S is for Silence: A Kinsey Millhone Novel

Sue Grafton

Nov 2006 · A Kinsey Millhone Novel Book 19 · Sold by Penguin

About this ebook

California private investigator Kinsey Millhone is hired to solve a decades-old cold case in this “undeniably entertaining” (Los Angeles Times) #1 New York Times bestseller from Sue Grafton.

Cases don't get much colder than that of Violet Sullivan, who disappeared from her rural California town in 1953, leaving behind an abusive husband and a seven-year-old named Daisy. But PI Kinsey Millhone has promised the now adult Daisy she'll try her best to locate Violet, dead or alive. All signs point to a runaway wife—the clothes that disappeared; the secret stash of money Violet bragged about; the brazen flirtations she indulged in with local men, including some married ones.

Kinsey tries to pick up a trail by speaking to those who remember Violet—and perhaps were more involved in her life than they let on. But the trail could lead her somewhere very dangerous. Because the case may have gone cold, but some people's feelings about Violet Sullivan still run as hot as ever...

Ratings and reviews

This was very good! Actually read it in a day. I did not pick the right "bad guy" either. At one point I was feeling smug and thinking, com'n tell us he did it and he didn't! Though she left a few things unresolved in my mind. Did this guy kill his wife? Did this couple divorce because the wife had an affair? She was a holier than thou prig and I wished better for the husband. But really zipped through this one.

BOTTOM-LINE: The story is okay, but the characters are depressing. . PLOT OR PREMISE: It's a 35-year-old cold case of a missing mom, and the now 40-year-old daughter wants to know what happened to Violet. . WHAT I LIKED: Daughter Daisy needs to know what happened so she can move forward in her messed-up life -- did Dad kill her? Did she run away? And why did she take the DOG but not her daughter? The people with info include the husband aka Daisy's Dad, a babysitter who saw her get ready to go out, a best friend, a brother, a car salesman, some men at the local bar, etc. The story bops back and forth from the past to the present, like most cold cases do. And the tension ramps up when Kinsey finds out that not everyone seems to like her looking for Violet...either that or they just don't like the tires on her car. . WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE: The characterizations of the kids and what they're thinking or feeling back in '53 seem "off", more like adults guessing how they feel or act, and the interactions come off really clumsy. And I don't think there is a single character that I actually like. . DISCLOSURE: I received no compensation, not even a free copy, in exchange for this review. I am not personal friends with the author, nor do I follow her on social media.

I love things series. Sue Grafton wrote suspense so well

About the author

#1 New York Times bestselling author Sue Grafton first introduced Kinsey Millhone in the Alphabet Series in 1982. Soon after, both writer and heroine became icons and international bestsellers. Ms. Grafton was a writer who consistently broke the bonds of genre while never writing the same book twice. Named a Grand Master by the Mystery Writers of America, her awards and honors included the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Private Eye Writers of America, the Ross Macdonald Literary Award, the Cartier Diamond Dagger Award from Britain's Crime Writers' Association, the Lifetime Achievement Award from Malice Domestic, a Lifetime Achievement Award from Bouchercon, three Shamus Awards, and three Anthony Awards—including the first two ever awarded. She passed away in December 2017.