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A Is for Alibi
 
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A Is for Alibi (Paperback)

by Sue Grafton (Author)
3.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (30 customer reviews)
RRP: £6.99
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Frequently Bought Together

A Is for Alibi + B is for Burglar: A Kinsey Millhone mystery (Kinsey Millhone Mysteries) + C is for Corpse (Kinsey Millhone Mysteries)
Price For All Three: £16.47

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Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

B is for Burglar: A Kinsey Millhone mystery (Kinsey Millhone Mysteries)

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C is for Corpse (Kinsey Millhone Mysteries)

C is for Corpse (Kinsey Millhone Mysteries)

by Sue Grafton
4.2 out of 5 stars (5)  £5.49
D is for Deadbeat: A Kinsey Millhone mystery (Kinsey Millhone Mysteries)

D is for Deadbeat: A Kinsey Millhone mystery (Kinsey Millhone Mysteries)

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E is for Evidence (Kinsey Millhone Mysteries)

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F is for Fugitive (Kinsey Millhone)

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Product details

  • Paperback: 368 pages
  • Publisher: Pan Books; New edition edition (3 Aug 1990)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 033031582X
  • ISBN-13: 978-0330315821
  • Product Dimensions: 17.6 x 11.1 x 2.5 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (30 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 39,068 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in this category:

    #9 in  Books > Crime, Thrillers & Mystery > Authors, A-Z > G > Grafton, Sue

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Product Description

Review
"'Skilful and ingenious' Irish Times; 'I love Sue Grafton's Kinsey Millhone novels... you are never disappointed' Guardian; 'Will keep you awake until the last page has been turned' Daily Mail"

Product Description
'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. The day before yesterday I killed someone and the fact weighs heavily on my mind ...' When Laurence Fife was murdered, few cared. A slick divorce attorney with a reputation for ruthlessness, Fife was also rumoured to be a slippery ladies' man. Plenty of people in the picturesque Southern California town of Santa Teresa had 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 and the Jury thought so too. Eight years later and out on parole, Nikki Fife hires Kinsey Millhone to find out who really killed her husband. But the trail has gone cold and there is a chilling twist even Kinsey didn't expect ..."Skilful and ingenious". - "Irish Times". "I love Sue Grafton's Kinsey Millhone novels ...you are never disappointed." - "Guardian". "Will keep you awake until the last page has been turned" - "Daily Mail".

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What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

A Is for Alibi
90% buy the item featured on this page:
A Is for Alibi 3.5 out of 5 stars (30)
£5.49
T is for Trespass
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T is for Trespass 4.3 out of 5 stars (21)
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C is for Corpse (Kinsey Millhone Mysteries)
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C is for Corpse (Kinsey Millhone Mysteries) 4.2 out of 5 stars (5)
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L Is for Lawless
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Customer Reviews

30 Reviews
5 star:
 (8)
4 star:
 (9)
3 star:
 (6)
2 star:
 (5)
1 star:
 (2)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
3.5 out of 5 stars (30 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars A good start to the series, 18 Mar 2008
By KM (England) - See all my reviews
(TOP 100 REVIEWER)      
Sue Grafton's Alphabet series has been going for about 25 years now (I think 'T is for Trespass' has just been released) and I had been bought the A-J boxset for Christmas, so thought I'd start at the beginning with 'A is for Alibi'.

The story introduces the lead character, Kinsey Millhone. 32 years old, twice divorced and a private investigator. Kinsey is approached by a woman who has been wrongfully imprisoned for 8 years after being charged as guilty for the murder of her husband, a cheating, divorce lawyer who it seems everybody wanted dead. Kinsey is hired to find the truth behind his murder and also comes across another murder of a young woman who knew the victim and died in exactly the same way.

The plot is very tight, yet easy to follow.Not too many characters to confuse the reader and there's no un-neccessary plot fillers. It is just good, old fashioned crime solving that although can be dark and sinister in places, it still feels like a "comfort read" with enough humour and whitty dialogue to stop it from being very unsettling or disturbing - something that the crime fiction genre has reached it's boundries in recent years, so this is a refreshing change. As a massive fan of other female crime writers such as Patricia Cornwell, Karin Slaughter and PJ Tracy, it was nice to read a thriller that is still quite realistic and very exciting but without the gore. Kinsey's character is instantly likeable and believable . The killer stays a mystery until the last chapter, which in this case wasn't that surprising unfortunately, maybe due to the fact that there was only a handful of people that it could have been.

Overall this is a fantastic start to the long-running series, but could be better (and I bet it will be!) and I really look forward to reading on through the rest of Kinsey's investigations.
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars It's mindless trash, but I love it, 9 Aug 1999
By A Customer
My first Sue Grafton was read almost by accident. K is for Killer was given away free with a magazine last year. I enjoyed it enough to go back to the start of the alphabet and attempt to read the full set.

Ms Grafton apparently decided to write after her second divorce. She wanted to kill her ex-husband but knew she'd get caught, so she wrote it instead, and she did a pretty good job. Her heroine, Kinsey Millhone, is coincidentally twice divorced and is the owner and sole employee of her own PI firm, and for some bizarre reason she lives in a garage.

Essentially its a standard detective novel. You know basically what's going to happen, but the fun is in getting there, and trying to figure our 'who done it' along the way. It's never going to win any literary prizes, but it makes good reading, without requiring too much thought. It's lightweight in both physical and mental terms, perfect for sticking in your bag and reading on the beach. I'd thoroughly recommend it and am now off to find out what B is for...

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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars A Is for Alibi, 11 Sep 2005
By Rich Milligan (Thatcham, Berkshire) - See all my reviews
(TOP 100 REVIEWER)   
Looking at a lot of the reviews here, it would seem that many people have done what I've done, i.e. read one of the later books in the alphabet series and then got back to this one, the first to really see how things started.

I would agree with some of the other comments that this isn't the best in the series, but it is good to be introduced to Kinsey for the first time and also some of the other characters we know are going to be popping up throughout the series; Henry Pitts and Rosie being prime examples.

Kinsey Milhone is a 32-year-old Santa Teresa private investigator licensed by the State of California. She is twice divorced, sassy and doesn't mind getting her hands dirty to get the job done. Her latest client is Nikki Fife, a woman recently released from prison after an 8-year stretch for the murder of her husband, the lawyer Laurence Fife. Nikki wants to engage Kinsey to prove her innocence from the charge of her husband's murder, even though she has served her sentence now. Laurence, never one for the quiet life, seems to have picked up a many and varied list of people who potentially might have killed him and Kinsey wastes no time in tracking down his first wife, her children and ex-employees of Laurence, some of with whom he had affairs. She also comes across Laurence's ex-partner the handsome lawyer Charlie Scorsoni, with whom she is more than a little taken.

The quest for the truth takes Kinsey on some crazy back and forth drives to Los Angeles and onto Las Vegas, and ultimately ends with a frantic chase across the beach and some tragic happenings.

The plot is rather complex, or at least I found it so, and it's quite hard to keep track of the different characters. That said, it's never boring and any dedicated reader will whip through the rather short book in a couple of sittings.

It's the Kinsey character that is the most engaging factor in the books. She is crafty and cunning, but also honest and with pretence. She appeals to both men and women and her adventures are great fun to follow.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Give Grafton a go!
I LOVE Kinsey Millhone. Unlike other female crime busters she isnt full of her own self importance, and she's more than just a little bit flawed which makes her far more... Read more
Published 17 months ago by Lady of Leisure

4.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining enough
This was the first of Sue Graftons series that I read (having been bought the series A to M in a boxed set for christmas I obviously started at the beginning)

Found... Read more
Published 18 months ago by Big Bertha

3.0 out of 5 stars Fairly mediocre
Having collected up a number of these books at various 2nd hand sales, I thought it was time I read the first in the series. Read more
Published on 31 May 2007 by MaryAnne

3.0 out of 5 stars A is for... Average
I finally decided to start the alphabet series after having A is for Alibi sitting on my shelf since the beginning of this year. Read more
Published on 19 May 2007 by molko

5.0 out of 5 stars No matter what letter: Always the best
I came to Sue Grafton late and in no specific alphabetical order. But it doesn't matter. She provides a wonderful read in any letter.
Published on 12 Oct 2004 by geecee30

3.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable psychological thriller
This is not as dark and thrilling as her later books, but still worth a read. I like the fact that she deals with the complexities of human emotions as much as the bang, bang... Read more
Published on 16 Nov 2000 by Mrs. K. A. Wheatley

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Book!
The only thing about these books is that you are just getting used to the caracters and then the book ends.
Published on 9 Aug 1999

4.0 out of 5 stars I liked it
I really enjoyed this book...I'm a little surprised at all the bad reviews! I liked the fast pace, I really liked Kinsey, and I LOVED the very end! Read more
Published on 3 Jul 1999

2.0 out of 5 stars STILL TRYING TO LIKE GRAFTON
I SEEM TO BE UNABLE TO REALLY GET ANY KIND OF RUSH FROM GRAFTON. SHE GOES ON AND ON DESCRIBING EVERY LITTLE THING,WHAT SOMETHING LOOKS LIKE ,OR TASTES LIKE, ANY LITTLE THING,... Read more
Published on 2 May 1999

4.0 out of 5 stars WOW, GREAT ENDING!! JANICE (NORTH OF BOSTON MASS)
"YOU HAVE TO READ THE WHOLE BOOK RIGHT TO THE END"!! THIS IS MY SECOND KINSEY MYSTERY, MY FIRST ONE WAS "N IS FOR NOOSE", (HATED IT)!! Read more
Published on 19 April 1999

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