[2] The novel, set in 1988, finds Kinsey investigating the disappearance of a 4-year-old girl in 1967 and the narrative weaves between both time periods.

In April 1988, Kinsey Millhone is hired by a young man named Michael Sutton to investigate a memory he has which may shed light on an unsolved kidnapping.

Greg and Shelly were hippies and drug addicts who left Rain with Deborah and her husband Patrick, only to "kidnap" their own daughter when they were in need of money.

The pieces fall into place: besides having had access to the dog's corpse, Walker's past as a drug dealer would likely have put him into contact with Greg Unruh.

Not at all — though it's a shock to realize that the stories, set in a California coastal town in the 1980s, now read more like historical narratives than contemporary novels with a slight time lag.

But it's an object lesson in disciplined storytelling to watch Grafton manipulate that time frame to broaden the story and deepen the mystery.

"[1] Upon its release, "U" Is for Undertow leapt to the top of several notable best-seller lists, including those maintained by the New York Times,[5] Publishers Weekly,[6] and the Palm Beach Post.