F Is for Fugitive (Kinsey Millhone Series #6) » (Reprint)

Grafton is a writer on a mission: Already two-thirds of the way into her series of alphabetic murder stories starring P. I. Kinsey Millhone, she aims to make it to the end. Millhone, who has her own bio on Grafton's web site, indeed seems to have taken on a life of her own. She is "human-sized," as Grafton says, a simple gal solving complex, irresistible murder cases.

#1 New York Times bestselling author Sue Grafton crafts a thriller set in a town so small that P.I. Kinsey Millhone wonders just how private her investigation can be…

F IS FOR FLIGHT

When Kinsey Millhone first arrives in Floral Beach, California, it's hard for her to picture the idyllic coastal town as the setting of a brutal murder. Seventeen years ago, the body of Jean Timberlake—a troubled teen who had a reputation with the boys—was found on the beach. Her boyfriend Bailey Fowler was convicted of her murder and imprisoned, but he escaped.

F IS FOR FEAR

After all this time, Bailey's finally been captured. Believing in his son's innocence, Bailey's father wants Kinsey to find Jean's real killer. But most of the residents in this tight-knit community are convinced Bailey strangled Jean. So why are they so reluctant to answer Kinsey's questions? If there's one thing Kinsey's got plenty of it's persistence. And that's exactly what it's going to take to crack the lid on this case.

F IS FOR FUGITIVE

As Kinsey gets closer to solving Jean's murder, the more dirty little secrets she uncovers in a town where everyone has something to hide—and a killer will kill again to keep the past buried...

"With this complex mystery and her ever-deeper glimpses into its heroine, Grafton's series promises to hold readers all the way to Z."

—Publishers Weekly

Publishers Weekly

Kinsey Milhone's sixth (beginning with ``A'' Is for Alibi ) alphabetically filed adventure takes her to the small California town of Floral Beach, where she's been hired to investigate a 17-year-old murder. Though innocent of the crime, Bailey Fowler was coerced to confess to it; he escaped from prison soon after his sentencing and lived a quiet life under an alias until the cops picked him up on a fluke and discovered his convict status. Bailey's father Royce, now dying of cancer, hopes Kinsey will find the real murderer and save his son from returning to jail. During her investigation, Kinsey lives at the Fowlers' beach motel with Royce, his demanding, hypochondriacal wife and their resentful, middle-aged daughter. The experience puts Kinsey in a dark mood, reminding her of her own short-lived family (she was orphaned at age five). Nor does the case itself bring joy, as she unearths the ugly secrets of many of Floral Beach's respected citizens--the hypocrisy of the unctuous minister; the philandery of the local doctor and the violence-prone schizophrenia of his wife; the sad secret of the high-school principal; and, of course, the intentions of the murderer, who kills again as Kinsey draws near. With this complex mystery and her ever-deeper glimpses into its heroine, Grafton's series promises to hold readers all the way to Z. 100,000 first printing; $100,000 ad/promo; author tour. (May)