This book is set in June 1982 - and if you haven't read the first book in the series, you don't have to worry too much. The narration by Kinsey herself will quickly bring you up to date with the essentials of her life. Kinsey Millhone is a private detective, 32 years old, single. Gloriously, she doesn't smoke, or drink heavily, or do drugs. She isn't a goody-two-shoes either, she really is quite ordinary, with a few of the usual hang-ups we all have. I liked that, because the focus is more on her mysteries than Kinsey coming to angst-stricken grips with her own failings (as often seems to happen in mysteries).
Kinsey Millhone has been hired by Beverley Danziger to find her missing sister - Elaine Boldt. It seems like a pretty straightforward case. But as Kinsey delves deeper there seems to be something sinister below the surface. There have been sightings of her since she left her California apartment to head for Florida but nothing that seems to add up. - Elaine was last seen driving a car - but she had no licence - her beloved cat is missing without trace, and she has gone to stay with friends - un-named At the centre of the confusion is a woman, Pat Usher, living illegally in Elaine's Florida apartment.
As Kinsey digs deeper she discovers the discord between Beverley and her sister Elaine and then there is the brutal murder of her neighbour and friend, Marty Grice just before Elaine's own disappearance. Somehow Kinsey must sort through the facts, red-herrings and lies - and in the process discovers that beneath the disappearance of Elaine there lies a much darker crime.
I really enjoyed the book (it bustled along), enjoyed the mystery, loved the characters - both new and repeated, but most of all I love Kinsey. She is quite ordinary and she has a wonderful sense of humour - which I think develops more as the Alphabet series of books continue. You don't necessarily have to read this series in order, by the way - I didn't. Each book has enough background detail in it to be read on its own.