A is For Alibi

A is for Alibi by Sue Grafton
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

When I was young, I always wanted to get new novel from the grocery store. There was a local bookstore but we didn't frequent it like we did the grocery store there were always shiny, crisp, new paperbacks just sitting there on the shelves waiting for me to purchase them. Stephen King, Nora Robert, John Grissom. Everyone called to me. Read me. Read me. READ ME.

None more so than Sue Grafton. Her Kinsey Millhone series which I dubbed the Alphabet series was well into it's circulation at this point. The first book, A or Alibi, was published in 1982. I was one at the time so I was clearly unable to start it from the beginning. Along the way I decided that I did not possess the patience to wait year after year for each new book to arrive. I would wait until they were complete or nearly complete to get started.

Here we are. 35 years later. Y is for Yesterday will be released in August and the last book will be released the year after (I assume). I decided it was finally time to start.

I decided to go with the audiobook. For a series this lengthy, I wanted to hear the main character's voice. Kinsey Millhone is a private detective who has recently killed someone. She tells you this at the start. How this plays in to the book itself is part of the story. Kinsey is hired to clear the name of a woman who was convicted of killing her husband. She's already served her time, but knowing that she's innocent, she is determined to have the truth come out.

There were a series of murders surrounding the death of the woman's husband. Kinsey sets out to uncover who killed everyone.

I've read a ton of murder mysteries in my life. Few were as intricate as this one. It wasn't terribly suspenseful but it did keep me guessing until the end. As a story in general, considering it was written in 1982, it holds up pretty well. Aside from the occasional mention of Kinsey packing up her typewriter or having her answering service handle her calls, everything more or less could transfer to present day. I don't think I would have minded if it hadn't. I'm all for nostalgia. I gave it 3 stars because while it didn't wow me, it was a strong first novel. It'll keep me hooked at least until the next one.


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