"A" is for Alibi: A Kinsey Millhone Mystery [Hardcover]

Sue Grafton (Author)

Book Description

Series: Kinsey Millhone Mysteries | Publication Date: April 15, 1982

When Laurence Fife was murdered, few mourned his passing. A prominent divorce attorney with a reputation for single-minded ruthlessness on behalf of his clients, Fife was also rumored to be a dedicated philanderer. Plenty of people in the picturesque southern California town of Santa Teresa had a reason to want him dead. Including, thought the cops, his young and beautiful wife, Nikki. With motive, access, and opportunity, Nikki was their number-one suspect. The jury thought so, too.

Eight years later and out on parole, Niki Fife hires Kinsey Millhone to find out who really killed her late husband.

A trail that is eight years cold. A trail that reaches out to enfold a bitter, wealthy, and foul-mouthed old woman and a young boy, born deaf, whose memory cannot be trusted. A trail that leads to a lawyer defensively loyal to a dead partner--and disarmingly attractive to Millhone; to an ex-wife, brave, lucid, lovely--and still angry over Fife's betrayal of her; to a not-so-young secretary with too high a salary for too few skills--and too many debts left owing: The trail twists to include them all, with Millhone following every turn until it finally twists back on itself and she finds herself face-to-face with a killer cunning enough to get away with murder.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Kinsey Millhone is a female Sam Spade; a thorough professional, a loner, clear-headed and unsentimental."--Lucille Kallen

"Kinsey Millhone is an entirely fresh and original character, and I feel sure that the series will go all through the alphabet."--Patricia Moyes

From the Publisher

Laurence Fife was a slick divorce lawyer and slippery ladies' man. Until someone killed him. The jury believed that it was his pretty young wife Nikki, so they sent her to prison for eight years. Now, Nikki's out on parole and Kinsey Miihone's in for trouble. Nikki hires Kinsey to discover who really killed her husband. But the trail is eight years cold, and at the end is a chilling twist even Kinsey doesn't suspect -- a second eight-year-old murder and a brand new corpse. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Holt, Rinehart and Winston; 1st edition (April 15, 1982)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0805013342
• ISBN-13: 978-0805013344
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.8 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (179 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #51,785 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

New York Times-bestselling author Sue Grafton is published in twenty-eight countries and twenty-six languages--including Estonian, Bulgarian, and Indonesian. Books in her alphabet series, begun in 1982, are international bestsellers with readership in the millions. And like Raymond Chandler and Ross Macdonald, Grafton has earned new respect for the mystery form. Readers appreciate her buoyant style, her eye for detail, her deft hand with character, her acute social observances, and her abundant storytelling prowess. She has been named a Grand Master by the Mystery Writers of America (2009) and is a recipient of the Ross Macdonald Literary Award (2004).

Sue Grafton has been married to Steve Humphrey for more than thirty years, and they divide their time between Montecito, California, and Louisville, Kentucky, where she was born and raised. Grafton, who has three children and four grandchildren, loves cats, gardens, and good cuisine.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

90 of 93 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Kinsey is the first female hard-boiled P.I., May 29, 2000

By 

Sharon Wylie (San Diego, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Is for Alibi (A Kinsey Millhone Mystery) (Mass Market Paperback)

I love all these recent reviews calling "A" trite and typical--Grafton wrote this in 1982, and if it seems trite now it's because Grafton revolutionized the genre, and everyone has been copying her plots and style ever since!

Kinsey Millhone is a hard-boiled, gun-toting, loner--a private investigator who keeps to herself and does whatever it takes to solve her case. I first read this book as a teenager, and Kinsey's toughness and un-sentimentality turned me off (young romantic that I was). Coming back to this series as an adult has given me an appreciation for the character and the genre that I lacked before. What you see is what you get with Kinsey Millhone, and that simplicity is her strength.

This book is not only truly groundbreaking, it is also a plain ol' great mystery. Grafton keeps Kinsey busy interviewing suspects, following leads, and stirring up trouble. Kinsey's work is pretty much her life, and except for the occasional evening with a handsome stranger, you can expect her to stay focused on the case.

Unless you prefer your mysteries soft and cozy, you'll enjoy Kinsey Millhone and her straight-forward approach to crime. Best of all, if you enjoy this one, there are 14 more (so far) to keep you busy.

39 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Fun Read!!, June 11, 2003

By 

"intentaccess" (Boca Raton, Florida USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Is for Alibi (A Kinsey Millhone Mystery) (Mass Market Paperback)

"A is for Alibi" is the first book in Sue Grafton's alphabet mystery series centering on Kinsey Millhone a 32 year old Private Investigator living in California. I have just started this series but I really enjoyed this book. The mystery keeps pages turning as it intriguing, suspenseful and a real fast read. The character Kinsey is very independent, you feel as you now know her and she is portrayed as somebody you do know.

Nikki Fife has just been released from prison after doing 8 years for the murdering her husband, Laurence. Nikki wants Kinsey to find the person who really killed Laurence. Kinsey begins to investigate and finds out about another murder committed only days after Laurence's that is extremely similar. The victim was the accountant for Laurence's law firm, Libby Glass, and she was killed using an identical method of poisoning. This trail is 8-years-old and Kinsey knows it won't be easy to find the truth.

Kinsey begins to put together a picture of the people involved and the circumstances that lead up to Laurence's murder. But somebody is not too pleased with Kinsey investigating and unveiling facts that could lead to the true murderer. Kinsey gets herself into danger, and as she struggles to put the pieces together, someone is trying to stop her.

Grafton does a great job with the suspense and "who done it " in this book. Makes you ready for more of Kinsey Millhone. The book was a fun, simple read that I managed in an evening. You don't want to miss this one and I have a feeling they will get addictive.

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Solid start for Kinsey Millhone, January 3, 2006

By 

Westley (Stuck in my head) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: A Is for Alibi (A Kinsey Millhone Mystery) (Mass Market Paperback)

Sue Grafton's Kinsey Millhone series of Alphabet mysteries has been a huge seller since its inception in 1982. I've wanted to read the books for years but didn't for one reason or another. I finally sat down with the first entry, "A is for Alibi," and plunged into it. Nikki Fife is a young widow who was recently released from prison; she served eight years for killing her husband. She insists that she's innocent and hires Kinsey to clear her name.

Kinsey's first case is interesting and filled with a number of suspects. It's a solid mystery book. Kinsey is a likeable protagonist, who has just enough shades of gray and quirks. She's the kind of lead who doesn't distract too much from the mystery at hand, but she's interesting enough to carry the book. Grafton's writing is good - straight-forward but filled with nice details. At times, she spends perhaps a bit too much time describing Nikki and the murder suspects. However, that's a minor quibble. I wasn't blown away by "A is for Alibi," but it was good enough that I've already ordered the next entry, "B is for Burglar."