A is for Alibi

*SPOILERS*
I started this book on a camping trip and could not put it down. After reading many classic hard boiled mysteries with characters like Philip Marlowe, Lew Archer, etc. I think Grafton did a great job of creating a modern (post-women's lib) female character who fits this genre. Kinsey's asides and descriptions had a subtle humor that made me laugh out loud at times. There were a couple of things that were kind of unlikely (a woman would never shower at a strange man's camper after first meeting him. Too vulnerable.)
Grafton did something in this book that I have never seen in the thousands of mystery series I've read in my life: the bad guy was someone the female lead had slept with (a skilled lover, no less) and she did not show more hesitate to kill him when she had to. Mickey Spillaine killed off many, many female characters and many women that Travis McGee slept with conveniently died at the end of those books.
Kinsey doesn't blame herself for not being able to commit, like many female protagonists do. She doesnt spend a lot of time being neurotic. it was a breath of fresh air. This is good stuff, especially for 1982. show less

I love Kinsey Millhone. But she's not everyone's cup of tea. I started reading the Alphabet series a few years ago - I think at the time it was up to O is for Outlaw. The idea of a mystery series each title beginning with a new letter amused me. I don't know why. I don't think it's particularly original. At least - I've seen a few others since. At the time though it was new to me and it just struck me as perfect. I flew through the series. Kinsey is riveting. She's brash and harsh and charming. She's fierce and flawed. She gets scared. She holds her own. She pushes herself to run often and tackles cases without judgement and with an open mind. Rosie and Henry are brilliant and I love the little family she builds around her.

But Kinsey show more Millhone isn't Jack Reacher - her speed is more Tracy Crosswhite. [book:My Sister's Grave|22341263] Her cases aren't full of action and high speed chases - they're slowly nitpicking away until something clicks into place. She writes down all her thoughts and places her facts and ideas on 3x5 index cards - which she often shuffles and rearranges to help her solve her case. And I love it. Kinsey Millhone is great - but she's not for everyone. But if you like your mysteries to be more like procedurals with a determined and fierce character - Kinsey Millhone is for you.


This is a typical murder mystery. A is for Alibi doesn't tread new ground. Well it may have when it was first written - but I've read a million and one books like this. But it was good. The murder mystery was interesting and I enjoyed following Kinsey as she gathered clues and evidence and found the truth. The murderer was somewhat predictable but I don't mind that.

For some reason I've seen reviewers compare this to Stephanie Plum - I don't know why - this is absolutely NOTHING like that. Stephanie Plum is a very different character and an extremely different type of book. That's more fluff. Kinsey Millhone is more procedural mysteries. And this series isn't current - it was first published in the 80's - there's not really technology. Messages were relayed by calling the landlines. Paper files were still the main form of storage. Not everyone will enjoy reading this. But if you like procedurals - this is a great start to a series.



3.8 stars, rounded up to four. show less

I bought Grafton's Millhone series (A through U) when my college library divested itself of its fiction (i.e. not literature) collection. Although I had never read Grafton, I just could not pass up a deal to get most, if not all, of that series for 25 cents a book. Would you have passed that up? I didn't think so.

This first book was a delightful read, great to sink my teeth into for a brain-resting experience as a follow-up to reading War and Peace. You see why I needed brain-resting reading. But I digress. I like Kinsey Millhone as a character. I enjoyed learning about her as a person, about the people around her. I liked that few of her characters were two dimensional and those who were happened to be incidental to the story. The show more story progressed at a pace that was comfortable and never slogged, even when Kinsey was slogging through the surf. I love the slight bits of humor that pop up even in tense moments.

Did I pick out the bad deed doer? Yeah. That one was pretty clear early on, but it was still fun to watch the interplay. After all, Kinsey seemed to sense who she was after pretty early on and gave us lots of clues. Did that diminish the book? Absolutely not, in this case it actually increased the tension. "No Kinsey! Don't do it! In your heart of hearts you know that's the bad deed doer!' I'm working hard here to not indicate the gender of the criminal and "bad deed doer" is ever so much more fun a description!

Could I read the book again and enjoy it? Absolutely! show less

I remember reading the Kinsey Millhone Alphabet books when I was in my teens, so I figured that the passing of twenty odd years was long enough to re-read them as new! The female private detective from California somehow stuck with me, and the description of her short hair, living space in a converted garage belonging to an old guy who bakes, and weird obsession with jogging (for the pain, not because she's an LA health freak!) made the first book in the series feel like meeting up with an old friend. I even loved her 1980s index card filing system and answering service!

The mystery was also intriguing - a woman who served eight years for poisoning her husband with crushed oleander asks Kinsey to find out who killed him and framed her - show more until the murderer became obvious, and not just from memory! Whenever a detective meets someone in the course of an investigation and that person suddenly starts turning on the charm, their guilt is almost guaranteed. I kind of lost interest from that point, and started skimming through to the end. I will keep on with the series, though - whenever the Kindle editions are on sale! show less

I had always heard good things about Sue Grafton's alphabet books, so I picked up A is for Alibi the other day. I assume (hope) that like most writers she has matured somewhat since her early work, but I won't be bothering to find out. I found Kinsey Millhone annoying and was rooting for the killer. The ending was abrupt and lacking in resolution. Add to the the fact that Ms. Grafton seems to be a raging fatophobe (all the jelly donuts? Really? Why not throw in an entire cake and dozen burgers while you're at it?) and this book was not much of a pleasure. I only bothered finishing because I hate leaving a book in the middle and kept hoping the denouement wouldn't be as boring as I thought it would be. Wrong again. I can't believe I show more wasted money on this and I'd rather re-read the hellish DaVinci Code than this. show less

Took awhile to get going, I got confused trying to keep track of who everyone was, and I thought the ending gathered force beautifully before abruptly letting all the air out of itl. That said, the detective is nicely drawn and interesting, and it has all the hallmarks of a successful series--which of course it was.

This is the first book in a well-known mystery series set in southern California, and featuring detective Kinsey Millhone. A woman who was wrongly accused and convicted of murder is released from prison, and hires Kinsey to conduct a fresh investigation and identify the real killer. The case follows a fairly straightforward formula without feeling predictable, and provides an opportunity to get to know Kinsey and the area where she lives and works.

This book was published in 1982 and still holds up. Some references to population and traffic may be less accurate now, but I’m not familiar enough with southern California to notice. Kinsey’s technology is dated by today’s standards (she uses a typewriter, not a computer), but again show more this did not affect my enjoyment. While it’s sad that Sue Grafton died before she could write a finale to this series, I’m glad there are still 24 books ahead of me. show less