Review: Q Is for Quarry

She was found on Sunday August 3rd, 1969, in Grayson Quarry off California’s Highway 1. The woman was young, her wrists were bound, she had multiple stab wounds, and her killer had slashed her throat. After months of investigation, the case remained as stone-cold as it was on the day her body was found. The police didn’t even find out her name.

Now it is 18 years later and the two officers who found the body are now both ill and close to retirement. Wanting one last crack at the case, if only just to give the poor woman a name, they turn to Kinsey Millhone for help. She is curious, and agrees to work with them. But what starts out as an investigation trying to find the identity of a dead woman, soon becomes a dangerous hunt for her killer.

Some fans who may have been disappointed by Grafton's last effort, P is for Peril, will feel much warmer feelings towards this novel, which is one of the best books in the entire "alphabet" series. It is complex, intriguing, and written in sharp, efficient prose with a great cast of characters. Kinsey is in fine form once again, and there are some real treats in store for constant readers of Grafton, in the shape of more insights into Kinsey’s family and background. She’s a likeable, resourceful hero, and I am incredibly impressed that Grafton is still able to develop her main character with each new book, whilst lesser writers tend to burn out around the five book mark. Grafton is adept at creating casts of likeable, essentially normal, realistic characters who keep her books moving and her plots flowing smoothly. The California she evokes is one of a mostly pleasant place full of people going about their usual business, but in all her books there is a subtle sense of darkness and evil lying beneath the genial façade, which often adds a good chill.

Sue Grafton is one of the most reliable authors working today. She can always be counted upon to produce an enjoyable, compelling mystery, which is exactly what she has done here. Q is for Quarry is a high-class book with a rock-solid plot, and almost certainly one of her very best.

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Fiona Walker

Book Review: Q Is for Quarry