Book ~ "X" (2015) Sue Grafton

From Goodreads ~ When a glamorous redhead wishes to locate the son she put up for adoption thirty-two years ago, it seems like an easy two hundred bucks for P. I. Kinsey Millhone. But when a cop tells her she was paid with marked bills and Kinsey's client is nowhere to be found, it becomes apparent this mystery woman has something to hide. Riled, Kinsey won't stop until she's found out who fooled her and why.

Meanwhile, the widow of the recently murdered P. I. - and Kinsey's old friend - Pete Wolinsky, needs help with her IRS audit. This seemingly innocuous task takes a treacherous turn when Kinsey finds a coded list amongst her friend's files. It soon leads her to an unhinged man with a catalogue of ruined lives left in his wake. And despite the devastation, there isn't a single conviction to his name. It seems this sociopath knows exactly how to cause chaos without leaving a trace.

As Kinsey delves deeper into the investigation she quickly becomes the next target of this tormentor. But can Kinsey prove her case against him before she becomes the next victim?

It's 1989 and Kinsey Millhone is a private investigator in Santa Theresa, CA.  She is hired by a rich woman to find the adult son she gave up for adoption when she was young.  Kinsey gets the job done but her involvement doesn't end.

Kinsey's former colleague, Pete, was killed the previous summer.  His widow has asked Kinsey to go through some of his personal effects.  She comes across a padded envelope full of mementos and a cryptic note.  She becomes involved with a not-so-nice person as she is determined to deliver the envelope to its owner 20+ years later.

In the meantime, Kinsey and Henry have new neighbours.  An older couple have moved in next door and are continually imposing on them for favours.

I thought this book was okay.  I like the writing style.  The writing could have been tighter, though, as there were a lot of details and descriptions.  As a head's up, there is some swearing.

During this time, there was a drought and everyone was asked to be diligent about water conservation.  Henry, Kinsey's landlord, was doing his part in cutting back and still found that his water bill was increasing, which was driving him crazy.  There was waaaaaay too much time spend with Henry going into great detail about irrigation, water usage, etc.

This is the twenty-fourth in the "alphabet series" featuring Kinsey Millhone.  Though it is part of a series, it works as a stand alone.  I discovered this series in the mid-1990s and have read them all.  I started rereading them last year.  I read Y is for Yesterday last year so this brings the series to an end once again for me.  With the author's recent death, Y is for Yesterday will be the end of the series.