Let’s just jump dead on into book number 24 in Sue Grafton’s Kinsey Millhone Alphabet series, X. Yes, yes. Let’s just jump right into it.
Here’s the deal: There are three narratives (as opposed to the term “plot”–which Grafton dislikes using) happening in Kinsey’s latest adventure. And all three read like b-narratives provided in one fluid swoop. And get this! Except for the prologue, Grafton doesn’t use time jaunts this time around. That’s right. This one is strictly from the perspective of Kinsey. But to be clear about my excitement, the time jaunts in the last five books didn't bother me. Just putting that out there.
Narrative Beats
Let's talk about those narratives first...
B-Narrative 1: A divorced woman misses the lavish lifestyle she once shared with her wealthy husband. As the split takes its financial toll, she becomes more and more unwilling to give up the furs and jewelry. So to speak. Even so, the divorce came from her reactionary hands, leaving her with repercussions of financial lost. But how else was she suppose to respond, when her husband's affair involves a friend? More importantly, how does she plan to stay afloat? Well, stealing a painting from her husband’s basement is one. She just needs Kinsey’s help in locating a capable thief, fresh out of prison. Of course, this information isn’t disclosed to a blindsided Kinsey Millhone. And when Kinsey finds out, she's hot on this sneaky woman's ass. Nobody plays Ms. Millhone and gets away with it! Or will this be Kinsey's match?
B-Narrative 2: Racing in tight trajectory; an elderly couple settles next door to Kinsey and her landlord, Henry. While the elderly woman of the duo seems capable and bouncy, her husband comes confined to a wheelchair. This, in turn, has his wife begging both Kinsey and Henry for small-time favors with a sympathetic lean. One day she’s asking Henry to take her to the grocery store. The next she’s begging Kinsey to watch her husband as she slips off to the dentist. Then one day Kinsey’s investigative antenna probes upward, when she witnesses the couple dumping their trash into the bins of their neighbors. A paper trail of scandal ensues. And this sweet couple is maybe not so sweet.
B-Narrative 3 (Resoundingly A): I consider this the core story. It seemed to hold the book together as a narrative common to a Kinsey investigation. Why? Because it features killers and murder, of course. It also directly follows a stream of events that took place in the previous book, W is for Wasted.
The IRS is on the phone–but not in pursuit of Kinsey. Instead, they are hounding the wife of Kinsey’s former investigator trainer, Pete Wolinsky. Reeling from the IRS's demands for documents sequestered by Pete, it's Pete’s wife, Ruthie, who seeks Kinsey for help. Pro bono and as a family friend. Before his death, Pete left a banker’s box to his once trainee. Once in which Kinsey discovers a false bottom. Inside Pete secreted a package containing a Bible, rosary, birthday card, and a family portrait. And a deeper look unveils a list of random, coded numbers listed on a slice of paper. Soon after Kinsey’s discovery, she finds her office completely trashed. Somebody cold and calculating wants what she's discovered. And now it’s up to her to find him before he finds her.
And that’s what X consist of. And, to be just a little honest, a Kinsey book I found kind of lukewarm and weak by the end of each thread.
