In my review of Sue Grafton’s X (almost exactly two years ago) I mentioned that her Kinsey Millhone alphabet series has been a comfort read for me. There’s something warm, familiar and welcoming about the books. Whether it’s because they’re set in the not-too-distant past when time felt a little less frantic or whether it’s the fact that PI Kinsey lives a kind of ‘small’ (though complicated) life; I’m not sure.

For a long time I wanted to be Kinsey. Perhaps I still do. She’s not aged much in the 35 years since A is for Alibi was released and I note – in Y is for Yesterday – Kinsey makes mention of eight years of living above landlord Henry’s garage… so her life has passed in something akin to dog years… compared to ours. (Or is that vice versa?)