"Q" Is for Quarry

"Q" Is for Quarry is the 17th novel in Sue Grafton's "Alphabet" series of mystery novels[1][2][3] and features Kinsey Millhone, a private eye based in Santa Teresa, California.[4]

"Q" Is for Quarry
First edition cover
AuthorSue Grafton
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
SeriesAlphabet Mysteries
GenreMystery fiction
PublisherG. P. Putnam's Sons
Publication date
October 14, 2002
Media typePrint (hardcover)
Pages385 first edition
ISBN978-0-399-14915-3
OCLC49618561
813/.54 21
LC ClassPS3557.R13 Q15 2002
Preceded by"P" Is for Peril 
Followed by"R" Is for Ricochet 

Plot summary

Private detective Kinsey Milhone is hired by a retired sheriff's deputy and a local police lieutenant to help them open up a Jane Doe murder case from almost two decades earlier. Their research takes them to the fictional Quorum, California, near the Arizona border, where a second murder takes place.

Characters
  • Kinsey Millhone: Private investigator who is hired to reopen a cold case in an attempt to find new leads.

Development of the novel

Though the book is a work of fiction, it is based on an unsolved homicide that occurred in Santa Barbara County, California in August 1969. A Jane Doe victim had been dumped near a quarry in Lompoc, California, and never identified. At a dinner party, Sue Grafton had a conversation with Dr. Robert Failing, who mentioned the case. He is the forensic pathologist who worked for the Coroner's Office which had retained her maxilla and mandible. The victim was never identified, and never associated with any known missing person's case. It was hoped that the additional publicity generated by the book (along with the facial reconstruction done by internationally recognized forensic sculptor Betty Gatliff, funded by Grafton), would help turn up additional leads, but so far, unsuccessfully.[5] As of 2011, the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office is still hoping to find additional leads, and has the images of the facial reconstruction on their page.[6]

References
  1. Shafner, Rhonda (October 31, 2002). "Sue Grafton turns to crime; Real murder inspires author's 17th alphabet-series mystery". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
  2. Enger, Jeremy (October 21, 2002). "Best Bets". Austin American-Statesman. 'Q is for Quarry,' 'R' is for reading, 'S' is for signing. The only writers who might get more mileage out of the alphabet than Sue Grafton are the ones working for Sesame Street.
  3. "For mystery writer, S is for success". St. Petersburg Times. November 11, 2002.
  4. Gulbransen, Susan (September 1, 2002). "Racing Time: Alphabet author Sue Grafton counts down to Zero". Book. Retrieved December 19, 2011.
  5. Brantingham, Barney (July 21, 2011). "Who Was Jane Doe? True Life Subject of Sue Grafton's Q Is for Quarry Still a Mystery". Santa Barbara Independent. Retrieved November 27, 2011.
  6. "Information Needed, "Jane Doe" Homicide". Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Department. Archived from the original on November 26, 2011. Retrieved November 27, 2011.
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