"A" is for Alibi

by Sue Grafton

Hardcover, 288 pages

Published April 15, 1982 by Holt, Rinehart and Winston.

ISBN:: 978-0-8050-1334-4

(27 reviews)

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, California. She's a twice-divorced loner with few personal possessions and fewer personal attachments but with 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.

32 editions

Lia reviewed "A" is for Alibi by Sue Grafton

Review of '"A" is for Alibi' on 'Goodreads'

2 stars

There are aspects of this book that I enjoyed very much, and there are also parts that I felt could have done better. It doesn't feel dated. The only thing that stood out was there was no cell phone or social media. The plot is your typical round-on-the-mill mystery thriller. A quick read for someone on the go.

So what went wrong?

The main character Kinsey Millhone did not feel like a real female to me. She is crass, which makes her seem uneducated and low-class. Attempts at presenting emotion from her were not believable; she simply came across as apathetic to the entire novel. And how she could solve any crime with the amount of alcohol she consumed in this book is beyond me.

The writing is bare-minimum stuff. It rehashed the plot from old pulp stories. I felt detached during the climactic finale, and the end of the book seemed overly abrupt. The ultimate explanation was plausible, but not particularly intriguing, and I would have been interested to read more about the repercussions of what ultimately went down.

In Summary

It alright novel filled with your typical round of the mill mystery thriller. An easy read for someone who just wants to waste some time.

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NightDrake reviewed A is for Alibi (Kinsey Millhone, #1) by Sue Grafton

Review of 'A is for Alibi (Kinsey Millhone, #1)' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

Loved this. I wasn't sure who did it till it was revealed but that's how I like a mystery on the rare occation I read one. I'll continue with this series at some point. Kinsey's spunk is great.

Gossamerchild reviewed A is for Alibi (Kinsey Millhone, #1) by Sue Grafton

Review of 'A is for Alibi (Kinsey Millhone, #1)' on 'Storygraph'

4 stars

Interesting. I am fairly certain I've read the first few of these Kinsey Millhone books, but I have no recollection of them. Pleasant surprise, I guess!

barbara fister reviewed "A" Is For Alibi by Sue Grafton (Kinsey Millhone Alphabet Mystery (1))

Review of '"A" Is For Alibi' on 'LibraryThing'

No rating

I can't believe it took me all these years to read the first in this series. It was surprisingly good - not as political as Paretsky, not as semi-cozy as Edward of the Iron Shoes, the first of the Sharon McCone series. We don't learn a whole lot of backstory about Kinsey Milhone, but we can tell she's a tough, independent, somewhat lonely and thoroughly competent professional. I like her a lot.returnreturnAnother reviewer points out the fictional setting is a town created by Ross MacDonald, which is perfect since I kept thinking how similar to Ross MacDonald the style is. And yes, love that ending. And the fact that she's not so tough that violence doesn't have an effect.