Y is for Yesterday

By: Sue Grafton

Narrated by: Judy Kaye

The final installment in Sue Grafton's Alphabet Series - Winner of the Anthony/Bill Crider Award for Best Novel in a Series

Private investigator Kinsey Millhone confronts her darkest and most disturbing case in this number-one New York Times best seller from Sue Grafton.

In 1979, four teenage boys from an elite private school sexually assault a 14-year-old classmate - and film the attack. Not long after, the tape goes missing and the suspected thief, a fellow classmate, is murdered. In the investigation that follows, one boy turns state’s evidence and two of his peers are convicted. But the ringleader escapes without a trace.

Now, it’s 1989 and one of the perpetrators, Fritz McCabe, has been released from prison. Moody, unrepentant, and angry, he is a virtual prisoner of his ever-watchful parents - until a copy of the missing tape arrives with a ransom demand. That’s when the McCabes call Kinsey Millhone for help. As she is drawn into their family drama, she keeps a watchful eye on Fritz. But he’s not the only one being haunted by the past. A vicious sociopath with a grudge against Millhone may be leaving traces of himself for her to find....

©2017 Sue Grafton (P)2017 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

“I’m going to miss Kinsey Millhone. Ever since the first of Sue Grafton’s Alphabet mysteries, A Is For Alibi, came out in 1982, Kinsey has been a good friend and the very model of an independent woman, a gutsy Californian P.I. rocking a traditional man’s job...it’s Kinsey herself who keeps this series so warm and welcoming. She’s smart, she’s resourceful, and she’s tough enough to be sensitive on the right occasions.” (New York Times Book Review)

"The consistent quality and skillful innovations in this alphabet series justify all the praise these books have received over the past 35 years.” (Wall Street Journal)

“This will leave readers both relishing another masterful entry and ruing the near-end of this series. Prime Grafton.” (Booklist, starred review)

One of Sue Grafton's best!

This audiobook has two separate storylines that work well together. The main topic had me guessing up to the end about "who done it". The second storyline was a good compliment that kept the narrative interesting. It filled in spaces and kept the story moving where other authors may have been tempted to use unnecessary details and get off track.

This book is well written and easy to follow with Ms. Grafton's usual writing style. I always enjoy her use of "everyday" words to describe characters and scenes. She has a natural way of creating a mental image for her reader/listener without becoming flowery or over-the-top.

And Judy Kaye...she IS Kinsey. I began reading Sue Grafton's "A is for Alibi" series long before I became a fan of audiobooks. The first time I heard Judy Kaye reading for this series, I knew she was the voice I had created for Kinsey. She is a superb narrator who has a fantastic talent for shifting seamlessly between characters without losing her audience.

Y is for Yesterday is quite long, but I never found myself getting bored with the story or wishing it would hurry up and get to the end. It was the perfect length to tell this story, and there is nothing I would take out. Great book from beginning to end. Well done!

Lied

So sad this is the last in the series. Losing Kinsey is like losing a good friend. RIP Sue Grafton..

lots of twists

I really love these books! And this narrator is the perfect voice for Kinsey. This book was good,. not my favorite, but a good listen and kept me interested.

She needs to carry her gun more

Sad that I have only one more of Sue Crafton’s books to go, then I have to find a new favorite author to listen to - they have all been enjoyable.

Good show!

So glad to be back on the trail with Kinsey. Good story, good plotting, and, as ever, good narration by Judy Kaye.

Only one letter left in the "alphabet mysteries"

What made the experience of listening to Y is for Yesterday the most enjoyable?

Knowing I started many years ago with "A"

What was one of the most memorable moments of Y is for Yesterday?

How Kinsey never changes and its like an old friend you haven't talked to in a long time.
You start talking and no time has passed, it's just like yesterday.

Have you listened to any of Judy Kaye’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Judy is always fun and keeps you interested .

Any additional comments?

Just waiting for the last book and what happens to the cast of characters.

Nearing the end...

Love the alphabet series and it wouldn't be Kinsey without Judy Kaye! Dear Sue Grafton, numbers are infinite!

I don't want them to end

I love three Kinsey Milhone mysteries, and I don't want then to end. Judy Kay does does such an amazing job of being Kinsey, she makes her seem real. I can't wait for Z, but I sure did hope that's not the end.

not graftons bestbwork

took long time to finish. boring plot. not graftons usual work too bad for the reader

I wish there could have been more of these from Sue Grafton

Once again Sue Grafton has written a well-crafted story with characters who seem real. The story was particularly interested in that it looped in some unfinished thread’s from the previous novel. The plot was suspenseful and there were twists but nothing that in hindsight seemed improbable or implausible.

The narration was generally clear and the voices of different characters were distinct. It was marred by the occasional mispronunciation of words and by cadences that did not necessarily reflect the meaning of the sentences. However, these shortcomings are common in audiobooks and not only heard from this narrator.