Kinsey Catches Killers: Peril to Yesterday Quiz

Answer: Nursing home doctor/administrator

In "P is for Peril", Kinsey is hesitant to take on the case of a missing doctor, because she doesn't like the condescending attitude of his ex-wife, the woman who wants to hire Kinsey to find him. But curiosity and frugality take over, so she takes the case, even though the doctor's current wife thinks he's just off on a bender. Kinsey interviews his friends, colleagues, and relatives, and, in a brilliant intuitive moment, figures out what happened to the doctor.

Answer: Jane Doe from a cold case

In "Q is for Quarry", two retired police officers hire Kinsey to help them solve a long-standing cold case, the killing of an unidentified young woman. The quarry in questions happens to lie on Kinsey's estranged family's land, making this an uncomfortable case for her. But she doesn't give up until the mystery is solved and the perpetrators are brought to justice.

Grafton based part of this story on true events. She made the acquaintance of a forensic pathologist who had tried to help identify a Jane Doe when her body was found in 1969. Grafton took the seeds of that cold case and extrapolated a story that would explain how and why she died. Grafton also paid for a facial reconstruction of the real victim in the hopes of finding out who she was.

Answer: Santa Teresa businessman

It's late in "R is for Ricochet" when we meet a corpse, a Santa Teresa businessman. But there's plenty to keep Kinsey busy before then: she's hired by a wealthy, ailing father to watch over his daughter after she's released from jail for embezzlement. Little does Kinsey know, the woman has some plans of her own.

It's an exciting tale that touches on the mafia, money laundering, and an upscale shopping mall.

Answer: A young wife and mother with a wild reputation

Violet Sullivan was beautiful and wild, so not everyone in her dusty, small hometown was surprised when she vanished one day with her new pink convertible. But 27 years later, her daughter, desperate to find answers, brings in Kinsey to bring resolution to the case. Kinsey has doubts she can find anything out after so many years, but as she starts learning about Violet and the trail of broken hearts she left, Kinsey unearths the truth someone had been desperate to keep buried.

Answer: A cranky old man

In "T is for Trespass", Kinsey tries to stay out of Gus Vronsky's business. He's a cranky neighbor who is ailing and needs in-home help. But when his niece asks Kinsey to do a background check on Gus's new caretaker, she agrees. Kinsey finds out more than she expected about Gus's supposed caretaker. This is a frightening tale of human greed and pathological behavior.

Answer: A little girl

In "U is for Undertow", Kinsey is hired by a young man, Michael Sutton, who has just recently recalled that he saw two men burying something years ago, the same time a little girl was kidnapped. He hires Kinsey to help him figure out what he saw and what was relevant, if anything, about it. Kinsey has her doubts about his story's veracity, yet, when it becomes clear her digging made someone nervous, she dives in to the mystery and doesn't come up for air until she solves it.

Answer: A woman who's part of a theft ring

In "V is for Vengeance", Kinsey is simply shopping for underwear on sale when she spots a skilled shoplifter. She follows the thief and steps into a wide-reaching criminal organization. Grafton approaches this case from a variety of angles. We learn about another thief, a woman who died suspiciously, as well as the intriguing figures at the top of the organization.

Answer: A flawed private investigator and a homeless man

In "W is for Wasted", Kinsey has two dead men to deal with right from the start. One is a local private detective who made some questionable choices. The other is a homeless man who had Kinsey's contact information in his pocket when his body was found. Kinsey chases down the last known movements of both men, and finds herself more involved than she expected.

Answer: Several teenage girls

In "X", Grafton made a stylistic change: instead of focusing mainly on one case for the duration of the book, in this one Kinsey is in the middle of several investigations. In one, she learns that a client had paid for her services with marked bills, and she wants to know why.

In another, she's helping a friend go through the files of her dead spouse for tax reasons. In one of these investigations, she learns of a serial killer, one who's been hiding right under her nose.

Answer: Three students: one female, two male

In "Y is for Yesterday", we go back in time to watch students from an elite high school misbehave. Some of them were caught at the time, but others weren't, and, now, years later, Kinsey is hired by a set of parents to figure out what happened. While she's focused on prying information from people who definitely don't want to share, another threat, one much deadlier, is looming close by.