Book Review - U is for Undertow by Sue Grafton
Category Book Review Sue Grafton U is for Undertow
I've been a long-time Sue Grafton fan, and have kept pace with all the letters of the alphabet as they've come out. I find it remarkable that a single author has been able to keep a series going for so long without rehashing the same material over and over. Having said that, it seems that the last few installments in the Kinsey Millhone series have been a bit hit-or-miss lot for me. I was happy to see a new book in the series, U Is For Undertow, as it's been a very long time since the last one. As I started reading, I was starting to wonder if it was time for me to retire from this series, as U was a bit slow to start with. But as the story continued with the flashbacks that worked their way up to the time frame of the main plot, it picked up speed and turned out pretty well.
In Undertow, Millhone is pulled into a case that she doesn't care much about. A young girl was kidnapped in Santa Teresa 20 years prior, and she was never found. From out of the blue, a guy named Michael Sutton appears in Millhone's office with the thought that he may have seen the body buried as a young child playing in a forested area. He wants Millhone's help in finding the exact location after all these years, but she's convinced it's a long shot. Turns out they *are* able to find the location and grave, but it is really just a dog that was buried. However, during her investigation she turns up enough information to have her wondering what games Sutton might be playing, and whether he might really know more than he thinks he does.
In a subplot that plays heavy in the book, Millhone also finds out that her grandmother isn't quite the person she expected. Millhone's parents were killed when she was very young, and she was raised by her aunt in a very formal, matter-of-fact environment. She was under the impression that her grandmother had never cared for her or even tried to reach out when she was young, but a series of letters are given to her which prove otherwise. Yet, even though Grand did try and get custody after the accident, the reasons why might still not be all that comforting.
At first, I really struggled to get into Undertow. Sutton wasn't all that interesting, the angle didn't seem to have much direction to go after the dog was found, and the flashbacks seemed to take awhile to relate to the plot. But once the threads started to touch, the pages turned a bit more quickly as I waited to see how the endgame would play out.
I'm not sure that Grafton's next novel (what will V be?) will be on my "must read immediately" list, but I will look forward to seeing how she starts to shape what would appear to be the ending of the series with only five letters left.
Disclosure:
Obtained From: Library
Payment: Borrowed
I've been a long-time Sue Grafton fan, and have kept pace with all the letters of the alphabet as they've come out. I find it remarkable that a single author has been able to keep a series going for so long without rehashing the same material over and over. Having said that, it seems that the last few installments in the Kinsey Millhone series have been a bit hit-or-miss lot for me. I was happy to see a new book in the series, U Is For Undertow, as it's been a very long time since the last one. As I started reading, I was starting to wonder if it was time for me to retire from this series, as U was a bit slow to start with. But as the story continued with the flashbacks that worked their way up to the time frame of the main plot, it picked up speed and turned out pretty well.
In Undertow, Millhone is pulled into a case that she doesn't care much about. A young girl was kidnapped in Santa Teresa 20 years prior, and she was never found. From out of the blue, a guy named Michael Sutton appears in Millhone's office with the thought that he may have seen the body buried as a young child playing in a forested area. He wants Millhone's help in finding the exact location after all these years, but she's convinced it's a long shot. Turns out they *are* able to find the location and grave, but it is really just a dog that was buried. However, during her investigation she turns up enough information to have her wondering what games Sutton might be playing, and whether he might really know more than he thinks he does.
In a subplot that plays heavy in the book, Millhone also finds out that her grandmother isn't quite the person she expected. Millhone's parents were killed when she was very young, and she was raised by her aunt in a very formal, matter-of-fact environment. She was under the impression that her grandmother had never cared for her or even tried to reach out when she was young, but a series of letters are given to her which prove otherwise. Yet, even though Grand did try and get custody after the accident, the reasons why might still not be all that comforting.
At first, I really struggled to get into Undertow. Sutton wasn't all that interesting, the angle didn't seem to have much direction to go after the dog was found, and the flashbacks seemed to take awhile to relate to the plot. But once the threads started to touch, the pages turned a bit more quickly as I waited to see how the endgame would play out.
I'm not sure that Grafton's next novel (what will V be?) will be on my "must read immediately" list, but I will look forward to seeing how she starts to shape what would appear to be the ending of the series with only five letters left.
Disclosure:
Obtained From: Library
Payment: Borrowed
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