"S" Is for Silence

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"S" Is for Silence
S Is for Silence.jpg
First edition cover
Author Sue Grafton
LanguageEnglish
SeriesAlphabet Mysteries
Genre Mystery fiction
Publisher G. P. Putnam's Sons
Publication date
December 2005
Publication placeUnited States
Media typePrint (hardcover)
Pages374 first edition
ISBN 978-0-399-15297-9
OCLC 60550855
813/.54 22
LC Class PS3557.R13 S15 2005
Preceded by "R" Is for Ricochet  
Followed by "T" Is for Trespass  

"S" Is for Silence is the 19th novel in Sue Grafton's "Alphabet" series of mystery novels [1] [2] and features Kinsey Millhone, a private eye based in Santa Teresa, California. [3]

Contents

In a departure from the series format, this novel is set in alternating chapters both in the "past" of 1953 and the "present" of 1987. [4] [1]

Shortly after publication, this novel topped The New York Times best-seller list for hardcover fiction. [5]

Plot summary

In 1953, Violet Sullivan vanishes after going out for a Fourth of July party in the small town of Serena Station, California. Her exact whereabouts are unknown; however, there are many tales that she fled off with a lover or was killed by her envious husband, Philemon "Foley" Sullivan. Thirty-four years later, Kinsey Millhone is hired by Daisy, Violet's daughter, to find answers and gain closure regarding Violet's disappearance. Daisy provides Kinsey a list of possible suspects: Foley; Daisy's babysitter, Liza Mellincamp; Liza's best friend, Kathy Cramer; and Kathy's father, car dealer Chet Cramer.

As Kinsey conducts her interviews, she gains a broader perspective on the victim. While Liza found Violet's independence inspiring, everyone else in town considered her a woman of loose morals, who brought out the worst in everyone she met, including her husband. In the days before Violet disappeared, she and Foley had a fight in which Foley tore down the lace curtains Violet had made for their home. Violet visited the Cramer Chevrolet dealership and convinced junior salesman Winston Smith to lend her a Bel Air, whereupon she drove to the bank and withdrew all her savings. Chet Cramer, angry that Violet put over 200 miles on the car, insisted that Foley purchase it. On the 4th of July, Violet took her Pomeranian Baby and left town in the Chevy, never to be seen again.

When Kinsey interviews Cramer, he reveals that his daughter Kathy married Winston Smith. Kinsey discovers that Kathy's status-seeking and excessive spending habits have made the marriage difficult. Smith reveals that he saw the Bel Air much later that night, abandoned on an offbeat road. While visiting the area of the road, Kinsey spots an oblong depression in the soil and theorizes that the car is buried beneath. The car is excavated and the bodies of both Violet and Baby are found, wrapped in the lace curtain. Violet's hands were tied behind her back, suggesting that she was buried alive.

Liza reveals that she was at the construction site that night with local "bad boy" Ty Eddings, where they witnessed a man digging a hole with an excavator. She believes the man was Foley, but never saw his face. Kinsey confirms that Foley could not have dug the hole, as he was in jail for public drunkenness that night and working all the next day. A delay in garbage pickup due to the holiday meant that anyone could have stolen the curtains from the trash bin. Kinsey confronts Liza, who admits that Foley's treatment of Violet, along with Ty's leaving town the next day, colored her perspective.

On a final hunch, Kinsey tracks down the breeder of Violet's dog, which Daisy says was a gift, possibly from a lover. She discovers it was sold to local construction magnate Tom Padgett, who later killed her. Padgett tails Kinsey to the breeder's home and attacks her on a lonely country road. Kinsey shoots him to death in self-defense.

Interspersed throughout the main narrative are several flashback chapters depicting the events leading up to Violet's disappearance.

Reviews

In December 2005, this novel topped The New York Times best-seller list for hardcover fiction. [5] By December 2006, there were 1.2 million copies in print. [6]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sue Grafton</span> American writer

Sue Taylor Grafton was an American author of detective novels. She is best known as the author of the "alphabet series" featuring private investigator Kinsey Millhone in the fictional city of Santa Teresa, California. The daughter of detective novelist, C. W. Grafton, she said the strongest influence on her crime novels was author Ross Macdonald. Before her success with this series, she wrote screenplays for television movies.

<i>"A" Is for Alibi</i> 1982 novel by Sue Grafton

"A" Is for Alibi is the first mystery novel in Sue Grafton's "Alphabet" series, and was published by Holt, Rinehart and Winston in 1982. Featuring sleuth Kinsey Millhone, it is set in the southern California city of Santa Teresa, the nom de plume for Santa Barbara. She wrote the book during a divorce and admits about her husband that she "would lie in bed at night thinking of ways to kill him". The New York Times gave the book a lukewarm review.

<i>"G" Is for Gumshoe</i> Novel by Sue Grafton

"G" Is for Gumshoe (1990) is the seventh novel in Sue Grafton's "Alphabet" series of mystery novels and features Kinsey Millhone, a private eye based in Santa Teresa, California.

<i>"H" Is for Homicide</i> Novel by Sue Grafton

"H" Is for Homicide is the eighth novel in Sue Grafton's "Alphabet" series of mystery novels and features Kinsey Millhone, a private eye based in Santa Teresa, California. In this novel, Kinsey Millhone goes under cover to help break up an insurance fraud ring in Los Angeles led by Raymond Maldonado. She infiltrates the ring by befriending Maldonado's former girlfriend Bibianna Diaz. In the process she meets up with a former school mate and ex cop, Jimmy Tate.

<i>"B" Is for Burglar</i> 1985 novel by Sue Grafton

"B" Is for Burglar is a mystery novel by American writer Sue Grafton. It was published in 1985 by Henry Holt and Company as the second novel in her "Alphabet" series of mystery novels.

<i>"C" Is for Corpse</i> 1986 book by Sue Grafton

"C" Is for Corpse is the third novel in Sue Grafton's "Alphabet" series of mystery novels and features Kinsey Millhone, a private eye based in Santa Teresa, California.

<i>"D" Is for Deadbeat</i> Novel by Sue Grafton

"D" Is for Deadbeat is the fourth novel in Sue Grafton's "Alphabet" series of mystery novels and features Kinsey Millhone, a private eye based in Santa Teresa, California. The novel follows the development of Kinsey's relationship with Jonah Robb, the police officer she met in B is for Burglar.

<i>"E" Is for Evidence</i> Novel by Sue Grafton

"E" Is for Evidence is the fifth novel in Sue Grafton's "Alphabet" series of mystery novels and features Kinsey Millhone, a private eye based in Santa Teresa, California. The premise of the book elaborates on Kinsey's personal history since it involves her second ex-husband, jazz musician and drug addict Daniel Wade, who was only briefly addressed in "C" is for Corpse.

<i>"F" Is for Fugitive</i> Novel by Sue Grafton

"F" Is for Fugitive is the sixth novel in Sue Grafton's "Alphabet" series of mystery novels and features Kinsey Millhone, a private eye based in Santa Teresa, California.

<i>"I" Is for Innocent</i> Novel by Sue Grafton

"I" Is for Innocent is the ninth novel in Sue Grafton's "Alphabet" series of mystery novels and features Kinsey Millhone, a private eye based in Santa Teresa, California.

<i>"J" Is for Judgment</i> Novel by Sue Grafton

"J" Is for Judgment is the tenth novel in Sue Grafton's "Alphabet" series of mystery novels and features Kinsey Millhone, a private eye based in Santa Teresa, California. The novel is set in 1984 and features a significant development in Kinsey's personal back-story, as she discovers that she has extensive family living in the Lompoc area.

<i>"L" Is for Lawless</i> Novel by Sue Grafton

"L" Is for Lawless is the 12th novel in Sue Grafton's "Alphabet" series of mystery novels and features Kinsey Millhone, a private eye based in Santa Teresa, California.

<i>"P" Is for Peril</i> Novel by Sue Grafton

"P" Is for Peril is the 16th novel in the "Alphabet" series of mystery novels by Sue Grafton. The novel focuses on the disappearance of Dr. Dowan Purcell, a nursing home administrator and doctor at Pacific Meadows Nursing Home, and features Kinsey Millhone, a private eye based in Santa Teresa, California. The novel is set in 1986.

<i>"Q" Is for Quarry</i> Novel by Sue Grafton

"Q" Is for Quarry is the 17th novel in Sue Grafton's "Alphabet" series of mystery novels and features Kinsey Millhone, a private eye based in Santa Teresa, California.

<i>"T" Is for Trespass</i> Novel by Sue Grafton

"T" Is for Trespass is the 20th novel in Sue Grafton's "Alphabet" series of mystery novels and features Kinsey Millhone, a private eye based in the fictional Santa Teresa, California. Grafton drafted six possible story lines for the novel before settling on the final plot.

<i>"U" Is for Undertow</i> 2009 novel by Sue Grafton

"U" Is for Undertow is the 21st novel in the "Alphabet" series of mystery novels by Sue Grafton. It features Kinsey Millhone, a private eye based in Santa Teresa, California.

<i>"V" Is for Vengeance</i> 2011 novel by Sue Grafton

"V" Is for Vengeance is the 22nd 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.

<i>"W" Is for Wasted</i> 2013 novel by Sue Grafton

"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.

<i>X</i> (Grafton novel) 2015 novel by Sue Grafton

"X" is the twenty-fourth 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.

<i>"Y" Is for Yesterday</i> 2017 mystery novel by Sue Grafton

"Y" Is for Yesterday is the twenty-fifth and final novel in the "Alphabet" series of mystery novels by Sue Grafton. Grafton intended to write a Z novel, but she died before she was able to do so. It features Kinsey Millhone, a private detective based in the fictional city of Santa Teresa, California.

References

  1. 1 2 Salij, Marta (December 14, 2005). "'S Is for Silence': Sue Grafton does a little time traveling for alphabet mystery No. 19". Detroit Free Press.
  2. ↑ Faller, Mary Beth (December 7, 2005). "With 'Silence' in the stores, writer faces next in series". The Arizona Republic. Archived from the original on July 20, 2012.
  3. ↑ https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/142079.S_is_for_Silence [ bare URL ]
  4. ↑ Syler, Rene (December 9, 2005). "The ABCs Of Sue Grafton". CBS News, The Early Show.
  5. 1 2 Pierleon, Allen O. (January 2, 2006). "S is for Sassy: Grafton's 'dark side' is back for more cocky crime-solving". Seattle Post-Intelligencer.
  6. ↑ "Paperback bestsellers/mass market". Publishers Weekly. December 11, 2006.
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