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Summary: Wonderful Debut Mystery Series by Sue Grafton!
Review: "A" IS FOR ALIBI just may be my favorite mystery. I haven't as of yet read any of the other books in the series, but I definately plan to and am currently (at the time this review was written) reading "B" IS FOR BURGLAR. I think Sue Grafton is a remarkable writer, and think the idea of an "alphabet mystery series" is ingenious. I love her writing style, and I noticed that when I finished the book, it felt like Kinsey Millhone was real. She is a loner, and can be a pretty cold person, but I like her. She's my kind of detective. Not to give out spoilers to people who LOVE mysteries (such as I), here is the plot in general: A mysterious killer murders wealthy attorney Laurence Fife. Since he was a ladie's man and slept around with other girls, no one mourned his death. Nikki, his wife at the time of his death, was found guilty of the crime, and sent to jail for eight years. Eight years later, she gets out and hires Kinsey to find the true killer. During her research, Kinsey finds thatanother person- a girl named Libby Glass- was murdered four days after Laurence; killed in the same manner. Who is the mysterious killer? Is it really who you think it is? It's up to Kinsey to crack the case! I really loved this book, and I think that anyone who is looked for a great "old-fashioned" mystery with a modern edge should read this excellent novel. I can't wait to read the whole series!
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Summary: First Kinsey Millhone Mystery
Review: Kinsey Millhone is a 32-year-old private investigator residing in Santa Teresa, California. Her main assignment in 'A' is for Alibi is to discover who killed Laurence Fife, an influential divorce lawyer with firsthand experience in wrecking marriages. His last wife, Nikki Fife, was found guilty eight years ago of slipping oleander in his antihistamine pills. Now free, Nikki contacts Kinsey and asks her to find the real killer. The suspects range from Laurence's close friend and associate (and Kinsey's new lover), Charlie Scorsoni, to his "bitter" first wife Gwen. But whoever the killer is, Laurence wasn't the last victim. Four days after he died, a young accountant (Libby Glass) was found dead in her bathroom, apparently drugged with the same poison. Yet Libby's death was never connected to Laurence's, although it was rumored they were intimately involved. Another woman is later killed during Kinsey's investigation, leading Kinsey to conclude she might be next. How close can Kinsey get to uncovering the truth without risking her own life? 'A' is for Alibi is the first book I've read so far by Sue Grafton, and it certainly won't be my last. Kinsey is definitely a likable character--rough and smart--, and the plot is entertaining enough for any mystery buff. I'd highly recommend this book to anyone who likes mysteries solved by female private detectives. If you do, don't miss any of the other books in this alphabet mystery series: '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, and 'P' is for Peril.
Rating: 
Summary: An okay start to the series;
Review: The first book in the Kinsey Millhone series. Kinsey Millhone is hired by a woman to investigate the murder of her philandering husband who she was tried and convicted of killing. Eight years have went by since his murder, but Kinsey still agrees to take the case. Finally got around to reading this. I enjoyed it more than I thought I would, but I kept getting these weird "Anita Blake"-ish vibes from the book. The heroines are so smiliar in thought to me. Maybe Ms. Hamilton read these books as well? Nothing to deep and thought provoking here. A nice little whodunit, even if the killer was pretty obvious to me. It was nice to see a story where the main focus wasn't the hero's love life, leaving the main plot of the story secondary. I'll definitely check out more in this series.
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Summary: A Suspenseful, Tightly-Plotted Mystery!
Review: "A is for Alibi" is the first book in Sue Grafton's alphabet mystery series centring around Kinsey Millhone, and I really enjoyed it. Though it's a very quick read I found this book to be fun, intriguing, and suspenseful. The mystery kept me turning pages, and Kinsey is a wonderful creation, portrayed in a realistic and interesting manner. Kinsey Millhone is a 32-year-old Private Investigator living in Santa Teresa, California. She's a solitary and independent woman, and a fascinating character. One day, Nikki Fife, who has just been released from prison after doing 8 years for the murder of her cheating husband, Laurence Fife, approaches Kinsey and requests her help in finding the person who really killed Laurence and let her take the fall. After careful consideration Kinsey decides to take the case, and so she begins to investigate. Almost immediately, Kinsey finds out about another murder committed only days after Laurence's that is strikingly similar. The victim was the accountant for Laurence's law firm, a woman by the name of Libby Glass, and she was killed using an identical method, oleander poisoning. Determined to discover the connection between the two murders, and find out who committed them, Kinsey gets to work, but the trail is 8-years-old and she knows it won't be easy to find the truth. Never one to be discouraged, Kinsey gets to know the key players. There's Charlie Scorsoni, Laurence's law partner at the time of his death, a magnetically attractive older man who Kinsey finds irresistible and who soon becomes her lover. There's also Gwen, Laurence's rather bitter first wife who was tossed aside when Nikki came along and was financially ruined in the divorce. Kinsey is also intent on tracking down Sharon Napier, Laurence's inept secretary, and the only person who Laurence ever tolerated attitude from. So Kinsey begins to build a picture of the people involved and the circumstances that lead up to Laurence's murder. But whoever has been sitting pretty for 8 years while Nikki paid for the murder is not too pleased with Kinsey poking around and uncovering facts that could lead her to the truth. Indeed, Kinsey is in serious danger, and as she struggles to put the puzzle together, someone is working very hard at making sure she doesn't. Grafton builds the suspense effectively, and the lead up to the climax of the story had me tearing through the pages, dying to find out how it would all be resolved. "A is for Alibi" is, quite simply, a great mystery, though I would have liked it to be a little longer. With great characters and a tight plot full of twists and turns this book left me satisfied and looking forward to my next visit with Kinsey. "A is for Alibi" is well worth reading, so pick it up today and get ready for a fabulous mix of murder, betrayal, passion, and suspense!
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Summary: Kinsey Millhone is the best thing since Miss Marple
Review: After reading through "A Is for Alibi" I found myself infatuated with the Sue Grafton woman; Kinsey Millhone is working woman with human problems, an active mind, and an audacious ambition to find her perpetrator. When confronted with her job, anyone's in the game - including those that she doesn't want to suspect. Nikki Fife was just paroled and looking to gain back her lost respect, she hires the only attorney who will take her case: Nikki claims she was framed for the murder of her husband, Laurence Fife. Kinsey isn't there to judge; Kinsey makes herself available to the facts. The story picks up quick, with Miss Millhone links Fife's death with the murder of another murder and heightens when another suspect is murdered. The characters engross quickly, but Kinsey seems almost immune to each of their guilt. Even when she wants to believe, she understands its not her job to believe, but merely prove. Read "A Is for Alibi." It's only a quickie, and when you're acquainted to the people of Santa Teresa who occupy Kinsey's life, you'll find yourself helping yourself to more of the alphabet thirsting for more.
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Summary: Enjoyable and entertaining mystery!
Review: This is the first of Sue Grafton's books which I have read. It is about a mystery Kinsey Millhone, an private investigator, must solve involving the widow who had just gotten out of prison for killing her husband. However, she claims she didn't do it and hires Kinsey to find out who did. I enjoyed the character development of Kinsey, and felt I got to understand her a little bit. Her interaction with the other characters allowed us to understand her personality more as well. Also, I liked the style in which Grafton portrayed Millhone through 1st person perspective. You "got into the shoes" of Kinsey Millhone and followed her through the mystery. My only problems (and these were minor) were that at times some of the action was not described in much detail. Although perhaps this was partly due to the fact that it was the story was told in the first person, it didn't help me "picture" the story. One scene in particular was striking in this particular aspect. However, it came at the end of the story and kind of gives it away, so I cannot explain it...but it gave me the feeling that Grafton got "tired" of writing so she kind of wrapped it up quicly. As I listened to the audio version, I wanted to comment on the actor's performance of the book. I thought it was excellent. Her change in inflection and pacing helped me to experience Kinsey's emotions as I went through the book. Overall, I enjoyed it and recommend it to mystery lovers.
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Summary: Indescribable
Review: A Review by Jeanette This book is about a woman named Kinsey Millhone who is a private investigator licensed in California. She has been divorced twice, has no kids, and no pets. Kinsey is hired to investigate an eight year old murder case of the murder of Laurence Fife. Everyone suspected that it was his wife Nikki who was sent to prison for eight years. Nikki is determined to find out who killed her husband. So Kinsey investigates and in the end she finds out a surprising ending. Overall I really liked this book. It had a lot of descriptive detail, such as when they would talk about the characters. But when it came to the action of the book I felt as if it was leaving out some of the detail. The pacing was a little hard to follow by because it seemed like you were reading all these pages and it doesn't even seem like it would be at a different part of the story. But what I really liked about this book was the vocabulary. Usually I wouldn't understand a word and it would make me stop and think about it. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes old fashion mysteries. But you can only really enjoy this book if you can understand the conflicts.
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Summary: excellent first book
Review: For a first book, I think she did a wonderful job. The only reason I didn't give it five stars is that I figured out who the murderer was early on in the book (maybe it was just a fluke). Her main character, Kinsey Millhone, is a private investigator who is twice divorced. She is hired by a woman who has been released from prison after being convicted of murdering her husband. She says she didn't do it and wants Kinsey to find the real murderer. There had been a second murder later that was similar to that of her husbands and Kinsey decides to look into that angle as well. There is the usual murder and mayhem that follows. I have read several of her books but never this one and I wasn't disappointed. She makes the character of Kinsey Millhone very believable and likable with all its foibles and goodness. I really enjoyed the book. A nice fast and easy read that kept you interested to the end.
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Summary: Quick, yet completely engrossing
Review: Kinsey Millhone is a 32 year old, twice divorced, private eye. She lives alone, and she likes it that way. When a client shows up asking her to look into an 8 year old murder, Kinsey reluctantly agrees, and gets more than she bargained for as her search takes her from the quiet town of Santa Teresa to Los Angeles, and Las Vegas. I loved the first-person writing style of this novel. Grafton did an amazing job letting me get into Kinsey's head. I knew as much as she did throughout the entire book ' and no more. This was perfect for a murder mystery. It was also a very quick read, and completely engrossing. Some of the descriptions of the landscape at times got overly poetic. It didn't happen often, however, so it wasn't a big issue. I would have liked the book to be a little longer, though, but that's only because I liked it so much! I really took to Kinsey, of course. She was tough, arrogant at times, confident, lonely, and way too smart for her own good. I also really liked Charlie. I could have fallen in love with Charlie, and I could see why Kinsey liked him as much as she did. Overall, this is a fun mystery, with a great heroine. I look forward to reading the rest of the books in the series!
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Summary: A is for Albiet not so Grand
Review: I picked up this book a few weeks ago andtrudged my way through the 200 pages feeling like I was getting dental work done. THe writing was sloppy and the characters were patheetic with the exception of Kinsey herself who I liked enough to check out B is for Burglar (A far superior read). I hated how characters rambled for page after page about stupid little things that really didn't do anything but add bulk to such a short novel. Most of the rambling dialogue felt hammy and unreal taking me completely out of the story. I finished the book and felt gipped by the abrupt ending. If the B book hadn't been so much better than this one I would have given up the series. As it is I will get C and continue reading for a while.
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