Rating: 
Summary: Tight plot - but I was disappointed by characters
Review: I was disappointed by this book despite the very positive reviews on this page. The plot was entertaining and tightly constructed, but the characters didn't match up: I felt I'd read about them all (or rather seen them on '70s detective TV shows) too many times before.
Rating: 
Summary: A book that can't be put down and continually surprizes.
Review: As an introduction to Sue Grafton's writing "A is for Alibi" has kept me coming back again and again. Kinsey Millhone (the heroine) is definitely a character on a very understandable level. Sue Grafton paints everything in such a way to give the reader enough info to make a good mental picture but not too much so that one feels bogged down. I found myself almost holding my breath during some of the climactic moments. The story had so many unexpected twists that I found the book hard to put down. This was definitely a book that put mysterys back on my list of books to read. It is also a much read for anyone who has never read a book with a female detective, a concept which brings a whole new perspective to crime
Rating: 
Summary: Entertaining and easy-to-read.
Review: Overall, our book group enjoyed this detective novel. However, if you're not a mystery fan, this book may not be your cup of tea. The general consensus was that the book was entertaining, easy-to-read, and was compared to a TV detective show. The story went quickly and the characters managed to keep the reader's interest, but not enough to remain memorable. Still, some felt that they might read another in the series. It was a well-crafted mystery in which the heroine's personality enhanced her role as a detective. The narration of Kinsey Millhone, woman dectective, draws you into the story and to the chilling chase along the beach leading up to her near-death. If you'd like some light reading, this book would answer that need
Rating:
Summary: Delightful
Review: I read "A is for Alibi" and so thoroughly enjoyed
it, I proceeded to check all of the others out of
the library. I recently finished "M is for Malice"
and can't wait for "N". Sue Grafton is at the top
of my favorite author list along with Mary Higgins
Clark
Rating:
Summary: 'A is for Alibi' -- S.G.'s first and Absolutely best.
Review: The first book an author creates can be either the
best of worst he/she ever writes. In Ms. Grafton's case, I feel it is the best. Without venturing into poor characterization or predictable plot, she creates a story with excitement, logic and a good love angle. If you can get past the
first paragraph of this book and skip reading it,
you'll miss a great book and one of the best endings ever!
Rating:
Summary: great book, compares well with Patricia Cornwell books
Review: first in a series, recommend reading in order instead of skipping around, each book can stand alone but the series builds on each previous book, gives you a sense of "belonging" to stay in order
Rating:
Summary: Her first book, and her best
Review: By far her best effort. Kinsey Millone is not your typical detective. She sort of stumbles into unsolved crimes. Once involved, though, she is one excellent detective. The best part of the series is Kinsey. Sue Grafton writes in a way to make you like her lead character and pull for her throughout the book. I would recommend reading all of this collectio
Rating:
Summary: A mixed bag
Review: Sue Grafton displays both great strengths and glaring weaknesses in her first mystery novel.
First, the good stuff: Kinsey Millhone is a great character, a literary descendant of Sam Spade and Philip Marlowe, but with a voice and vulnerability all her own. At key points in the novel, Grafton slows down the narrative enough to give the reader intriguing glimpses of Kinsey's background and personality.
Grafton shows promise as a writer. Some of her images are startling. She also knows a bit about how to keep readers turning pages. The book starts out slow, but after a potential key informant is murdered, it moves toward resolution at breakneck speed.
Unfortunately, the book's greatest weaknesses come at the end. Things start to happen too quickly, with Kinsey making a series of guesses about the case that turn out to be right. Grafton offers no insight on how Kinsey reached these conclusions, and precious little evidence to back them up. In my opinion, that's cheating. Grafton left me with nagging questions about loose ends in the plot and a feeling of dissatisfaction.
I like Kinsey, though, and since other reviewers have indicated that future books get better, I will keep reading the series.
Rating:
Summary: Indescribable
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.
Rating:
Summary: Everything a good mystery should be, and more.
Review: "A is for Alibi" is the first in the series of Kinsey Millhone mysteries, which currently consists of just under 20 books published over the course of the last 20 years. They are genre fiction at its finest: suspenseful and interesting mysteries that never fail to entertain or try to enlighten, featuring a private eye narrator whose witty, rough-edged character gives the high drama a practical backbone.I was raised on these books, picking them up off my father's armchair or bedside table and digesting them in a sitting, but I've only read about half of them, and I don't know which half, so I'm beginning a comprehensive rereading. It is a testament to Sue Grafton's writing that realizing I'd already read this book - and that I remembered at least part of the ending - did not diminish its interest. There were still things I didn't remember but could guess at, and things I could neither remember nor guess. Best of all, there was a lot of good in the book I didn't notice during my previous reading (which may have been two - or twelve - years ago). Grafton has a flair for language that is unusual in genre fiction, and the structured plotline is a lesson to any aspiring playwright. The only disappointment is Kinsey herself, who has an unusually soft side in this first book. Kinsey fans should read it to see the character's roots, and then we should thank Grafton for toughening her up.
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