Y is for Yesterday (Kinsey Millhone, #25) (2024)

**Update, December 2017** The alphabet sadly ends at Y, with the news of much beloved writer Sue Grafton's death, after a 2 year battle with cancer. A loss for her family and her many, many devoted readers.

This, the penultimate book in Sue Grafton's series, reminds us that the 'respectfully submitted' tales of Kinsey Millhone's 1980's adventures, have almost reached their alphabetic conclusion.

Reading Kinsey is a guilty pleasure, a visit with an old friend. "Y", a particularly dark instalment in the series, is superior to the disappointing "X". The two stories at play here are both interesting. The first is left over from the last novel, with psycho Ned on the loose. The second is related to a murder amongst a bunch of unlikable teens which took place ten years previously. Those unlikable teens turn out to be just as unlikable as adults. She creates tension in a few key scenes, and I was eager to find out what happens, but that being said, a few things irked me a bit:

1) This book is WAY too long! Partially due to repetition that an editor should have caught, but mainly because... it's just way too long. When a cozy mystery tips the scales at 500 pages, there's something off.
2) The 1980's setting sometimes felt a bit too modern. For example, Kinsey mentions that "in this day and age" coming out to your family as gay is no big deal, which I think isn't true for 1989. Also the airport security was not as lax as it should have been, prior to 9/11 days. And, there was a lot of talk about organic produce - was that a big thing in the 80's?
3) Despite it being a long book, I didn't get enough Kinsey. I missed hearing about her adoration for Henry, possible relationships, family entanglements, her feisty nature.
4) Grafton seems to have left open a possibility of Kinsey adopting a baby. If this happens in "Z", I will be one VERY unhappy reader.
5) I found it a bit too easy to figure out. I knew all the little rabbits before they jumped out of the hat.

This is book for dedicated fans who, like me will read all the way till "Z", where I hope that Kinsey will still be relishing peanut butter and pickle sandwiches, living in Henry's converted single car garage, and writing up her reports on her portable electronic typewriter.

PS I listened to the audiobook version. The narrator did a good job, but her voice wasn't youthful enough, didn't capture Kinsey's 30-something character the way I hoped it would.

I only gave this three stars out of respect for my long time relationship with Kinsey. I have been reading her books for a hundred years now since "B is for Burglar". We have a long and rich relationship and this book was a disappointment. There is no other word for it. It was a let down. There were so many discrepancies and errors that it's hard to believe a book editor even glanced through the manuscript.

Where to start? Well, the characters were a washed out version of themselves. Kinsey is hesitant, unsure of herself and full of mistakes. Her nemesis from "X", Ned Lowe is after her again intending to kill her. This is the subplot but jarring. Despite a psychopath stalking her, she leaves her gun locked up in a trunk in a bedroom. What? Wouldn't you want it handy? He beats a witness to an inch of her life and then Kinsey drives to the airport to pick up another witness and forgets her gun. Really?

The airport scene is so inexcusable that it blows my mind it even made it into the book. Kinsey began her career in the 1980's and the author made the choice to keep the action there and each book is set only months apart. It is refreshing to go back to a time before cell phones (she even pays someone to let her use the pay phone) and computers (she carts her portable Smith Corona typewriter around with her). She gets to the airport and there is massive security. This did not happen until 9/11. In 1989, it was easy breezy to go to airport. You could sit with people at the boarding gates until they got on the plane. There were not X-ray machines. Are there no editors out there? It was just so wrong that it left a bad taste in my mouth.

Henry too is a little lackadaisical. He has taken out his beloved yard and garden due to the drought. Then he doesn't do any other gardening? He doesn't plant drought resistant plants or add rocks or anything? He just leaves it in dirt. I don't think so. He allows a homeless woman, her boyfriend and a dog put up a pup tent in his backyard. The woman has a broken hip and he lets her sleep in the dirt in a sleeping bag? How does she even get up and down?

The main plot, such as it is, is about a murder and sex tape made by a group of high school students ten years ago. One member was sent to a juvenile facility until he ages out and is released. His return brings out a blackmailer over the sex tape. It is really convoluted and not that interesting. It is told in flashback between 1979 and the current date in 1989. Each of the kids tells their own story which is basically padding making the book overlong and needing what? Oh yes, editing. The characters are all unlikable and I could never get interested in the crime.

So overall, a major disappointment for me. Will I read the final book? You bet but I am scared. A close relative of Kinsey's gets pregnant and I am so afraid that the final plot will involve her taking in and raising that child. Fingers crossed that it doesn't happen but after this tepid book, you never know.

With the publication of "A" Is for Alibi in 1982, Sue Grafton introduced Kinsey Millhone, a private detective who lived and worked in the fictional town of Santa Teresa, California. The book was a revelation at a time when most medium- to hard-boiled detective fiction was still being written by men and when the protagonists of virtually all such novels were almost always men. Grafton and Millhone were a breath of fresh air and helped transform the genre. Now, thirty-five years and twenty-four entries later, we come to the final book in the series, Y Is for Yesterday. Sue Grafton died at the end of 2017, and was thus unable to complete the series with the book she had once planned to title Z Is for Zero.

Although the world changed considerably between 1982 and 2017, Kinsey Millhone did not. This last book is set in 1989, only seven years after the first. Through the series, Kinsey remained essentially the same character, living in the same world, and surrounded by the same circle of friends and acquaintances that she knew in 1982. A few boyfriends came and went through the series and occasionally a new relative appeared, most often briefly, but otherwise, the cast of characters was firmly fixed early on and like Kinsey, most of the other characters changed little or not at all. The books themselves grew longer but not necessarily better. The earliest books in the series were, to my mind at least, easily the best while the latter ones were largely hit or miss. And sadly Y is mostly a miss.

The book follows two parallel tracks, one set in 1979 and the other in 1989. In 1979, a group of high school students made a video tape in which a fourteen-year-old girl passed out after binge drinking and was then sexually assaulted by several boys. The tape was somehow lost and shortly thereafter a girl in the circle of friends was shot to death after another raucous party. Two of the boys in the group were sent to prison as a result of the crime.

Fast-forward to 1989 when one of the boys who participated both in the sexual assault and the killing is released from prison. No sooner is he back home than he and his parents receive a copy of the missing videotape and a note demanding $25,000. If the demand is not met the blackmailer threatens to turn the videotape over to the police, which will almost certainly result in the boy going straight back to prison, this time for the sexual assault.

The parents hire Kinsey Millhone to find the blackmailer and eliminate the threat. From that point on, the book alternates between 1979 and 1989. We watch Kinsey conduct her investigation and in a number of flashback chapters, we see the events of 1979 that lead to the death of the young woman. Several of the 1989 chapters are also devoted to the P.O.V. of the blackmailers rather than that of Millhone. If all that weren't enough, we have a third major issue, involving a man named Ned Lowe who had assaulted Kinsey in an earlier book and is now back to finish the job. So while Kinsey investigates the blackmail case, she also has to take self-defense classes and fight off Lowe on several occasions.

There's no easy way to say this, but the end result is largely a mess in desperate need of a good editor. "A" Is for Alibi was a lean, spare book that clocked in at 191 pages. The tension built from the very first paragraph and didn't release the reader until the last. Y, by comparison, is a bloated 543 pages, and there's not a single moment of real tension in the entire novel.

The chapters flashing back to 1979 add nothing of any consequence to the story and could have easily been eliminated, allowing Millhone to discover any relevant information revealed in those chapters during the course of her investigation. The whole saga of Ned Lowe also adds nothing to the story and could have also been eliminated, producing a much leaner and more focused novel.

In the end, when all of this business is finally and mercifully resolved, one can only breathe a sigh of relief and feel a profound sense of regret for what might have been. I understand that a cardinal rule of reviewing is that you are supposed to review the book that the author wrote and not the one you wish she might have written. But as someone who loved the early books in this series, I've long been saddened by the course the series took or, more accurately, did not take.

I understand that Sue Grafton had millions of fans who love the character and the series exactly as they are, and I suppose that one should never argue with success. But I truly regret the fact that Grafton decided to leave Kinsey Millhone stranded in the 1980s, never to age or evolve or to confront the challenges of the years that followed. Frankly, after fifteen or sixteen books I got tired of reading about Henry, Kinsey's ninety-year-old landlord, about Rosie the Hungarian bar owner and about all the rest of these characters who, like Kinsey, never changed at all.

By comparison, I can't help but think of two of Kinsey's contemporaries, Lucas Davenport who first appeared in 1989, and Harry Bosch, who first appeared in 1992. Both of those series now exceed the number of books in the Kinsey Millhone series, and over the years those two characters have evolved and changed with the times, meeting the challenges of the changing years. They've become infinitely richer, as have the worlds and the casts of characters around them, and to my mind at least, it's a shame that Kinsey Millhone didn't have that same opportunity. At least in the early years, Sue Grafton was just as good a writer as either John Sandford or Michael Connelly, and I would love to see what she might have done with the character had she made different choices.

As a reader who's stayed with this series through thick and thin and from "A" to "Y", I'm sorry to see it end, especially on this note. I only had the opportunity to meet Sue Grafton a couple of times, but she was a very nice woman with a fabulous sense of humor, and I very much wish she would have had the chance to formally end this series on her own terms. Three stars for Y Is for Yesterday, and four sentimental stars for a long-running series and for what might have been.

It is bittersweet to draft this final review for the 25th book in the Kinsey Millhone / Alphabet series written by Sue Grafton, who passed away in December 2017 shortly after publishing this book, Y is for Yesterday. Unfortunately, there will be no final 26th book, as the author told her family before her death that she didn't want anyone to ghost write the final one if she passed on... which I respect. After ~30 years of entertaining readers, this dynamic and wonderful woman deserves tons of praise for a beautiful career delivering countless thrilling reading moments for many of us.

In this latest edition, Kinsey closes the loop on a serial killer who had gotten away previously, but now he turned his sight on her as payback for helping one of his almost-victims escape with cherished mementos of previous kills. But that's just one of the side stories, as the main focus is on a ten-year-old case where 4 teenagers participated in the killing of a friend who was blackmailing them. It all went too far, or did it? Kinsey is asked to help track a new blackmailer once one of the four kids is released from prison on his 25th birthday. But it seems more than 1 murder may have been committed ten years ago, and it's far from over. Who's behind it all?

If this were a standalone book, I'd really be thrilled with it. It had lots of great moments where I went back and forth on who the killer could really be. We know who killed the girl years ago, or at least we think we do from the statements all the teens gave, but something was definitely off. Grafton keeps us guessing and delivers a fun and dirty solution in the end. However, the book was told through the eyes of the teens for at least 50% of the pages. Normally Kinsey is the primary focus, and she discovers all the secrets, but in this one, it was essential to see / hear from the different kids' points of views. While I liked the approach, it was disheartening given I knew this was the last Kinsey Millhone book in the series. I can't fault the author with a harsh rating, as it was a good book -- just not what I wanted or expected.

It's sad that I won't read any more, and I'm not up for re-reading a 25 books series when I have so many others on my TBR, but if you've never sampled a Grafton, you really must. If you can't commit to all 25, pick one in the early middle and you'll have quite a ride. Goodbye, Miss Grafton and Miss Millhone. You will be missed.

It all started with “A is for Alibi” and Kinsey Millhone (our PI heroine) was 30. The year was 1982, and she was a refreshing addition to the male dominated P.I. genre. I enjoyably read the series up to “L is for Lawless” when I lost interest in the family drama that had become most of the books plots at this point. I also discovered Marcia Muller.

Now that “Y is for Yesterday” became a 2018 Shamus award nominee it has compelled me to jump back into Kinsey’s world, in the deep end of the pool. This is the fifth and final book in this year’s nominee list and the last for me to read of the five. It’s kind of sad to realize that author Ms. Grafton ultimately fell one book short of finishing her goal of completing the alphabet as she is no longer with us. Sue Grafton was born in Louisville, Kentucky on April 24, 1940 and passed away December 28, 2017.

About the book. The story revolves around two main plot lines and a dozen or so subplots. The first major plot line regards a case Kinsey is hired to investigate. The other is a more personal story line for Kinsey, of a killer (from a previous book), stalking Kinsey in order to kill her. When Kinsey is hired to investigate an extortion attempt of a well to do family by person or persons unknown, the story takes us back to 1979. What had occurred is a group of privileged high school teens, who attended a private school and were part of a cheating scandal, videotaped a brutal rape masquerading as some kind of ‘joke’ or “lark’ ending in a murder.

There are lengthy bits of meandering in the story, and the book was really in need of some good editing, and IMHO about half the book is superfluous. If all five of the 2018 nominees were put in a ‘heap’, this would come out at the bottom. Three of the five books were excellent one was ok and this one is quite a burden to read. It even got me wondering who is it that nominates books to become candidates for this award, so I looked it up. It’s basically three people whom I had never heard of.

I can’t even recommend this book to a completest as I understand there will never be a ‘Z’ book, as Ms. Grafton had no plot idea chosen yet. I would have titled the book “Y is for Yawn”, and truth be told, I once entered the contest to name one of these books in the series – it happened to be “J” and my entry was “J is for Jalapeno”. I didn’t get chosen…

Nominees for the 2018 Shamus Awards:

• Dark Water, by Parker Bilal (Bloomsbury USA)
• Blood Truth, by Matt Coyle (Oceanview)
• Y Is for Yesterday, by Sue Grafton (Marian Wood/Putnam)
• The Room of White Fire, by T. Jefferson Parker (Putnam)
• Monument Road, by Michael Wiley (Severn House)

Sorry, but when you wait two years for a book it should be pure perfection. Sadly this was far from it.

Clearly the author is out of touch with the 80s.

1) the teenage characters all sound like 30 yos. You can have one be so introspective, but not all of them.

2) Personal computers and car phones were a thing by 1989, especially the wealthy. While the author might try to ignore technology, she can't. At least not in this book. It's conceivable that Kinsey doesn't have these things, but honestly we spent the entire book around rich, over privileged people. It would have come up, even if only in passing.

3) Airport security wasn't that tight in the eighties.

4) the whole Ana thing pisses me off to no end. There is such a thing as girl code especially among family. Are their only two hot guys in Santa Teresa? And Kinsey is just okay with it. Sorry, I call BS. And Kinsey kept going on about how beautiful Ana is. I think it's a slap in the face that HE couldn't or wouldn't do a thing for Kinsey but for Ana he finally maned up. And all Kinsey can say is Ana's more beautiful than she is. As if that makes it okay. I seriously lost all cool points for Kinsey.

5) Kinsey acted seriously dumb in this book. One thing is when she was in danger and had seconds to make one call. Who does she call? Not the police, but her 92 year old landlord who can't physically help her. If he answers, the only thing he could do was call 911. Guess what? He didn't answer. Maybe Sue thought we are suppose to be on the edge of our seat that Kinsey's in danger. Seriously? This isn't game of thrones. We know up until now Kinsey will survive at least until Book "Z is for...." So really what was the point. Why didn't she call 911 who were guaranteed to answer her call. Yeah, I'm not sure what the author was thinking except maybe that her readers are stupid enough to believe that a seasoned detective would do such a thing.

6) the resolution to the case and sucked. Once again, Kinsey blew it off. I just didn't care for her or the overall moral compass in/of this book.

Overall, if I hadn't invested 25 letters (books) of my life with only one to go, I would have given up on this series. But alas, I've come this far. I will read the last one. But if it's going to be crap, don't make me wait 2 years for it.

4 stars
My wife and I have been reading Sue Grafton's alphabet series for 25 years and have enjoyed every one, some more than others. This is her last book and there will be no Z, since she has passed.
The book opens in 1979, with high school students Iris and Poppy, who are friends. Poppy is having a hard time making her grades and Iris helps her by stealing test answers. This cheating is exposed by an anonymous note. Fingers are pointed at Sloan Stevens as the tattletale and she is shunned by classmates. Sloan knows that she is innocent and finds out about a videotape showing several boys sexually assaulting Iris and steals the tape as leverage to stop the shunning. But she is murdered and Fritz McCabe goes to prison for shooting her.
Fast forward to 1989, Fritz is out of prison, because he was tried as a minor. A copy of the tape is sent to Fritz' parents, with a demand for $25,000. The parents hire Kinsey Millhone to find the blackmailer. The book alternates between 1979 and 1989 as events are developed in both time frames.
There are a couple of subplots. Ned Lowe, who tried to kill Kinsey in a previous book, has resurfaced. In addition, an illicit affair has 1 character pregnant. All of this is sorted out with a very satisfactory ending.
Some quotes:
Iris mixed drink recipe "Flame thrower--Kahlua, banana-flavored liqueur, creme de menthe, and rum."
Kinsey diet: "I found a cherry Life Saver at the bottom of my shoulder bag and called that dinner."
RIP Sue Grafton. You will be missed by fans forever.
This was a 14 day library book. I read it in 5 days.

FREEDOM!!!

I started this series on February 28th - 64 days ago. Ah, but how I've changed. After reading 25 books of endless rambling about inconsequential things, I feel that I qualify for sainthood. Someone, get on that, will ya?

Sure, saints are supposed to be all good and pure, and maybe they don't usually cuss like sailors and drink like fish, but I think the Almighty will make an exception for me in this case. When I hit those pearly gates and Saint Peter asks why I deserve to get in, I'll just say, "I read the entire Kinsey Millhone series." And, then, those gates will open, the balloons will fall and glitter and stuff... That sounds about right, huh?

See, Saint Peter understands the phrase, "She has the patience of a saint."

So, devoting two months of my life to reading a series I hate is totally worth it for all of those Heaven-Points. I'm like the kid who cheats by standing on the skeeball machine and putting all the balls in the small hole. I've got tickets up the wazoo.

I'll see you in heaven, kid!

Out of curiosity, I looked up what else I could have accomplished in the last two months and I found out that it takes exactly that much time to graduate from Clown College. Damn! There's one more dream shattered.

Well yeah, that's true. At least I don't have the crushing student loan debt to show for the last two months.
Only crushing depression and rage issues.

This last book sucked, but not as badly as W. W was the worst thing on paper. This was only the third worst book in the series.

And, to end it all? Sue Grafton didn't even finish writing the series. Not only that, but she left explicit instructions before her death to not allow anyone else to write the last book to finish it. I am wondering if she actually thought that nobody else could write the masterpiece-level literature of listing everything in every room that Kinsey walked into. How could anyone live up to the standards of writing a small summary of every past book when a character walks into a room and Kinsey's jogging routine? It can't be done!

Good luck to the girl trying to live up to this one!

It doesn't really matter, though. I would have been let down no matter what. Unless Kinsey died. That was the only way I would have been happy with the series ending, and I probably wasn't going to get that. So, I'd rather it just ended just as I would have expected: with a rambling, boring, miserly, bitchy woman sitting alone in her garage apartment.

In this 25th book in the 'Kinsey Milhone' series, the private investigator looks into the ramifications of a school cheating scandal. The book can be read as a standalone, but knowing the characters is beneficial.

*****

Private detective Kinsey Milhone is hired to deal with blackmail stemming from turmoil at Climping Academy - an expensive prep school in Santa Teresa, California.

Ten years ago, in 1979, a Climping freshman named Iris Lehmann stole a standardized test to help some upper class friends.

The theft had serious ramifications, and eventually led to the shooting death of Sloan Stevens - the girl accused of ratting out the miscreants.

Four juniors were implicated in Sloan's death: Bayard Montgomery, Troy Rademaker, Fritz McCabe, and ringleader Austin Brown.

When the cops identified the perpetrators, Austin fled town and disappeared; Bayard made a deal for his testimony; Troy went to jail for five years; and Fritz (the actual shooter) was incarcerated by the California Youth Authority (CYA) until he was 25-years-old.

Skip to 1989, and Fritz has just been released from the CYA.

He has a new problem however. In high school, Fritz and Troy made a sex tape showing them brutally assaulting 14-year-old Iris Lehman, who was drunk and incapacitated. Now a copy of the disturbing tape has been sent to Fritz's wealthy parents, with a demand for $25,000.....or the tape goes to the cops.

Fritz is terrified of going back to prison and his parents, Lauren and Hollis McCabe, know it's a mistake to open their wallets to a blackmailer. Thus, the McCabes hire Kinsey to find out who sent the tape, with an eye to halting the extortion. Lauren says that Sloan stole the tape from Fritz's room shortly before she was killed, and hid it somewhere. It's clear that someone's now found the tape, and plans to use it to make some money. This sets up the premise of the story.

The book alternates back and forth between two timelines: 1979 - where we see the events that led to Sloan's death; and 1989 - where Kinsey searches for the blackmailer. To suss out the extortionist, Kinsey interviews Sloan's friends and family, and the people who saw her on the day she died - including Bayard, Iris, Fritz, Troy, and others.

Each of the students tells essentially the same story, which gets repetitious and boring.

Meanwhile, Kinsey has an additional problem (which harks back to a previous book in the series). The PI is in the sights of a serial killer named Ned Lowe, who thinks Kinsey can lead him the 'souvenirs' he took from his teenage victims - evidence that could send him to prison for life.

Thus Kinsey has to watch her back every second, in case Ned launches an attack.

In addition to all this, a number of secondary characters make an appearance. Some are series regulars, including: Kinsey's landlord Henry Pitts - an 89-year-old retired baker who makes delicious treats;

Henry's older brother William - a confirmed hypochondriac;

William's wife Rosie - a restaurant owner who serves original (and odd) Hungarian recipes and cheap wine;

Kinsey's cousin Anna - who recently moved to town; Kinsey's cop friends Cheney Phillips and Jonah Robb; and more.

Many things happen in the course of the story: Kinsey enrolls in self-defense classes; Henry takes in two homeless people, Pearl and Lucky....and Lucky's gigantic dog Killer; Rosie has a big birthday party; Henry's cat Ed disappears; a pregnancy is revealed; there's drama between Jonah and his wife; etc. There's just TOO MUCH going on.

Moreover, the author describes each scene - including minor ones that don't move the story along - in extended, excruciating detail. Thus the book is at least one-third longer than necessary (IMO).

In addition, it seems like Grafton - instead of her usual straightforward storytelling - uses every plot device seen in recent thrillers. Thus, the book feels over-written and cluttered.

By the finale, all the story's issues are resolved, but with a sputter rather than a blast.....just not very exciting.

For me, this is one of the least successful Kinsey Milhone books.

If you're a Kinsey Milhone fan, you should probably read this book. If you're not familiar with the series, don't start here.....it might put you off the others.

Respectfully submitted: Barbara Saffer (LOL)

You can follow my reviews at https://reviewsbybarbsaffer.blogspot....

I almost didn't want to read this one knowing it ultimately ended up being the last book in the series because I wasn't ready for Kinsey's story to be over. I was a little late in discovering the series having only started about 5 years ago but these books very quickly became my comfort reading when life was stressful. I rarely reread books but I probably will revisit these books when I need a Kinsey Millhone fix.

So Y was not my favorite in the series. Something just felt off. The plot involved a sexual assault on a teenager and it really made for some uncomfortable reading not just because of the crime committed but also the attitudes of the teenagers and adults. Given the book's events take place in the 1970s and 1980s though these unfortunately wouldn't have been unpopular or uncommon opinions. Regardless, it just felt jarring to read even if things haven't changed much in today's society.

So with this being the 25th book in the series, I understand it was probably difficult coming up with something different and I've noticed in some of the later books in the alphabet the focus in the books hasn't been primarily on Kinsey. For example in this one the action switches between present day Kinsey and the 1970s when the murder was committed. I just did not like the teenagers at all and wasn't that interested in the flashbacks so about half of the book wasn't enjoyable to me. I would have loved more Kinsey story even if it meant reading about her peanut butter and pickle sandwich for the tenth time.

There were times I questioned the editing process with this book. There were words and phrases used that just didn't seem to fit in with the time period. I have read some of the other reviews and I can see I'm not the only one with this opinion. I think some more polishing up would have led to a better book.

Due to the author's family respecting her wishes to not continue the series after her death, we now know this is the last book in the alphabet series. And maybe this was how the books should end, with Kinsey having another chapter in her life that is open to the reader's interpretation. Her story isn't really over because she will always have at least one more case to solve, another bad dinner and cheap wine at Rosie's, and an enduring friendship with Henry. An absolutely wonderful series. Thank you Sue Grafton! I know your books have inspired countless other writers to feature strong female characters like Kinsey.

I just broke my own rules and jumped ahead to the end of the series just because I needed a Y book for a challenge. It does not really matter since Kinsey never changes all the way from A -Y. It is sad there will never be a Z.

I enjoyed Y is for Yesterday. I thought the story was good and I liked the introduction of all the young characters who were involved in the murder. I was very glad that there was a satisfactory conclusion regarding the awful Camilla. And I was very happy that no animals suffered any long term consequences from the events which happened to them.

This was an incredibly long book though. Even when you skip the descriptions of houses, individual rooms and what people are wearing it is still long. I wonder why authors with extended series all seem to forget the 'less is more' principle as they go along. Maybe because the readers have become a captive audience and just keep reading anyway - like me!

Now back to read the books I have left out ……….

First off let me say I have read all the books in this series and loved them. But this particular book just bored me to tears. I usually go through them in a couple of days but I had to force myself to read this because I won my copy in a Goodreads Giveaway and knew I had to give a review. I would have given 2 and half stars if I could.

I just didn't care for any of the characters; a bunch of bratty rich kids with no moral compass who became young adults with no moral compass. They could have all bitten the dust in my opinion. They continuing story with Ned was better and could have been the focus. That's what kept me going. Kinsey kind of worked my nerves a bit too. I know only 8 years or so has passed in her world, but you think she would grow a little. I guess she will be the lone wolf with her pickle & peanut butter sandwiches to the end.

If you'd asked me around the 30% mark how much I was enjoying this book, my answer would have been that it would make a great last entry into the author's celebrated trip through the alphabet - titled Z is for Zzzzzzz. But somewhere around the halfway point, things started to pick up noticeably; by the end, it was considerably better than half bad - prompting me to bump up my rating to 4 stars from the 3 I'd expected.

So what accounted for my initial reaction? Right off the bat, I was put off by the flipping back and forth in time over a 10-year period as the backstory for the current action was developed. If the author ever used that technique in the past, I don't remember it, but it has become so over-used of late that at this point I almost cringe when I run into it even when it's done well, as it is here. And collectively between the then and now, so many characters made an appearance that it was hard for me to keep them all straight.

The action takes place in 1979 and 1989, and I noticed more than one anachronism. I was a fairly active follower of technology during that decade, and I'm pretty sure some of the equipment and processes mentioned in the 1979 accounts simply were not available at that time. I also noticed some errors that thorough copy-editing should have caught (never a good thing in my own professional copy-editor's eyes). Perhaps most distressing, though, is that the stars of the show, including private eye Kinsey Milhone and her elderly neighbor, Henry, exhibited almost none of the spunk and spirit I've come to know and love.

To a certain extent, I should have seen it coming; the official description calls it the "darkest and most disturbing case report" from Kinsey's case files. It takes place about a year after she narrowly misses death at the hands of killer Ned Lowe (a character from an earlier book). He's still on the loose, so Kinsey is always on the lookout, expecting him to show up and try again. To her credit, though, I'm sure that triple-checking locks, remembering to carry a gun and constantly looking over her shoulder would be enough to make anyone cranky.

As she's dealing with the not insignificant concern of personal ambush, Kinsey gets roped into a new case that's rooted in the 1979 murder of a teenage girl for which a juvenile was tried and convicted. He's now 25, just out of prison and once again living with his well-to-do parents. He's not happy to be back with an irritable father and all-forgiving wimpy mother, but neither are they: They've been sent a copy of a sex tape made 10 years earlier in which their son clearly has a leading role - and the sender is demanding $25,000 to not make it public. Both because of the personally damaging publicity and the real possibility that their precious son might be sent back to jail, the parents don't want anyone else to know about the tape - meaning the police - nor do they intend to fork over the cash. That puts Kinsey, who normally plays well with cops, in a bit of a bind - but she agrees to chase down the blackmailer.

Woven into the story are squirmishes, dalliances and other interactions between and among Kinsey's friends and co-workers, although much of that seems a bit lackluster compared to similar situations in previous books. As Kinsey investigates the case of the illicit tape, scenes shift back to 1979 and events leading up to, and including, the murder. Part of the ending is satisfying and another part isn't, perhaps paving the way for what is believed to be the final letter in the Kinsey Milhone series. And while I won't say this is anywhere near my favorite of the bunch - and yes, I've read 'em all - I really, really do hate to see them come to an end.

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 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 sh*t 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.

Ick! I usually read the Kinsey novels cover to cover and can't put them down. This book is the exception. Way too many flashbacks and flash forwards for my taste. One chapter we go back to around the time of the crime. One chapter, we flash forward to Kinsey. It gets tedious after a while.

Lots of secondary characters (and I mean lots) that I'm supposed to keep track of and give a hoot about too. Seems like every chapter introduces another five names to the plot.

Ms. Grafton is very, very wordy when it comes to descriptions here. Feels like a lot of filler to pad the book. I'm talking right down to the hand placement of a witness as she sits down. (really?)

I'm only halfway through but I'm not sure I'm going to finish. Just cannot get into this book like the rest of the series. Kinsey, I'm sorry but your author let me down. Someone said Ms. Grafton might be running out of steam as she wraps up the series. I'm inclined to agree.

Ah, those old, comfy jeans are on their last legs, but I can eke out a couple more wash ‘n wears. Sue Grafton’s A is for Alibi was published some thirty-five years ago; now she is nearing the end of the alphabet, having recently published Y is for Yesterday. Sadly, even the most familiar, pleasurable things in life tend to fade over time.

Ms. Grafton’s newest novel, featuring 39-year-old PI Kinsey Milhone, takes us from “today”, which is 1989, back to “yesterday”, which is ten years earlier. I was hooked from the beginning with the description of 14-year-old Iris Lehmann’s outfit. What a unique, creative girl! I felt sorry for her that she was in trouble for violating an unwritten dress code. Oh, wait. Iris turns out to be a troubled teen, and trouble seems to find her. Ten years later, in 1989, she doesn’t seem to have changed much.

I found that to be the case with many of the teen characters in this book. What seems like adolescent immaturity with pranks, teasing, drinking and pot smoking becomes bullying, sexual assault, and murder. When the young man convicted of killing Sloan Stevens at an early summer party, Fritz McCabe, is released from prison, his parents received a videotape with a threat: pay $25,000 or the tape goes to the cops. With their heels dug in against paying the extortionist, the parents hire Kinsey rather than calling the police to handle the case for fear that their son could be charged with rape.

Along the way, Kinsey interviews most of the former classmates. Grafton flips the narrative back and forth between the two decades so we get a first-hand look at what actually happened and at what the players are saying about it. It’s apparent that most of them haven’t grown up much, nor have they accepted responsibility for what happened to their classmates. They talk about Fritz behind his back. They all blame Austin Brown, whom no one has seen for years. Does Fritz know anything about the tape? Where is Austin?

This could have been much less interesting had it not been for the return of Ned Lowe, the bad guy from the previous book, X. Kinsey is still fairly young, but she seems more cautious than in the past. She is reluctant to carry her gun, and overall, she seems less sure of herself. I also wished for more of Henry and Rosie, although I have to say that I didn’t miss Rosie’s strange culinary concoctions or her bad wine. Once or twice is enough, thanks. The birthday party was a joy until, ahem, the interruption.

The down-and-out Pearl and her homeless friend Lucky added a lot of pizzazz, but I found myself getting quite annoyed with Kinsey for her rudeness to Pearl at times. My favorite – Lucky’s dog Killer!

The plot actually had me scratching my head a few times as I wasn’t sure if what was being revealed was the truth or if it was all a ruse. Actually, it was both, and I did manage to figure things out before our trusty PI. There are a lot of editing details that just don’t fit – airport security and the like that just didn’t exist in 1989 – but I managed to forgive most of those things. Sigh! Maybe I’m being sentimental. I still like Kinsey Milhone, even if she has lost a step or two. I’ll be sorry to see the “Z” book come and go. It’s been quite a run.

3.5 stars

How often does a reader have a 30-year relationship with a character and an author, taking place over 25 volumes read sequentially? It's the only one I've ever had, and unless I start a new series right this minute and like it enough to keep up for three decades, I'm never going to have another relationship like this again. I can't pinpoint the exact moment when these books started to feel like home to me, I just know that at some point Kinsey's neighborhood, her studio apartment, her office bungalow, her neighbor Henry, Rosie's restaurant down the street, and Kinsey's voice and personality all became a place where I could settle in and know I was among friends. Like good friends do, these books helped me through some hard times. Last year I eulogized Sue Grafton in my review of X, and now my review of Y Is for Yesterday will serve as my eulogy for this series. Like many other readers, I wish this wasn't the case. I wish Sue Grafton were still with us and putting the finishing touches on the volume that would give us all the closure we want and, let's be real, deserve after all these years. Instead we're getting a different kind of closure: Sue Grafton was taken away from her family and from her readers, there's no denying that, and finishing Y with no Z to look forward to is our moment to feel the loss and grieve it.

The plotline of Y Is for Yesterday scarcely matters. It had the usual Sue Grafton flaws—primarily, for me, the overexplaining and the way the characters all kind of sounded the same—but also the usual vivid recurring players and absorbing storyline. It wasn't her best, but I'm not really interested in criticizing it. Again, at this point it hardly matters. My relationship with this series has had its ups and downs over the years, but it was a significant part of my reading life. Now that it's over, all I can say is that I'm already missing it.

I've read all these books and am looking forward to ending this series in a big way. I want to see Kinsey find her HEA, come to terms with her parents and extended family and, of course, solve a mystery. This case is eerily similar to an actual case from the OC about 10 years ago. It will be interesting to see Sue Grafton's take on it. The story shifts between May, 1979 and September, 1989 (present time for Kinsey). Exactly what the "mystery" is takes a while to develop. There is a lot of background and different view points on the events that happened in May, 1979, however, it is all fascinating and you need to pay careful attention.

Two events happened in May, 1979. A group of snotty nosed prep school asshats make a pono film. A girl, Sloan, is shot to death by someone she thought of as a friend. Eight years later the shooter, Fritz, is released from the CYA (California Youth Authority (Juvenile Jail)) upon his 25th birthday. Shortly after his release his parents receive a copy of the film and a ransom demand. Not wanting to pay up or send Fitz back to jail, Fitz's parents hire Kinsey to find the extortionist. In her downtime, Kinsey has to face the possibility that the man who tried to kill her, Ned Lowe, is back.

It's been awhile since I've read a Sue Grafton but it's like going to your book closet and picking out a favorite pair of comfortable shoes. Great storytelling. It's always fun to see phone booths and technology from 1979-1989.

Sue Grafton has been a huge influence on me since a friend loaned me one of her books over 15 years ago. When I can't find an interesting audio book from the library, I return to my favorites, A, B and J and T.
I like Kinsey because she's normal, she doesn't have mind rocking intimate relations, didn't reach for the million dollar anything and is happy living day to day. The other regulars are nice folk. Kinsey doesn't have more than her career on her plate and perfection isn't an issue for her. Kinsey stays with her upbringing in terms of small spaces and food. In some ways she only grows intellectually.
'X' changed the money formula, but in 'Y' she moves away from it with a short explanation.
Anticipating great things, I was anxious for the release of Y.
The first chapter had a nice variance in sentence structures. In fact throughout the book I had to look up words. This does not work as well on a paper book as on the kindle.
But, I was otherwise disappointed in the characters, editing and the plot.
The characters by and large were despicable folk, although she had gems like Henry, Rosie and William to work with. Part of why I stay with the series is because of them. She brought back two old boyfriends but treated them as surface dwellers. She stretched all the way back to Ned Lowe for the evil one. She used Ruthie to connect the dots on one of the main cast of characters, this was terrific. Too many people however, repeated the same information, and it was ugly.
The editing fell asleep on technical items like the VCR and maybe airport security. Whether grand jury transcripts are available or whether a grand jury was part of the back story raises questions for me. The Beatles didn't 'sing' Yesterday, it was a solo by Paul. You don't put postage on a certified letter. A Led Zepplin address book? Maybe this was tongue and cheek. (It's already a google search item.) The plot seemed identical to U and the dialogue was tiresome.
The book was less than a 3 but the old friends, pulled it up to a 3. Grafton has the skills to do better than this.

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 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.

5 Stars for Y is for Yesterday by Sue Grafton. (Paperback) This was sad knowing that the series will never be completed. I’ve really enjoyed this series. Kinsey Millhone is my favorite Pi. It has been a treat coming back to these books. They are so dependable. Sue Grafton was an amazing writer. I think her books hold up well compared to all the great detective novels.

A friend said this is a great series. I read X and sort of liked it so I want to give it another shot. Book Y, I can't get into the story at all. Maybe narrating was the cause but I'm not going to try and finish since this is a 17hour audio book.

The 25th book in Sue Grafton's formidable Kinsey Millhone series actually kicks us back to 1979, where a group of male teens at a private school in Santa Teresa are found responsible for killing a female classmate. Several went to prison and now the one deemed responsible for the murder, Fritz McCabe, has been released. His parents hire Kinsey to assist them with a blackmail case--apparently these juvenile delinquents also made a sex tape before the murder, and it's turned up with Fritz's release. Kinsey quickly finds herself drawn up in their twisted world, but she's also watching her back, as Ned Lowe from X still has his sights set on Kinsey.

The result is two pronged story--a focus on Kinsey as she tackles the McCabes and their blackmail/extortion plot, delving deeper into the 1979 murder and sexual assault, but also a continuation of the Ned Lowe story and its associated players. There's a lot going on in this book, as Grafton also throws in a plotline involving romantic shenanigans with Kinsey's cousin, Anna, plus Henry's hosting of the homeless Pearl and her pals in his backyard. Grafton is pretty deft at juggling multiple threads, but whew. The one thing I can say, is that both the Ned situation and the teens' videotape allow for some very timely and nuanced thoughts and ruminations on rape, and you sadly realize we haven't made any progress in society on this front since in the 1980s.

Alas, though, for me, this novel gets off to a slow start and never fully recovers. It took a while to keep track of all the teen players from '79 (and present), and the jumps in time in the storytelling don't really help. Even worse, our heroine, Kinsey, is off her game after the attack from Ned. Yes, she is still the Kinsey we know and love, but she's hurting, more cautious, and changed, and well, it's hard to read about sometimes.

The novel just seemed more tedious than usual and bogged down in some unnecessary details. There were definitely moments with Kinsey that made me smile and laugh, but otherwise, we don't have many characters to root for. The entire group originating in 1979 is pretty despicable. Their story picks up a bit at the end, and I was definitely interested in the outcome, but it didn't have the same flair as previous Kinsey novels. Of note, though, despite how different technology was in the late '70s, Grafton did a good job in denoting how teens remain teens, regardless the decade.

Overall, I will always love Kinsey, but the last two in this series have been a bit disappointing. Here's hoping that Z ends on a high note fitting our beloved heroine.

You can read my review of X here.

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Sue Grafton has done it again. You definitely have to read this one very slowly and pay attention. It may go at a slow pace, but be patient. It does flip back and forth between 10yrs, but its part of the whole plot. Previous characters are involved. Some good and some bad. One I'm very disappointed in. One I'm taking a better look at. Pearl and her new friend crack me up. Good ole Henry seems to be left out in this one. He's still baking though. Kinsey is still Kinsey. Still drinking Rosies's nasty wine! I don't have any expectations of her character. I just enjoy her. What happens in the final Z, remains to be seen. Whatever it may be I will always be a Sue Grafton fan!!

Didn't love this one. Waaayyyy too much swearing. I also didn't love the back and forth between 1979 and 1989. It was too much. I had a hard time relating to these kids - they were just horrible people except for the one who was killed - but I had a hard time with her as well. I missed more of the interaction between Kinsey and her friends. And the Ned Lowe thing should have been it's own story or wrapped up differently.

I've read all the books and have loved the series. This just didn't work for me.

So this was a "could not finish". Not a "did not finish" but an absolutely could not finish!

I started, skipped to a bit before the end and then wrapped it up by reading the finish. Enough reading to reinforce my dislike of the entire thing. Now, remember - this is subjective. These are my personal thoughts/reactions to the book.

From my quick partial reading this is what occurred:
Underage (and 14-15 year olds) drinking and smoking and using parents charge cards without consent
Swearing - lots of swearing by these same kids, which I find so unnecessary
Theft
Rape
Filming of rape (4 boys involved 1 to watch (direct) the whole thing, 1 to film and 2 to rape a drunk underage girl)
Infidelity
Blackmail

And that was just the little bit I read. Did the author have a checklist of unpleasantness to include in her book and check them off one by one? Did she leave any depravity out?

Compare this list of awful darkness with her dedication page where she talks to her family - wishing them lives of honesty, integrity and compassion. Total opposites of what she includes in her book, a book she's written as part of her livelihood. (And maybe I'm not being very compassionate here, it's just so sad for me to see such a difference in what she professes she wants for her family and the things she writes about.)

This does sound brutal, even as I write it. And I'm sure it's just me. But I just couldn't stomach how this book made me feel. I'm weary of all the garbage that is included in a book just to sell it. It is possible to write riveting, suspenseful, engrossing books without all the trash. But who am I to talk, I'm not a writer, just a devourer of good words. And maybe at my age I'd like to see more goodness in life and characters in books than to feel dragged down and discouraged by what I'm reading.

For me: this book wasn't worth any more of my time. Obviously I'm in the minority based on the preponderance of 3 and 4 star reviews. I'm ok feeling differently about it. And no, I won't recommend it.

4 Stars. I wish I'd read this prior to Sue Grafton's passing in late 2017. The sad thought that she didn't finish the series was ever present during my read. "Y" ends too abruptly. She's a great writer, so observant about people and their motives, and the details of the 1980s. She had indicated that the next title would be "Z is for Zero," but nothing else. In these days of COVID, could it have been about a murder on Zoom? But only 4 stars here. There's no diminution in Grafton's talents - it's replete with more little insights on Kinsey and her index cards, her parking problems, and her difficulties with men. Love 'em all. But "Y" is too long, 543 pages vs. 307 for "A is for Alibi." It starts with a drunken, drug enhanced sexual assault on 14 year-old Iris Lehmann by four students from her private school, Fritz McCabe, Austin Brown, Troy Rademaker, and Bayard Montgomery. A tape was made, and lost, and another girl was murdered. That tape re-surfaces as part of an extortion effort after the release of Fritz from jail a decade later. Talking of losing one's life, Kinsey comes close again when her recent nemesis from "X", Ned Lowe, reappears. I'll miss both her and Grafton. (October 2021)

2.5 GASSY stars rounded up to 3, but ONLY because I have adored Kinsey Milhone since I read A is for Alibi once upon my early 20's. This was definitely NOT one of my favorites in this series. (For the record, S is for Silence was my favorite.) Y is for Yesterday is part new mystery (which was strange, loopy, and unsatisfying) and part leftover business from previous installments in this series. The leftover business left me struggling to remember who was who and where things were left at the end of the previous book (which I read a year ago). The new mystery was convoluted and revolved around characters that were totally unlikable and included many other "who cares" minor players that made me have to look back to try to remember who they were. (Who the heck is "Stringer" again?) If you don't mind taking the long road and stopping to gaze at each flower along the way, this is the book for you. Nonetheless, I will stay true until the very end of Z is for.....

quite wordy...could do without some of the detail