Mellow,
Thanks. And now I'll have to reread the Bostonians. At least it's one of the three novels James wrote that I liked. In college I had to read them all.
Kathy,
U title idea. Actually the undertow and its effects were mentioned twice, and both times they seemed unnecessary to the plot. (In a Grafton novel, something unnecessary? How could it be?) But at both mentions I did start mulling possibilities behind the title and came up with one. Undertows sweep people away, frequently to "bad" endings. A lot of this book had to do with people believing or not believing the man with the childhood memories. Suppose the book had turned out that Kensey had believed him throughout, been swept up by his lies (a fom of undertow) and thus came to a "bad" end—at least in terms of her reputation or own self image. I doubt either Grafton or her editors would be bold enough to use such an "unhappy" ending, but the title sure would have worked. And that ending would work with the problem you saw.
