Good penultimate addition to the series.
Y is for Yesterday is the 25th book in Sue Grafton’s Kinsey Millhone private detective series. Y is set in late 1989 and details two mysteries. The first involves Kinsey’s attempted murderer from the previous book in the series, X. Ned Lowe is once again stalking Kinsey with murderous intent. The second story starts ten years earlier with a theft of a high school SAT-like test’s answer key and ends with sexual assault, blackmail, and murder.
The Ned Lowe storyline seemed somewhat like an afterthought to the intriguing flashbacks of the high school machinations. Reminiscent of Mean Girls, everyone has secrets and hidden agendas at the ritzy prep school, the Climping Academy. A decade after being jailed for murder as a juvenile, one classmate returns home to Santa Theresa and serves as a catalyst for more crimes.
Y is for Yesterday is a great read that is recommended for series fans. Some, like me, may not have enjoyed the last book, X. Seeing a continuation of the same Ned plot worried me. However, it is more of a side plot in Y. The high school main storyline is excellent and worth reading. If you are new to this series, know that reading them out-of-order will be a major spoiler for earlier books.
I alternatively listened to the audiobook and read the hardcover. The huge quantity of characters made it difficult to keep them straight while also trying to drive. However, the narrator, who has narrated the entire series, has the perfect “old broad” (in the best sense of the phrase) accent to portray Kinsey. That is how I heard Kinsey’s voice in my head throughout the series even though this was my first time listening to an audiobook featuring Kinsey.
Overall, this book is recommended. However, I reduced it by a star for the redundant Ned sub-plot. 4 stars.