"W" Is for Wasted
{{Short description|2013 novel by Sue Grafton}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2024}}{{Infobox book
| name = "W" Is for Wasted
| image = Sue Grafton - W Is For Wasted.jpg
| caption = First edition cover
| author = Sue Grafton
| cover_artist =
| country = United States
| language = English
| series = Alphabet Mysteries
| genre = Mystery fiction
| published = 2013 (G.P. Putnam's Sons)
| media_type = Print (Hardcover)
| pages = 469 first edition
| isbn = 978-0-399-15898-8
| dewey =
| congress =
| oclc =
| preceded_by = "V" Is for Vengeance
| followed_by = "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.{{cite web |publisher=Penguin Random House |title=About Sue Grafton and W Is for Wasted |url=https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/306498/w-is-for-wasted-by-sue-grafton/9780399575242/ |accessdate=January 11, 2018 |archive-date=October 4, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201004034702/https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/306498/w-is-for-wasted-by-sue-grafton/9780399575242// |url-status=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.{{cite news |first=Carol |last=Memmott |work=USA Today |publisher=Gannett Company |title=Sue Grafton spreads the 'W' word |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/books/2013/05/01/sue-grafton-kinsey-millhone/2121647/ |date=May 1, 2013 |accessdate=June 7, 2013 |archive-date=October 4, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201004034706/https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/books/2013/05/01/sue-grafton-kinsey-millhone/2121647// |url-status=live }}
Plot summary
{{More plot|date=January 2018}}Kinsey 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,{{Cite web |date=August 2013 |title=W is for Wasted |url=https://www.booklistonline.com/W-Is-for-Wasted-Sue-Grafton/pid=6220337 |access-date=2024-08-09 |website=Booklist |archive-date=March 23, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170323052208/https://www.booklistonline.com/W-Is-for-Wasted-Sue-Grafton/pid=6220337 |url-status=live }} Kirkus Reviews,{{Cite web |date=2013-07-19 |title=W is for Wasted |url=https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/sue-grafton/w-is-for-wasted/ |access-date=2024-08-09 |website=Kirkus Reviews |archive-date=December 10, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221210133414/https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/sue-grafton/w-is-for-wasted/ |url-status=live }} Library Journal,{{Cite web |last=Oliver |first=Linda |date=2013-09-01 |title=W Is for Wasted |url=https://www.libraryjournal.com/review/w-is-for-wasted |access-date=2024-08-09 |website=Library Journal |archive-date=May 20, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240520030115/https://www.libraryjournal.com/review/w-is-for-wasted |url-status=live }} and Publishers Weekly.{{Cite web |date=2013-07-08 |title=W Is for Wasted by Sue Grafton |url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/9780399158988 |access-date=2024-08-09 |website=Publishers Weekly |archive-date=April 28, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240428011610/https://www.publishersweekly.com/9780399158988 |url-status=live }}
Publishers Weekly also reviewed the audiobook narrated by Judy Kaye.{{Cite web |date=2013-11-25 |title=W Is for Wasted by Sue Grafton |url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/9780307704313 |access-date=2024-08-09 |website=Publishers Weekly |archive-date=August 9, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240809230248/https://www.publishersweekly.com/9780307704313 |url-status=live }}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [http://www.suegrafton.com/bookshelf.php Sue Grafton] Alphabet Series official site
{{Sue Grafton}}
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Category:Novels by Sue Grafton
Category:Kinsey Millhone novels
Category:American mystery novels