by Sue Grafton
Part of Kinsey Millhone, book 16
First published 2002
Nine weeks have passed since Dr. Dowan Purcell walked out of Pacific Meadows nursing home and disappeared. The 69-year-old physician said his goodnights, got in his car, and vanished completely. His first wife Fiona believes he's alive somewhere. His second wife Crystal, a former stripper four decades younger, thinks he's dead. Fiona hires private investigator Kinsey Millhone to learn what really happened to Purcell. As Kinsey digs into the case, she meets Tommy Hevener, a red-haired man in his twenties who wants to romance her. Tommy carries secrets from his past that complicate everything. The investigation pulls Kinsey deeper into danger as she tries to solve the mystery of the missing doctor. The peril that gives this case its name threatens Kinsey most of all.
Genres: mystery, crime, thriller, detective
Vibes: emotional, fast-paced, suspenseful
Tropes: amateur-sleuth, missing-person, secrets
Setting: Pacific Meadows
Period: Nine Weeks
370 pages · Mass Market Paperback · Ballantine Books