"W" Is for Wasted
 First edition cover | |
| Author | Sue Grafton |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Series | Alphabet Mysteries |
| Genre | Mystery |
| Published | 2013 (G.P. Putnam's Sons) |
| Media type | Print (Hardcover) |
| Pages | 469pp (first edition) |
| ISBN | 978-0-399-15898-8 |
| Preceded by | "V" Is for Vengeance |
| Followed by | "X" |
"W" Is for Wasted is the twenty-third novel in Sue Grafton's "Alphabet" series of mystery novels and features Kinsey Millhone, a private eye based in Santa Teresa, California, a fictional version of Santa Barbara, California.[1] 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.[2]
Development history
Publication history
- 2013, USA, G.P. Putnam's Sons, ISBN 978-0-399-15898-8, Pub date 10 September 2013, Hardback
Explanation of the novel's title
Beginning with "A" Is for Alibi in 1982 and continuing with "B" Is for Burglar in 1985 through "U" Is for Undertow in 2009, Grafton's "Alphabet" series of mystery novels has been published in alphabetical order with a new book coming out every 12 to 24 months.[1] The name of each upcoming book has been an ongoing source of speculation among fans and in the press.[3][4] In May 2009, Grafton told Media Bistro that she is "just trying to figure out how to get from "U" Is for Undertow to "Z" Is for Zero" and that "just because she knows the endgame title for Z [...] doesn't mean she knows what V, W, X, and Y will be".[5][6]
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".[2]
References
- 1 2 "Biography: Sue Grafton". Macmillan Publishers. Retrieved June 7, 2013.
- 1 2 Memmott, Carol (May 1, 2013). "Sue Grafton spreads the 'W' word". USA Today (Gannett Company). Retrieved June 7, 2013.
- ↑ Brantingham, Barney (April 29, 2010). "Just Who Is Kinsey Millhone?". Santa Barbara Independent. Retrieved June 7, 2013.
- ↑ Hertzel, Laurie (September 10, 2013). "Sue Grafton closing in on the end of the alphabet". Minneapolis Star-Tribune (Minneapolis, MN). Retrieved August 4, 2014.
- ↑ Hogan, Ron (May 1, 2009). "Conversations with the Grand Masters". GalleyCat (Media Bistro). Retrieved June 7, 2013.
- ↑ Pitz, Marylynne (October 7, 2013). "Sue Grafton: Writing her way through the alphabet". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (Pittsburgh, PA). Retrieved August 4, 2014.