A former partner of PI Kinsey Millhone, if not precisely a friend, is shot and killed; Kinsey is shocked albeit not overly surprised as her former colleague was acquainted with shady characters and not always straightforward himself. However Kinsey is drawn into a puzzling investigation when an unidentified homeless man is found dead with her name and phone number; but what would a homeless man want with a private investigator, more precisely Kinsey?

Working her way down the alphabet to my immense pleasure, W IS FOR WASTED is the latest offering from Sue Grafton, and far from getting stale, W IS FOR WASTED is one of Ms. Grafton's more brilliant books in this series. W IS FOR WASTED can easily be read as a standalone, because the author fills in the blanks for any newcomer without weighing down the story, and reminding long-time fans why we love Kinsey. I feel that the story being set in 1988 is a stroke of genius, making Kinsey eternally young but in a plausible way, plus we get to experience "detecting" without the help of today's technology, which suits Kinsey's no-nonsense approach. I love Kinsey as I love the tone of the narration; she is my friend and she's speaking to me alone, which is part of the charm of this series; Kinsey is not perfect but she is perfectly wonderful. As are the recurring characters, among others Kinsey's sounding board, landlord and friend, the elderly Henry, who is utterly charming.

Ms. Grafton cinematic descriptions ensure that the setting and the characters appear crystal clear, making the journey almost as captivating as the destination, but not quite. The pace is brisk, the story meticulously crafted, great dialogues and chuckles along the way, as well as huge plot twists which contribute to give even greater depth to Kinsey, an already more than multifaceted character, and lead to the fabulously exciting conclusion.

Ms. Grafton is a writer of immense talent, and I admire how she can grab my attention while sharing Kinsey's daily drudgery but at the same time very cleverly and quite surreptitiously insert little hints regarding the investigation at hand, and before you realise it, W IS FOR WASTED surprises you with a shocker and the book is over! Which does not mean in the least that the ending convoluted, definitely not; but rather that the whole thing is so enjoyable in every way, that the pages simply fly by! W IS FOR WASTED is an easy, fun, and captivating read, and now that the alphabet is almost done, I wonder what Sue Grafton has in store for us. In the meantime, Ms. Grafton has definitely penned another winner, and on to X!

Book Summary

The first victim was a local PI of suspect reputation who’d been gunned down near the beach at Santa Teresa. The other body was found on the beach six weeks later—a homeless man with Kinsey Millhone’s name and number written on a slip of paper in his pants pocket.

Two seemingly unrelated deaths, one a murder, the other apparently of natural causes.

But as Kinsey digs deeper into the mystery of the John Doe, some very strange linkages begin to emerge. Not just between the two victims, but also to Kinsey’s past. And before long Kinsey, through no fault of her own, is thoroughly compromised…