The hit FX show Nip/Tuck took a lot of heat from critics and fans alike last December, when it finally revealed the identity of "The Carver," a psycho-slasher slicing up Miami. What was everyone's big gripe? The ending was a letdown. The storyline was a thrill ride, but the finale did not live up to the hype.

That's how I felt about Sue Grafton's latest book, S is for Silence, the latest in the alphabet-themed series, featuring the character of Private Investigator Kinsey Millhone. One of the best characters in the mystery genre, Kinsey is a sarcastic, no-nonsense private investigator who lives alone and prefers it that way. The character Kinsey has always been written with a great balance of bitchiness and humor; however, this is the first Grafton book with a worthy supporting cast.

On the surface, the premise is one that's been way over-done: A woman disappeared in a small town 34 years ago. The place is full of suspects and they are developed through flashbacks from 1953. This part of the book could hold up as a separate novel in itself. It doesn't help the present-day investigation that the missing woman was the town whore, which you may figure out by sex scene No. 10 (another first for Grafton). Everyone has a different motive and opportunity, and not since The Westing Game have I been tempted to figure the mystery out for myself.

So what's my problem? The ending. I was halfway through the big reveal by the time I realized what was going on. In Grafton's defense, I was surprised by the culprit -- not in that how-original-never-saw-that-coming way -- but in the what-a-cop-out way.

Still, S is for Silence is just too refreshing to pan, even though Grafton ran out of steam on page 363.

-- Reviewed by Kathryn Stevens