"A" Is for Alibi (Kinsey Millhone Series #1)

great

really liked this book. this was my first book by Sue Grafton. It was different than the other books I've read before, but great nonetheless

8 out of 8 people found this review helpful.

Great Ending/Page Turner

I am finishing this on the first day of 2011. This book was written in 1982 and it is nice to read something that is modern, but before the convenience of cellphones. I am planning to continue with the series and I am interested how Kinsey Millhone will age. Right now she is in the era of answering services (Google it) and $19.99 hotels. You have to read the book as a period piece if you are young.
It is a really great mystery that had a lot of red herrings. I was fooled more than once. There's one suspect telling complete lies, a few not "telling the whole truth", and a witness not willing to tell what they saw. Kinsey has to sift though all that. I'm like a sponge believing all the half-truths and only thinking I knew the murderer by almost halfway through. I was way wrong. The fourth line of the book, Grafton tells you she shot someone and the rest of the book is what lead up to it. Make sure your sitting down when you read the ending.

6 out of 6 people found this review helpful.

A is for astounding!!!

"My name is Kinsey Millhone. I'm a private investigator, licensed by the state of California, I'm thirty-two years old, twice divorced, no kids. I don't have pets, I don't have houseplants I spent a lot of time on the road and I don't like leaving things behind. Aside from the dangers of my profession my life has always been ordinary, uneventful and good. I meet most people in the course of my work, and if I can't get emotionally involved there, then where else can I go? P.I. is my whole life, most of the time I'm alone, but why not? I'm not unhappy and I'm not discontented" K. Millhone.
A is for Alibi, A is for astounding!
In the first installation of the Millhone franchise, Grafton sets the tone at its highest for what is to be one of the few mystery series that has aged well for almost three decades.
In A is for Alibi, P.I. Kinsey Millhone's character takes a life of her own, and connects with the readers in the first paragraph. Grafton does a brilliant job developing Kinsey as a main character of this story, and in the process she manages to create all the secondary characters: Libby Glass, Charlie Scorsoni, Gwen Fife, Sharon Napier, Lyle Abernathy and Marcia Threadgill among others that give this novel the esense to make it original and likable.

In the first installment, Grafton's first attempt to captivate readers is a triumph, the plot is simple, Nikki Fife was convicted of killing her husband eight years ago, now on parole she hires P.I. Kinsey Millhone to find the real killer. And as Kinsey brainstorms to find the killer it becomes more difficult than she tough it was " From the first, this has been a case where motive and alibi where oddidly overlapped. Alibi: An account of the suspect's whereabouts at the time a crime has been committed and is offered up as a proof of innocence. But here it didn't matter where anyone was, it only matter if someone had a REASON to have someone else dead, access to the victim and intent to kill" A is for Alibi is a journey that takes Kinsey to cross path with a genuine cast of characters and showcases Grafton's magnificent writing style and originality for her novels.

Having taken place in the early eighties and introducing Kinsey, investigating a cold case murder, overlapped with an insurance fraud claim makes her job more difficult, but Graftons is at ease in her efortless writing. As a result, Kinsey shines throughout the whole story.
A is for Alibi is great because it just doesn't introduce a great character, Kinsey Millhone, but also welcomes Grafton's series of novels as a writer. In the Millhone's series opening act- Grafton- "looks at society, murderers, and those who commit minor crimes whose motivation is less, but all beyond greed. The new standards of morality and how we judge people based on them, and most important, the notion of justice that justifies the need for revenge and payment of old debts."
A is for Albi is written in a simple tone, yet Grafton takes nothing for granted, a page turner. Great story, well written plot with twists, turns and an exceptional and shocking ending.

5 out of 7 people found this review helpful.

New to the mystery book series

And Sue Grafton's series as well as a few other authors were recommended as good reads for getting started. I agree with the positive folks on here in saying that her detail to the detective work is well done and if some of the reporting is unrealistic well it is fiction. Another book is more on the financial side of mysterious but it's a book called Deadly Portfolio: A Killing in Hedge Funds by Jon J. Hohn. Just like Grafton the pages turn and the stories behind the people and blending of families is fabulous. So far I'm enjoying this genre.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Interesting, easy read, somewhat dated, simplistic story line

It's just ok

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Exciting..at the end

It seemed like forever before the book became a "page turner". Also, too many characters to keep straight.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Sue grafton

This is great book. Sue Grafton is great at puttiing in great details to keep story flowing

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Will Read the Rest of the Alphabet

Was looking for good murder mystery with some follow up. Obviously this series has been around awhile, so had some staying power. Good plot had me changing my mind on who was the culprit; some romance. Was odd reading something so "old" - before cell phones and internet constant access. We have it so easy these days....

This book simple doesn't "pull you in".

This book simple doesn't "pull you in".

Kept My Interest

First Grafton book I've read. I did keep my interest and kept me guessing. Would recommend.

P

Good read

Fluff

I was looking for a female lead with more depth

I Finish All Books.....Except This One

I tried...I really tried, but the book just never grabbed my attention. It isn't so much Grafton's writing style, but the story was slow and the characters superficial. She even threw in more characters than anyone could want in a novel such as this. I quit about half way through. Just not for me.

Ok read/End was very rushed

With all the hype with this series I decided to give it a try. It was an ok read, but didn't leave me wanting to pick up the next book in the series. The plot was predictable at times and the ending was out of nowhere. It's like the author got bored and just wanted to end the book. Although the book was entertaining it definitely isn't one of those books you recommend to friends as a must read book.

It wasn't bad

A tough-talking former cop, private investigator Kinsey Millhone has set up a modest detective agency in a quiet corner of Santa Teresa, California. A twice-divorced loner with few personal possessions and fewer personal attachments, she’s got a soft spot for underdogs and lost causes.

Eight years ago, Nikki Fife was convicted of killing her philandering husband. Now she’s out on parole and needs Kinsey’s help to find the real killer.

If there's one thing that makes Kinsey 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.

This wasn't too bad. It was interesting to read it since it takes place back in the 80's before cell phones, computers, and PDA's, but it wasn't bad. I wish we could get to know Kinsey a little better. I had a hard time getting a feel for who she was.

Kinsey is the best heroine of the recent past

Loved it. Kinseys funny, grumpy, lonely, indecisive, brave, loner, classic private eye

first in a line of a popular series

I haven't finished this book yet, but so far the writing is fluid, the plot moves along smoothly, and it is keeping me guessing about "whodunit".

Haven't read it yet.

It is on the shelf ready to read.

0 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Don't recommend

having a hard time getting in to this book, I thing that once I read that one of the characters that was murdered was "Libby Glass" The name is just incredible. If you have ever bought glass sets Libby is one of the brands that you can purchase. Don't really care for her style of writing.

Excellent

Thoroughly enjoyed. Quick read and held attention all the way through. It was fun going back to the 1st of the Kinsey Millhone series and find it still a relavant and enjoyable read.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.