READ THE SENSATIONAL BLOCKBUSTER THAT STARTED IT ALL! Take it from the top in #1 New York Times bestselling author Sue Grafton’s knockout thriller that introduced detective Kinsey Millhone–and a hot new attitude–to crime fiction… A IS FOR AVENGER A tough-talking former cop, private investigator Kinsey Millhone has set up a modest detective agency in a quiet corner of Santa Teresa, … agency in a quiet corner of Santa Teresa, California. A twice-divorced loner with few personal possessions and fewer personal attachments, she’s got a soft spot for underdogs and lost causes.
A IS FOR ACCUSED
That’s why she draws desperate clients like Nikki Fife. Eight years ago, she was convicted of killing her philandering husband. Now she’s out on parole and needs Kinsey’s help to find the real killer. But after all this time, clearing Nikki’s bad name won’t be easy.
A IS FOR ALIBI
If there’s one thing that makes Kinsey Millhone feel alive, it’s playing on the edge. When her investigation turns up a second corpse, more suspects, and a new reason to kill, Kinsey discovers that the edge is closer–and sharper–than she imagined.
“A” Is for Alibi
“B” Is for Burglar
“C” Is for Corpse
“D” Is for Deadbeat
“E” Is for Evidence
“F” Is for Fugitive
“G” Is for Gumshoe
“H” Is for Homicide
“I” Is for Innocent
“J” Is for Judgment
“K” Is for Killer
“L” is for Lawless
“M” Is for Malice
“N” Is for Noose
“O” Is for Outlaw
“P” Is for Peril
“Q” Is for Quarry
“R” Is for Ricochet
“S” Is for Silence
“T” Is for Trespass
“U” Is for Undertow
“V” Is for Vengeance
“W” Is for Wasted
“X”
more
The wonderful Sue Grafton wrote in television before getting tired of the rat race and switching to novels. While A didn’t break her out, it did introduce her great character.
An odd, and weird, thing. We taught together at the Jackson Hole Writers Conference some years ago. Had a nice chat at an outdoor fire one evening. She also had some interesting comments on a reading by an aspiring writer, that I won’t mention in public.
But her agent introduced her for the keynote and said “I’ll be with Susan all the way through Y!” She meant to say Z, we’re sure. But what an odd Freudian slip in retrospect.
Sue was a wonderful writer and person.
I love this series so much I named my dog after the main character, Kinsey Milhone. The first book introduces us to this now world-famous literary hero. Kinsey is flawed, funny, and tough. I love spending time with her and have re-read this book several times. If you enjoy first-person narratives with well-drawn characters who take you on amazing, sometimes dark, always riveting adventures, then this series is for you.
This is one of my absolute favorite mystery series. Set in the 1980s in a fictional town in California, Grafton’s prolific series features Kinsey Millhone, a private investigator readers will love. Kinsey is a sharp heroine whose commitment to her job and her friends is unwavering. Each novel features a different mystery Kinsey becomes embroiled in and A is for Alibi kicks the series off with an intriguing plot full of twists and turns.
The mystery is incredibly well-done, leaving the reader guessing until the very end, and Grafton is a master at weaving a complex tale that unfolds in pieces before the reader’s eyes. There’s something so compulsively readable and addictive about these books, and A is for Alibi is certainly one of the finest in the series. This is the kind of book that will keep you reading into the late hours of the night, eager to discover what happens next.
The supporting cast of characters in this series begins to feel like family. Grafton does a wonderful job of creating interesting characters with quirky details that engage the reader. This is one of those series that mystery-lovers won’t want to miss.
So it may seem strange to recommend a book that was written back in the early eighties, but hear me out! Sue Grafton began her Alphabet series with A is for Alibi. In this wonderful first book, we meet Kinsey Milhone, the coolest, badass, semi dysfunctional female protagonist I’d ever met (at the time). A former cop, Kinsey is now a private investigator, where her distaste with following rules seems to suit her new career. One of the coolest things about these books is that Kinsey barely ages through the entire series. For Sue Grafton, this had to have been a difficult challenge to keep Kinsey firmly parked in the eighties and eventually the nineties. Think about it– no cell phones. No GPS. She has to look things up in the phone book! Read incidents in the newspaper! Unlike crime series set in the current time, Kinsey must rely solely on her wits. When Grafton sadly passed last year, leaving Z forever to be untold, I vowed to begin the series all over again. Believe me, they still hold up. A truly great writer left us a legacy. If you’ve never read them, I urge you to try Alibi. But, if you have read them, I’m enjoying them just as much the second time around.
LOVE this entire series! I’ve read the entire alphabet of published books, so far. It’s best to read them in order and it’s so easy to keep track of where you left off in the series. What a unique way to write a series! I also discovered a very clever thing the author has used in naming her characters for each book. See if you can find that little Easter egg!
Kinsey Millhone is my favorite heroine of all time. She’s gutsy, she’s smart and she’d independent. There isn’t a bad book in the entire series. Start with A is for Alibi and start reading!
I love the Kinsey Milhone series! It’s a great PI mystery series that takes place in the 80s. Since technology is limited Kinsey has to use her wits and do things the old school way. A is for Alibi got me hooked on this whole series.
I miss her. Wonderful characters. Read them all. A to Y. So sad she never finished the alphabet. R.I.P.
You can never go wrong with a Sue Grafton novel. Over the years, and through 25 letters of the alphabet, Kinsey Milhone and her quirky but likable partners and friends became some of my most favorite characters. I would eagerly anticipate the publication of each new novel, and then do nothing but read, read, read until the book ended with her usual sign-off … “Respectfully submitted, Kinsey Millhone”.
The last sign-off after Sue Grafton’s death broke my heart; I was so saddened by the death of a consistently, excellent author, and the end of my favorite PI.
Although this was the first book in the alphabet series it sure didn’t let me down. Excellent read.
LOVED IT! Great opening to a wonderful series.
All of Sue Grafton books are fantastic! I highly recommend them if you want a fast read and to be easily entertained. The characters are interesting and fun and it’s set in what I believe to be Santa Barbara but she calls Saint Therese.
I love Kinsey and Sue Grafton.
Sue Grafton is a wonderful author! The main character is inspiring, to the point that you have to follow her thru the alphabet! I have the series to U ( Undertow)!!!
Outstanding read.
first of
graftons alphabet series hooked me.. xcited to read x!!!!
Great series, waiting patiently for the last two books in this series.
Very well written. Good story and kept me engaged.
I enjoyed the charaters
“A is for Alibi” is the first book in Sue Grafton’s alphabet mystery series. I like this series for many reasons. Kinsey Millhorne is a 32 year old private eye who reminds me of women that I know, smart, fun to be around and kicks butt. The plot is a murder and keeps you turning pages. I want to warn you that you might find this series a little bit slow at first, but please, please stick with it, Sue Grafton gets better with each letter and the characters to come are awesome.
This book was my very first Grafton experience when I was a sophomore in high school, so it holds a sentimental, special place in my heart. I re-read it often because the characters are so well-drawn, (I still remember Charlotte Mercer, the “Mrs. Loud Mouth Drunk” wife of a judge lol), and Kinsey’s humor is at her sarcastic, snarkiest best.
Grafton wrote for 1970s and 1980s TV, so this book, as well as other early installments in the series, read like that era’s detective shows. The background characters engaging in short dialogues, the smokey atmospheres, phones ringing everywhere, quirky side characters that steal scenes. Think “Rockford Files” but with a cast of women and you’ve got a sense of what Grafton is offering.
The pace may be too laid back for those who prefer “Gone Girl” type of thrillers, but for those of us who love strong, funny, no-nonsense women, twisty plots, and notable quotable dialogue, then this book–and the others in the series–are for you!