Y Is For Yesterday

Y is for Yesterday is the penultimate book in the Kinsey Millhone series (assuming Sue Grafton doesn’t continue it after Z.) I have read all of the books in this series and, while I haven’t always loved each individual book, I have loved the series. So I was particularly excited to read Y. And I was not disappointed.

The book opens with Kinsey being hired to investigate an extortion scheme. Her clients are the parents of a boy who served eight years at the California Youth Authority (as it was called then) for murder. The murder took place in 1979 and the story takes place in 1989. There is a sex tape of Fritz, the man whose family Kinsey has been hired by, and three other boys were involved in taping and/or sexually assaulting Iris. Fritz’s parents do not want to pay the blackmailer, but they cannot go to the police because the tape is explosive and will likely send Fritz back to jail.

In addition to Kinsey investigating the blackmail plot, Ned Lowe, a serial killer who attacked Kinsey is back in town. Two homeless people she dealt with in the past are camping in her octogenarian landlord’s backyard. And her cousin is pregnant – by one of the men Kinsey also had an affair with.

It sounds like a soap opera with a lot going on. But, despite its length, this book flies by. It is so well-written that you can visualize every single thing. I am not going to give away any spoilers except to say that this book is fantastic and the ending is so very satisfying. There are some loose ends, but no cliffhangers.

I really adore Sue Grafton’s writing. She is descriptive, without being wordy. And I adore Kinsey and her independence and practical nature. I have grown up with this series and if Z is, indeed, the end, I will be so very sad. But I will also be happy in the knowledge that I got to read all of them. I should also mention that while it is a benefit to have read X prior to Y, it is not completely necessary. She gives enough background to let new readers in on the story, but no so much that readers of the series will be bored.

This book is well worth the read and I highly recommend it. I won this book from Goodreads and received no other compensation in exchange for this review. The opinions expressed herein are mine and mine alone.