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"Q" Is for Quarry
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Read an Excerpt
She
was a "Jane Doe," an unidentified white female whose decomposed body was
discovered near a quarry off California's Highway 1. The case fell to the
Santa Teresa County Sheriff's Department, but the detectives had little to
go on. The woman was young, her hands were bound with a length of wire,
there were multiple stab wounds, and her throat had been slashed. After
months of investigation, the murder remained unsolved.
That was eighteen years ago. Now the two men who found the body, both
nearing the end of long careers in law enforcement, want one last shot at
the case. Old and ill, they need someone to help with their legwork and
they turn to Kinsey Millhone. They will, they tell her, find closure if
they can just identify the victim. Kinsey is intrigued and agrees to the
job.
But revisiting the past can be a dangerous business, and what begins with
the pursuit of Jane Doe's real identity ends in a high-risk hunt for her
killer.
Q is for Quarry is based on an unsolved homicide that occurred in
1969, and Grafton's interest in the case has generated renewed police
efforts. During the past year, the body was exhumed and a nationally known
forensic artist did the facial reconstruction that appears in the closing
pages of Q is for Quarry. Both Grafton and the dedicated members of
the Santa Barbara Sheriff's Department are hoping the photograph will
trigger memories that may lead to a positive identification.
On the day Jane Doe was reburied, many officers were at the gravesite.
"It's eerie," Grafton writes, "to think about the power this woman still
has. Here we are, thirty-three years later, and she still wants to go
home."
Reviews
"'Q' Is for Quarry provides more insight into the detective's convoluted family relationships . . . and it's a cracking good story, as well." --Bookpage". . . makes us hold our breath . . ." --The New York Times Book Review "As usual, Grafton combines in-depth, complex characterizations with a fluid narrative style; she also gives us a model portrait of how to face aging and illness with grace and humor. Grafton appends an interesting author's note detailing the facts of the real (still-unsolved) case that inspired her story." --Booklist "Once again, an intriguing plot, fully drawn characters, and wry humor prove why Grafton's series is one of the best. With nine letters to go, one hopes she can keep it up." --Library Journal
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