U is for Undertow is classic Kinsey Millhone. I wasn't crazy about a couple of books in the series a few alphabet letters ago, but I thought Sue Grafton was back in the game with this one. (I'm pretty sure I liked the last one a lot also - I must have read it before I started my blog because I couldn't find my review on it.)
I like the way Grafton develops the story, piecing it together from both present and past perspectives. I also like how she has a little sideline going in each of her books that carries over from one book to another. It's what keeps the personal life of Kinsey alive.
A single book in a series needs to be able to stand alone, yet be intriguing enough about past events in the series to get you to want to read the whole series. Also, I like the background information even though I've read the entire series. Sometimes it's been a long time since I read the last book and I need a couple of reminders.
I think Grafton does a good job of filling in past information without making you feel like you've actually reread a previous book to catch up to where the current story is. It's a tricky balance in a long series like this, and I think by and large Grafton has achieved a good balance.
I'm ready for V is for...
I read all these books up to about J and then I lost interest. It's been a long time, but I'm glad to hear you liked this one. I'll try it!
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