Book Review: Q Is for Quarry

Reviewed By: Harriet Klausner

Q Is for Quarry     Amazon US PB Amazon US HC Amazon Canada PB Amazon Canada HC
Sue Grafton
Class/Genre:   Mystery   Private Investigator   Woman Main Character
Series: Kinsey Milhone # 17
Putnam, Oct 2002, $26.95, 400 pp.

Almost twenty years ago a girl’s body was found in the Grayson Quarry in Santa Thersa, California. The body was practically unrecognizable but the police were able to determine the young woman was in her teens and they had a good set of prints. Nobody ever identified the body or caught the killer and eventually the case was put in the cold case files.

Two decades later, Police Lieutenant Con Dolan is on medical leave and retired police officer Stacey Oliphant is in remission from cancer. They want another crack at solving the case and hire Kinsey Millhone to help them with the legwork and to bring a new perspective. Following up every lead and piece of information that came in when the body was discovered, the trio follow the links which takes them closer to identifying the body and hopefully, flushing out the killer.

Q IS FOR QUARRY is an excellent crime thriller due in part to the good relationship that Kinsey has with her two elderly clients. Readers see step by step how an investigation is conducted and become caught up in the process. Kinsey’s ambivalent feelings towards her newly discovered family are a fascinating sub-plot that humanizes the character. Sue Grafton has written a fine addition to this long running series, one that her myriad of fans will want to buy.

Harriet Klausner

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Harriet Klausner