A is for Alibi

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

It’s always risky to re-read something you really enjoyed and thought was first rate when you first read it 25 years before. My sister suggested it would be fun to re-read Sue Grafton’s alphabetical mysteries together and so I got a copy for my Kindle and spent a few hours reacquainting myself with Santa Teresa, CA. It was a good move.

I had not remembered how well Grafton’s books are written and I had forgotten how slowly and carefully she builds Kinsey Millhone’s character and that of her landlord and friend, Henry. I was reminded how much I enjoy her reaching into the cluttered back seat of her VW and finding almost anything she wants from a toothbrush to a handgun. And her descriptions of the many pots and cups of coffee ingested in the course of one of these mystery stories make my mouth water.

This first in the series starts with a sort of Chandleresque office scene wherein a woman appears and asks Kinsey to find out who killed her husband eight years previously. The kicker is the woman has spent the last eight years in jail, having been found guilty of the crime. There are lots of suspects, some more likely than others, and as Kinsey narrows them down to two or three, the reader inches to the edge of her chair in anticipation of the denouement, which in Grafton’s books often involves the use of guns, knives, and other dangerous implements.

Give this first in the series a try and see if you don’t find yourself wanting more of Kinsey, Henry, and the balmy weather of Santa Teresa.

2011 No 119