"W" Is for Wasted

2013 novel by Sue Grafton August 2024 "W" Is for Wasted Sue Grafton - W Is For Wasted.jpg First edition cover Sue Grafton United States English Alphabet Mysteries Mystery fiction 2013 (G.P. Putnam's Sons) Print (Hardcover) 469 first edition 978-0-399-15898-8 "V" Is for Vengeance "X" "W" Is for Wasted is the twenty-third novel in the "Alphabet" series of mystery novels by Sue Grafton. It features Kinsey Millhone, a private detective based in Santa Teresa, California, a fictional version of Santa Barbara, California.Penguin Random House About Sue Grafton and W Is for Wasted https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/306498/w-is-for-wasted-by-sue-grafton/9780399575242/ January 11, 2018 October 4, 2020 https://web.archive.org/web/20201004034702/https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/306498/w-is-for-wasted-by-sue-grafton/9780399575242// live The novel finds Kinsey investigating the deaths of a local private investigator and an unidentified homeless man. The novel was published in September 2013 by G.P. Putnam's Sons.Carol Memmott USA Today Gannett Company Sue Grafton spreads the 'W' word https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/books/2013/05/01/sue-grafton-kinsey-millhone/2121647/ May 1, 2013 June 7, 2013 October 4, 2020 https://web.archive.org/web/20201004034706/https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/books/2013/05/01/sue-grafton-kinsey-millhone/2121647// live Plot summary January 2018Kinsey Millhone's colleague Aaron Blumberg informs her that a homeless man has been found dead on the beach with her contact information in his pocket. Kinsey tracks down the dead man's friends, three other homeless people named Felix, Dandy, and Pearl. With some difficulty, Kinsey persuades them to tell her the man's name: R. T. Dace. At the bank, she finds a safe deposit box in Dace's name containing $600,000 and a will leaving it all to her. Kinsey, who never knew Dace in life, travels to Bakersfield to notify Dace's surviving family members: his son Ethan and daughters Ellen and Anna. All three have been estranged from their father for many years and are unmoved by the news of his death, even more so when they discover they have been disinherited in favor of a stranger. Returning home, Kinsey travels to the homeless camp where Dace lived in order to scavenge some of his stuff. As it turns out, what he left behind provides valuable clues about not only Dace's murder, but the death of another private investigator some months before. Characters Kinsey Millhone: Private investigator Title Of the 5,700 fans who participated in a "guess the title" contest on Grafton's website, fewer than 50 guessed that "W" stood for "Wasted" for the 23rd installment in the "Alphabet" series. The title was revealed on May 1, 2013, in an interview with USA Today. Grafton explained that several meanings of "Wasted" apply to the novel, including "out of it on drugs" and "the notion of all the waste in crime". Reception "W" is for Wasted was reviewed by Booklist,August 2013 W is for Wasted https://www.booklistonline.com/W-Is-for-Wasted-Sue-Grafton/pid=6220337 2024-08-09 Booklist March 23, 2017 https://web.archive.org/web/20170323052208/https://www.booklistonline.com/W-Is-for-Wasted-Sue-Grafton/pid=6220337 live Kirkus Reviews,2013-07-19 W is for Wasted https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/sue-grafton/w-is-for-wasted/ 2024-08-09 Kirkus Reviews December 10, 2022 https://web.archive.org/web/20221210133414/https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/sue-grafton/w-is-for-wasted/ live Library Journal,Oliver Linda 2013-09-01 W Is for Wasted https://www.libraryjournal.com/review/w-is-for-wasted 2024-08-09 Library Journal May 20, 2024 https://web.archive.org/web/20240520030115/https://www.libraryjournal.com/review/w-is-for-wasted live and Publishers Weekly.2013-07-08 W Is for Wasted by Sue Grafton https://www.publishersweekly.com/9780399158988 2024-08-09 Publishers Weekly April 28, 2024 https://web.archive.org/web/20240428011610/https://www.publishersweekly.com/9780399158988 live Publishers Weekly also reviewed the audiobook narrated by Judy Kaye.2013-11-25 W Is for Wasted by Sue Grafton https://www.publishersweekly.com/9780307704313 2024-08-09 Publishers Weekly August 9, 2024 https://web.archive.org/web/20240809230248/https://www.publishersweekly.com/9780307704313 live References External links Sue Grafton Alphabet Series official site Category:Kinsey Millhone novels Category:2013 American novels Category:2013 English-language novels Category:American mystery novels Category:G. P. Putnam's Sons books Category:Articles with quotation marks in the title