Y Is for Yesterday was published by G. P. Putnam’s Sons in 2017 — Sue Grafton’s final novel. She died on December 28, 2017, leaving the alphabet incomplete (Z was never written; her family stated that the series would not be continued by another author). The novel investigates the release from prison of Fritz McCabe, convicted as a teenager for the 1979 murder of a classmate, and the simultaneous resurfacing of a sex tape from that era that someone is using for blackmail.
The novel alternates between 1979 (showing the events that led to the murder) and 1989 (Kinsey’s investigation), and it has the weight of a final statement — though Grafton did not know it would be her last book when she wrote it. The series’ deliberate avoidance of modern technology (Kinsey never used a cell phone or computer) means that Y Is for Yesterday, set in 1989, exists in a world that feels both historically specific and timeless.
The Incomplete Alphabet
Grafton’s family announced after her death that there would be no Z Is for Zero (Grafton’s planned title). “As far as we in the family are concerned, the alphabet now ends at Y,” her daughter said. This decision — honoring the author’s work by refusing to complete it — has made Y Is for Yesterday both the series’ final entry and a monument to artistic integrity.
The 1979 Chapters
The flashback chapters — showing privileged California teenagers at a private school, their casual cruelties, their sexual experimentation, and the murder that results — have a darkness that distinguishes them from the 1989 investigation scenes. Grafton’s depiction of adolescent sociopathy is unflinching: the ease with which teenagers commit terrible acts and then construct narratives of innocence.
Projected Values
Value trajectory (2016–2026): Rapid appreciation following Grafton’s death in December 2017. Signed copies and first editions have become premium collectibles.
Projected values (2026–2036): Strong growth. As the final Millhone novel, signed first editions should reach $300–$800. The incomplete alphabet gives the volume a poignancy that enhances its collectible status.
Collecting Y Is for Yesterday
First edition (G. P. Putnam’s Sons, New York, 2017): Boards with dust jacket.
Approximate market values:
- Fine in dust jacket: $20–$50
- Signed copies (pre-publication): $100–$250
As Grafton’s final novel, first editions have begun appreciating in value, particularly signed copies from her last book tour.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will Z ever be written? No. Grafton’s family has stated definitively that the alphabet ends at Y. No ghost writer will complete the series.
What was Z going to be about? Grafton’s planned title was Z Is for Zero. She had not publicly discussed the plot before her death.
Is this a satisfying ending to the series? Not intentionally — Grafton did not write it as a farewell. But the novel’s themes of past crimes resurfacing and the impossibility of escaping one’s history give it an inadvertent resonance as a final statement.