by Sue Grafton
Part of Kinsey Millhone, book 17
First published 2002
Two veteran detectives approach private investigator Kinsey Millhone with a cold case that has haunted them for eighteen years. An unidentified young woman was found murdered near a California quarry, her hands bound with wire, multiple stab wounds covering her body, and her throat slashed. The Santa Teresa County Sheriff's Department exhausted every lead but never identified the victim or caught her killer. Now the original investigators, both old and sick, want one final attempt at solving the case before they retire. They need Kinsey to handle the physical demands of reinvestigating. Kinsey accepts the challenge, drawn to the mystery of the nameless victim. As she digs into the cold trail, the investigation becomes increasingly perilous. Someone doesn't want this old murder solved, and Kinsey finds herself in serious danger as she gets closer to the truth. The hunt for answers becomes a deadly game where the past refuses to stay buried.
Genres: mystery, crime, thriller, detective
Vibes: suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, found-family
Setting: California, Santa Teresa County
Period: 18 Years Ago
618 pages · Paperback
Content warnings: murder, violence