by Sue Grafton
Part of Kinsey Millhone, book 18
First published 2005
Nord Lafferty hired private investigator Kinsey Millhone for what looked like easy money. His thirty-two-year-old daughter Reba had just finished twenty-two months at the California Institution for Women after an embezzlement conviction. The wealthy father wanted someone to watch over her during parole, keep her away from the gambling, drinking, and drug use that had derailed her before. Kinsey expected a week of simple supervision work with a cooperative ex-convict who seemed genuinely sorry for her crimes. She was wrong. Within a day of Reba's release, the same crowd that had led her into trouble before starts closing in. The assignment that promised to be routine quickly becomes anything but straightforward for Kinsey, as she discovers that keeping Reba on the straight path will require more than just making sure she follows parole regulations.
Genres: suspense, mystery, crime, thriller
Vibes: fast-paced, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: keeping-someone-on-the-straight-path, unexpected-assignment
Setting: California Institution for Women
363 pages · Mass Market Paperback · G.P. Putnam's Sons
Content warnings: addiction, alcohol-abuse, drug-use