riveting. She's brash and harsh and charming. She's fierce and flawed. She gets scared. She holds her own. She pushes herself to run often and tackles cases without judgement and with an open mind. Rosie and Henry are brilliant and I love the little family she builds around her.
But Kinsey show more Millhone isn't Jack Reacher - her speed is more Tracy Crosswhite. [book:My Sister's Grave|22341263] Her cases aren't full of action and high speed chases - they're slowly nitpicking away until something clicks into place. She writes down all her thoughts and places her facts and ideas on 3x5 index cards - which she often shuffles and rearranges to help her solve her case. And I love it. Kinsey Millhone is great - but she's not for everyone.
For some reason I've seen reviewers compare this to Stephanie Plum - I don't know why - this is absolutely NOTHING like that. Stephanie Plum is a very different character and an extremely different type of book. That's more fluff. Kinsey Millhone is more procedural mysteries. And this series isn't current - it was first published in the 80's - there's not really technology. Messages were relayed by calling the landlines. Paper files were still the main form of storage. Not everyone will enjoy reading this. But if you like your mysteries to be more like procedurals with a determined and fierce character - Kinsey Millhone is for you.
Well. An explosive end to the series.
So, Y. Annoying bits first.
I was super annoyed by the way the previous book closed the case. The idea of Kinsey not even bothering to fight while being strangled just irritated me. She fought her way through 23 books, why would book 24 be different? So for all it seemed unlikely her not fighting, I was at least glad that it did continue on in this one.
It did bother me though that she takes a self defence class and seems surprised by it. She was a cop for two years. She's had not only numerous cases, but numerous fight to the death situations - why the hell would she be surprised? It felt a bit out of left field. Anyway I was glad the whole situation with Ned wrapped up. And what a way to wrap it up. Pearl crushing him to death like he did to all the little girls he murdered. It was fkn perfection.
Considering this is the last book - I was annoyed to find Pearl featured so prominently - she steals all Kinsey's time with Henry! Which left me outraged. But I guess Grafton didn't know that at the time.
The rest of it was great. I liked the way the chapters alternated between present and past. The mystery wasn't overly complex but it kept me entertained. And while the conclusion wasn't unexpected - there definitely were a few surprises along the way.
I'm devastated to see the last of Kinsey and Henry and Rosie and the rest of the gang. But all things must end I guess and my favourite female detective has submitted her last report.
4.5 stars, rounded up to 5. show less
But Kinsey show more Millhone isn't Jack Reacher - her speed is more Tracy Crosswhite. [book:My Sister's Grave|22341263] Her cases aren't full of action and high speed chases - they're slowly nitpicking away until something clicks into place. She writes down all her thoughts and places her facts and ideas on 3x5 index cards - which she often shuffles and rearranges to help her solve her case. And I love it. Kinsey Millhone is great - but she's not for everyone.
For some reason I've seen reviewers compare this to Stephanie Plum - I don't know why - this is absolutely NOTHING like that. Stephanie Plum is a very different character and an extremely different type of book. That's more fluff. Kinsey Millhone is more procedural mysteries. And this series isn't current - it was first published in the 80's - there's not really technology. Messages were relayed by calling the landlines. Paper files were still the main form of storage. Not everyone will enjoy reading this. But if you like your mysteries to be more like procedurals with a determined and fierce character - Kinsey Millhone is for you.
Well. An explosive end to the series.
So, Y. Annoying bits first.
It did bother me though that she takes a self defence class and seems surprised by it. She was a cop for two years. She's had not only numerous cases, but numerous fight to the death situations - why the hell would she be surprised? It felt a bit out of left field. Anyway I was glad the whole situation with Ned wrapped up. And what a way to wrap it up.
Considering this is the last book - I was annoyed to find Pearl featured so prominently - she steals all Kinsey's time with Henry! Which left me outraged. But I guess Grafton didn't know that at the time.
The rest of it was great. I liked the way the chapters alternated between present and past. The mystery wasn't overly complex but it kept me entertained. And while the conclusion wasn't unexpected - there definitely were a few surprises along the way.
I'm devastated to see the last of Kinsey and Henry and Rosie and the rest of the gang. But all things must end I guess and my favourite female detective has submitted her last report.
4.5 stars, rounded up to 5. show less
Well it was fun to be back reading the series. I’m very eager to read Z. Its publication is still 2 years away.
This book felt more like 2017 (sans computers, voice mail, cell phones, etc. technology) than it does 1989 & 1979, the 2 years when the action takes place. Otherwise it felt too modern with one of its central issues and some others. Similar events have made recent news but I don’t remember them from those previous decades.
It took me almost a full 3 weeks to read this, more my issue than the book’s, but I think had it been one of my favorite books of the series it would have taken 7-10 and not 20 days to read. 3-1/2 stars rounded up.
I guessed a LOT and knew a LOT before Kinsey did, but I think readers were meant to know show more most of what I figured out.
The story was seriously creepy at times and, for me, not great bedtime reading.
For my tastes there was too much about the kids/characters specific to this book, and not quite enough of Kinsey or the supporting regular characters, and definitely nowhere near enough of Henry. Henry is one of my favorite literary characters and I was so happy to see him, and Kinsey too, and Ed the cat is a hoot too, and a dog (two really) in this book were great, but none of them got enough page time to satisfy me.
I hope that Z is for Zero will focus on Kinsey and Henry and the other regulars.
I do love how this author does not wrap up everything neatly and perfectly and leaves the reader somewhat dissatisfied with outcomes. Brilliant choices, in my opinion. show less
This book felt more like 2017 (sans computers, voice mail, cell phones, etc. technology) than it does 1989 & 1979, the 2 years when the action takes place. Otherwise it felt too modern with one of its central issues and some others. Similar events have made recent news but I don’t remember them from those previous decades.
It took me almost a full 3 weeks to read this, more my issue than the book’s, but I think had it been one of my favorite books of the series it would have taken 7-10 and not 20 days to read. 3-1/2 stars rounded up.
I guessed a LOT and knew a LOT before Kinsey did, but I think readers were meant to know show more most of what I figured out.
The story was seriously creepy at times and, for me, not great bedtime reading.
For my tastes there was too much about the kids/characters specific to this book, and not quite enough of Kinsey or the supporting regular characters, and definitely nowhere near enough of Henry. Henry is one of my favorite literary characters and I was so happy to see him, and Kinsey too, and Ed the cat is a hoot too, and a dog (two really) in this book were great, but none of them got enough page time to satisfy me.
I hope that Z is for Zero will focus on Kinsey and Henry and the other regulars.
I do love how this author does not wrap up everything neatly and perfectly and leaves the reader somewhat dissatisfied with outcomes. Brilliant choices, in my opinion. show less
Please note that there are spoilers for all previous events from prior books. Do not read if you have not read up to X by Sue Grafton.
You may recall my review for X and how frustrated I was with that book. I thought that the majority of that book was just filler. Kinsey felt off and Henry drove me nuts. It also seemed to have two stories smashed into one and neither of them worked. But with "Y is for Yesterday" Sue Grafton hits everything on such a pitch perfect level I have no qualms about saying this book is a five star read.
This book is going to be the end of 1989 for the Kinsey Millhone series. Z is for whatever it's going to stand for is I hope going to take place in 1990, but we'll have to see what tricks Sue Grafton has for us show more long time readers.
"Y is for Yesterday" has Kinsey taking a case that actually starts back in 1979. Kinsey is asked to find out who may be blackmailing a man just released from juvenile detention. Ten years ago, the man (Fritz) and his friends taped a gang rape. Though he was found guilty of murder as a juvenile, his family is afraid this tape may lead to him being incarcerated again.
I have to say that I love the fact that even though this book takes place in 1989 there's definitely some similarities to what's going on in the world today in this book. There's the question of rape, there's the question of getting consent, there's the question of violence against women and what do women do in order to fight back against that. I feel like all of those are discussion topics that are very relevant in today's world.
We have an older and finally wiser Kinsey. After a run in that almost left her dead, Kinsey decides to start taking some self defense classes, you as well as doing more security measures. She's had to change her routine, but she's doing what she can to stay safe while hoping to track down a serial killer. Her newest case gives her something to sink her teeth into which is leading Kinsey down a path that many would like her to leave alone. My favorite Kinsey is her fighting for the truth no matter what.
We have the usual suspects in this one. We have Henry, Rosie, William (in small doses thank God) Cheney Phillips, Kinsey's cousin Anna, and Jonah. We even have references to a lot of characters we haven't read or even interacted with in years. Heck we have Kinsey on the phone and hanging out with Vera.
I've really hated how isolated Kinsey felt to me in the past few books was just her interacting with Henry and Rosie. But this one definitely showcases how many people are connected to Kinsey, and how many people just love her.
I was really glad to finally see it seem to laying to rest her whole relationship with the missing Robert Dietz. And I think I see a game plan coming with regards to Cheney Phillips. It was good to read what was going on with him and finally having me not wanting to kick the crap out of him based on what I thought was going on with this character.
I do have to say though that the gullibility of Henry is starting to just work my nerves. But in this volume it ends up wrapping things up perfectly though with regards to another plot so I can't complain.
I honestly could not stand Kinsey's cousin Anna. I felt like she shoved her way into Kinsey's life and was trying to take over. But in this one we get some revelations about this character and I still don't understand how Kinsey didn't punch her in her face. But it definitely changes things for the good with the series so I'm kind of curious about where Grafton's going to go with this character next.
The writing was great and I cheered several times. Thank goodness Grafton makes a quick mention of the drought California is experiencing and moves on. No talk of water conservation.
"They were also committed to the notion of equality between the sexes, which spawned an unspoken competition to see who could force the other to knuckle under and pick up the slack."
"The odd but unremarkable truth about women is we’ve had the aggression bred right out of us."
“You’re denigrating my experience. Minimizing the impact. Guys are famous for putting women down. Why don’t you get over it? Why can’t you let it go?” she said mockingly. “What you really mean is, ‘Why make me eat shit for something that happened to you?’”
“I want to make sure you’re awake for this because I have one final word of advice. You don’t never want to mess with women, son. They will take you down.”
I thought that the flow in this book was really good. The books shifts perspective between Kinsey and her investigation and the events going on in her life, and then transitioning back to 1979 and focusing on different people who were involved in the events that led up to the murder of a young girl. You eventually can put two and two together and realize what happened with some of the key players but the final revelation I thought was great.
I always love visiting Santa Teresa and now in the 25th book this feels like such a real place to me with this town and this place that Kinsey calls home that I just would love to read about it for 25 more books.
I do have to say though I kind of wonder what is the end plan for Kinsey. At this point she has a ridiculous amount of money so she's just working and still living with Henry because she chooses to. She can move on anytime. She's now 39 years old so one wonders if she wishing for something new. The epilogue of the book ends in 1990, and now I wonder what's going to happen to Kinsey in this new era. The 1990s was what, the beginning of the AIDS crisis in America, more women in the workplace fighting for equality, we had a lot of scandals going on in America and worldwide, and we are going to start to see the rise of the computer age.
So I wonder if whenever we do get to the final volume with Z, where is that going to leave Kinsey. I hope it ends on a good note, I feel kind of scared like many readers did when JK Rowling was finishing with the Harry Potter series and people were begging her to please not kill Harry. So I'm just going to put that out there, please Sue's Grafton don't kill off Kinsey, I want her to have a happy ending. show less
You may recall my review for X and how frustrated I was with that book. I thought that the majority of that book was just filler. Kinsey felt off and Henry drove me nuts. It also seemed to have two stories smashed into one and neither of them worked. But with "Y is for Yesterday" Sue Grafton hits everything on such a pitch perfect level I have no qualms about saying this book is a five star read.
This book is going to be the end of 1989 for the Kinsey Millhone series. Z is for whatever it's going to stand for is I hope going to take place in 1990, but we'll have to see what tricks Sue Grafton has for us show more long time readers.
"Y is for Yesterday" has Kinsey taking a case that actually starts back in 1979. Kinsey is asked to find out who may be blackmailing a man just released from juvenile detention. Ten years ago, the man (Fritz) and his friends taped a gang rape. Though he was found guilty of murder as a juvenile, his family is afraid this tape may lead to him being incarcerated again.
I have to say that I love the fact that even though this book takes place in 1989 there's definitely some similarities to what's going on in the world today in this book. There's the question of rape, there's the question of getting consent, there's the question of violence against women and what do women do in order to fight back against that. I feel like all of those are discussion topics that are very relevant in today's world.
We have an older and finally wiser Kinsey. After a run in that almost left her dead, Kinsey decides to start taking some self defense classes, you as well as doing more security measures. She's had to change her routine, but she's doing what she can to stay safe while hoping to track down a serial killer. Her newest case gives her something to sink her teeth into which is leading Kinsey down a path that many would like her to leave alone. My favorite Kinsey is her fighting for the truth no matter what.
We have the usual suspects in this one. We have Henry, Rosie, William (in small doses thank God) Cheney Phillips, Kinsey's cousin Anna, and Jonah. We even have references to a lot of characters we haven't read or even interacted with in years. Heck we have Kinsey on the phone and hanging out with Vera.
I've really hated how isolated Kinsey felt to me in the past few books was just her interacting with Henry and Rosie. But this one definitely showcases how many people are connected to Kinsey, and how many people just love her.
I was really glad to finally see it seem to laying to rest her whole relationship with the missing Robert Dietz. And I think I see a game plan coming with regards to Cheney Phillips. It was good to read what was going on with him and finally having me not wanting to kick the crap out of him based on what I thought was going on with this character.
I do have to say though that the gullibility of Henry is starting to just work my nerves. But in this volume it ends up wrapping things up perfectly though with regards to another plot so I can't complain.
I honestly could not stand Kinsey's cousin Anna. I felt like she shoved her way into Kinsey's life and was trying to take over. But in this one we get some revelations about this character and I still don't understand how Kinsey didn't punch her in her face. But it definitely changes things for the good with the series so I'm kind of curious about where Grafton's going to go with this character next.
The writing was great and I cheered several times. Thank goodness Grafton makes a quick mention of the drought California is experiencing and moves on. No talk of water conservation.
"They were also committed to the notion of equality between the sexes, which spawned an unspoken competition to see who could force the other to knuckle under and pick up the slack."
"The odd but unremarkable truth about women is we’ve had the aggression bred right out of us."
“You’re denigrating my experience. Minimizing the impact. Guys are famous for putting women down. Why don’t you get over it? Why can’t you let it go?” she said mockingly. “What you really mean is, ‘Why make me eat shit for something that happened to you?’”
“I want to make sure you’re awake for this because I have one final word of advice. You don’t never want to mess with women, son. They will take you down.”
I thought that the flow in this book was really good. The books shifts perspective between Kinsey and her investigation and the events going on in her life, and then transitioning back to 1979 and focusing on different people who were involved in the events that led up to the murder of a young girl. You eventually can put two and two together and realize what happened with some of the key players but the final revelation I thought was great.
I always love visiting Santa Teresa and now in the 25th book this feels like such a real place to me with this town and this place that Kinsey calls home that I just would love to read about it for 25 more books.
I do have to say though I kind of wonder what is the end plan for Kinsey. At this point she has a ridiculous amount of money so she's just working and still living with Henry because she chooses to. She can move on anytime. She's now 39 years old so one wonders if she wishing for something new. The epilogue of the book ends in 1990, and now I wonder what's going to happen to Kinsey in this new era. The 1990s was what, the beginning of the AIDS crisis in America, more women in the workplace fighting for equality, we had a lot of scandals going on in America and worldwide, and we are going to start to see the rise of the computer age.
So I wonder if whenever we do get to the final volume with Z, where is that going to leave Kinsey. I hope it ends on a good note, I feel kind of scared like many readers did when JK Rowling was finishing with the Harry Potter series and people were begging her to please not kill Harry. So I'm just going to put that out there, please Sue's Grafton don't kill off Kinsey, I want her to have a happy ending. show less
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Author Information
117+ Works 103,648 Members
Sue Grafton was born in Louisville, Kentucky on April 24, 1940. She received a bachelor's degree in English literature from the University of Louisville in 1961. Her first novel Keziah Dane was published in 1967. Her second novel, The Lolly-Madonna War, was published in 1969 and she adapted it into a screenplay. After that movie was released in show more 1973, she worked intermittently writing for television. A series she created, Nurse, ran for two seasons on CBS in the early 1980s. Her writing career took off when A Is for Alibi was published in 1982 and received the Mysterious Stranger Award. This was the beginning of the Kinsey Millhone Mystery series. B Is for Burglar won the Shamus and Anthony Awards and C Is for Corpse won the Anthony Award. She also received the Cartier Diamond Dagger, the Mystery Writers of America Grand Master Award, a Lifetime Achievement Award from Bouchercon, and the Ross Macdonald Literary Award. She died from cancer on December 28, 2017 at the age of 77. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Awards and Honors
Awards
Distinctions
Series
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Is contained in
Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- Y is for Yesterday
- Original publication date
- 2017-08-22
- People/Characters
- Kinsey Millhone; Henry Pitts; William Pitts; Rosie Pitts; Pearl White; Killer (show all 51); Lucky; Ned Lowe; Phyllis Joplin; Celeste Lowe; Jonah Robb; Camilla Robb; Anna Dace; Cheney Phillips; Austin Brown; Iris Leahmann; Joey Seay; Friedrich "Frtiz" McCabe; Lauren McCabe; Sloan Stevens; Trevor; Poppy Earl; Bayard Montgomery; Ellis; Ruth Wolinsky; Troy Rademaker; Lonnie Kingman; Diana Alverez; Butch (dog); Ed (cat); Hollis McCabe; Dr. Sherman Earl; Loretta Earl; Bradley Benoit; Sebastian Palfrey; Margaret Seay; Banner Robb; Paul Seay; Eroll Price; Pat Espinoza; Det. Crawford Altman; Malcolm Denning; Moza Lowenstein; Vera Hess; Peter Hess; Meg Hess; Abigail Hess; Steve "Stringer" Ringer; Larry Burgess; Maisie Montgomery; Justin Seay
- Important places
- California, USA; Santa Teresa, California, USA; Winterset, California, USA; Cottonwood, California, USA; Perdido, California, USA; Colgate, California, USA
- Dedication
- This book is dedicated to those in our small clan who will carry forward into the future:
Addison and Taylor,
Kinsey and Houston,
Erin and Daniel,
and Jacob.
May you live with honesty, integrity, ... (show all)and compassion, offering the occasional heartfelt hurrahs to your ancient Nana, who loves you beyond belief. - First words
- Iris stood at the counter in the school office, detention slip in hand, anticipating a hand-smack from Mr. Lucas, the vice principal.
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)I'm not saying justice is for sale, but if you have enough money, you can sometimes enjoy the benefits of a short-term lease.
- Original language
- English US
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- Reviews
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- Languages
- Dutch, English, Spanish
- Media
- Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 34
- ASINs
- 7