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Q Is For Quarry
Sue Grafton Book Review

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Plot Summary of Q Is For Quarry
"

Putnam, Oct 2002, 26.95, 400 pp.
ISBN 0399149155

Almost twenty years ago a girl's body was found in the Grayson Quarry in Santa Thersa, California. The body was practically unrecognizable but the police were able to determine the young woman was in her teens and they had a good set of prints. Nobody ever identified the body or caught the killer and eventually the case was put in the cold case files.

Two decades later, Police Lieutenant Con Dolan is on medical leave and retired police officer Stacey Oliphant is in remission from cancer. They want another crack at solving the case and hire Kinsey Millhone to help them with the legwork and to bring a new perspective. Following up every lead and piece of information that came in when the body was discovered, the trio follow the links which takes them closer to identifying the body and hopefully, flushing out the killer.

Q IS FOR QUARRY is an excellent crime thriller due in part to the good relationship that Kinsey has with her two elderly clients. Readers see step by step how an investigation is conducted and become caught up in the process. Kinsey's ambivalent feelings towards her newly discovered family are a fascinating sub-plot that humanizes the character. Sue Grafton has written a fine addition to this long running series, one that her myriad of fans will want to buy.

Harriet Klausner
"

Harriet Klausner, Resident Scholar

"Kinsey Milhone teams up with a couple of cops, both on sick leave, to help solve a crime eighteen years old. The body of a young girl was never identified during the original investigation so that needs to be achieved before the killer is apprehended. Con Dolan and Stacey Oliphant already suspect a young man who has just been released from jail after killing his girlfriend and they think he had time to do the second killing before he was caught. There are as usual a few red herrings and the twist at the end was unexpected. This novel is as good as the previous sixteen in this series and Kinsey seems to be settling down as an adult person at last.



"

Penny, Resident Scholar

"Kinsey Millhone is hired by two aging cops to help them investigate an 18 year old murder with an unidentified victim. Neither of the cops is in good health.

The series subplot of Kinsey discovering more about her famly and background continues."

Kathie Davis, Resident Scholar

Review Analysis of Q Is For Quarry
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot

Composition of Book
descript. of violence and chases - 10%
Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 60%
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 16.7%
How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 13.3%




Tone of story - suspenseful (sophisticated fear)
How difficult to spot villain? - Very difficult--no foreshadowing/clues
Time/era of story: - 1980's-1999
What % of story relates directly to the mystery, not the subplot? - 60%
Misc. Murder Plotlets - solving long-past murder
Kid or adult book? - Adult or Young Adult Book
Any non-mystery subplot? - feelings towards family/friends
Crime Thriller Yes
Murder Mystery (killer unknown) Yes

Main Character
Gender - Female
Profession/status: - private investigator
Age: - 20's-30's
How much violence does he/she use? - a little
Ethnicity/Race - White/American
How sensitive is this character? - middling sensitive to others' feelings
Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters
Physique - average physique

Main Adversary
Identity: - Female
Profession/status: - homemaker
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in: - a little/some
Motive of antagonist - jealousy
Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor
Physique - average physique

Setting
United States Yes
The US: - California

Style
Part of a series? Yes
Person - mostly 1st
Accounts of torture and death? - generic/vague references to death/punishment
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Music Across the Wall by Thomas J. Keevers


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