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A review by nicolem_young
A is for Alibi by Sue Grafton
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
RTBook/Story: ⭐️⭐⭐
Book Cover: ⭐️⭐️⭐
Trigger Warning(s):
Murder
Animal Death
Body Shaming/Fatphobia
Infidelity
POV: First Person
Series/Standalone: Standalone (Interconnected Series)
First In Series: Yes
Trope(s): None
Spice: Closed Door
Genre: Mystery
Burn: Medium
Safe or Dark: Safe
Release Date: April 15, 1982
I read this book many years ago in my late teens/early twenties. However, I remember absolutely nothing about it, so it was like I was experiencing it for the first time again.
If you like Lifetime movies, chances are you will like this book.
This isn’t a cozy mystery per se, but it’s also not one with high tension either. It falls somewhere in the middle.
Our FMC, Private Investigator Kinsey Millhone, is so fun. She was sassy, stubborn, smart, and down-to-earth. She didn’t sugarcoat anything (to the point of coming off as crass sometimes). Although she was a pretty good time, I didn’t particularly care for her. Nothing about her stood out to me. I’m hoping that Millhone's character develops more as the alphabet goes on. I do think she has a lot of potential to become an enjoyable protagonist. However, she doesn’t like dogs, so I don’t know how many more points I can give her in the loveable department.
Her constant swearing didn’t bother me, but that could just be because I have the mouth of a sailor myself. It’s something I’m trying to work on.
Even though Kinsey was a strong character, she did at times make stupid mistakes. Things that someone who is knowledgeable in her field of work wouldn’t do. Or at least I think they wouldn’t.
Example:Millhone drives to Las Vegas to follow a lead and find a person pertinent to the case she’s working on. She wants to keep it low-key and doesn’t want to be tied back to the possible suspect she’s interviewing. Yet, she uses a credit card to pay for her hotel room instead of giving them cash to lessen the chances of leaving a paper trail. Doesn’t make sense. She doesn’t even try to give the hotel manager an alibi. She checks into the room under her legal name. It doesn’t make sense.
I love that things kick off right away from page one. The ball gets rolling right away.
The mystery developed slow and steady (the first half of the story being much slower than the second half), and we had a lot of suspects to work with. Which was nicely done, although at times, I had to flip back to piece together how each suspect fit into everything. Outside of the “murder mystery,” Millhone is also trying to solve a case of insurance fraud. Luckily, I didn’t feel like those two cases got lost within the other. It wasn’t confusing trying to keep both of these things apart.
The romance aspect was a bit off. The start of Kinsey’s relationship with her new lover was interesting and, well, different, for lack of a better word. It just didn’t work.
The sex also wasn’t very sexy. Although, again, this book was published in 1982, and that was a different time for smut in books. It has definitely evolved over the years.
Our FMC meets Charlie Scorsoni twice in a professional capacity before agreeing to go on a date with him. At the end of the date, the two are in the car on their way back to Millhone’s house. The air is full of sexual tension. Out of nowhere Charlie grabs Kinsey’s hand and puts it right on his wang and says something along the lines of, “Guess what we’re doing tonight?” This super tough private investigator is instantly turned on by this and makes a noise, letting Charlie know that his tactic worked. I’m sorry, but if a man did that to me, I just might start swinging on him and get out of the car right on the spot. Do NOT pass go, do NOT collect $200. Sir, that is more or less sexual assault!
I don't care what year this book was written, 1962, 1972, 1982, or 2002. That is NEVER okay for any time period.
Approximately halfway through the plot, there is <b>A LOT of filler.</b> There was a ton of fluff that wasn’t needed and dragged things out. We do a lot of detail about things that don’t matter in the grand scheme of things. Mainly every single building that Millhone sees. SO MANY DETAILS ABOUT BUILDINGS!
That wasn’t a big deal for me since it does happen in a bunch of books. Especially the first book in a series. I suppose I would rather have too much detail than not enough.
Despite at times being wordy and packed with details, Grafton’s writing is light and easy to follow. The prose isn’t bogged down or confusing in any way.
I wish the mystery was a bit harder to figure out. I had the whodunit nailed fairly early on in the book. However, I do wonder if this wasn’t supposed to be the type of book where the murder was difficult to solve. Maybe it was one where we as the readers were supposed to be able to piece things together fairly easily. I don’t know.
The ending of this one was also BANANAS, and not in a good way. Everything ended in a rather silly manner. I didn’t care for it.
Since this book was published in 1982, there are some toxic aspects when it comes to body image and fat shaming. Unfortunately, that was part of the times. If this was a book that was published now in 2025, I’m sure it would have been different. Although I believe the entire series is set in the 1980s (even the ones written more recently), so who knows?
I plan on continuing with the series despite it finishing on the letter Y. Sue Grafton unfortunately died before she could publish a book for the letter Z.
I’m ready to dive into B is for Burglar.
Based on some of these reviews, I’m thinking I might also need to check out the V. I. Warshawski series.
TLDR: A FUN START TO A WELL-LOVED SERIES! YOU MIGHT NOT LOVE IT BUT YOU WILL LIKE IT!
As always, please remember that reading is subjective, and that’s what makes it so great. 😊
Book Cover: ⭐️⭐️⭐
Trigger Warning(s):
Murder
Animal Death
Body Shaming/Fatphobia
Infidelity
POV: First Person
Series/Standalone: Standalone (Interconnected Series)
First In Series: Yes
Trope(s): None
Spice: Closed Door
Genre: Mystery
Burn: Medium
Safe or Dark: Safe
Release Date: April 15, 1982
I read this book many years ago in my late teens/early twenties. However, I remember absolutely nothing about it, so it was like I was experiencing it for the first time again.
If you like Lifetime movies, chances are you will like this book.
This isn’t a cozy mystery per se, but it’s also not one with high tension either. It falls somewhere in the middle.
Our FMC, Private Investigator Kinsey Millhone, is so fun. She was sassy, stubborn, smart, and down-to-earth. She didn’t sugarcoat anything (to the point of coming off as crass sometimes). Although she was a pretty good time, I didn’t particularly care for her. Nothing about her stood out to me. I’m hoping that Millhone's character develops more as the alphabet goes on. I do think she has a lot of potential to become an enjoyable protagonist. However, she doesn’t like dogs, so I don’t know how many more points I can give her in the loveable department.
Her constant swearing didn’t bother me, but that could just be because I have the mouth of a sailor myself. It’s something I’m trying to work on.
Even though Kinsey was a strong character, she did at times make stupid mistakes. Things that someone who is knowledgeable in her field of work wouldn’t do. Or at least I think they wouldn’t.
Example:
I love that things kick off right away from page one. The ball gets rolling right away.
The mystery developed slow and steady (the first half of the story being much slower than the second half), and we had a lot of suspects to work with. Which was nicely done, although at times, I had to flip back to piece together how each suspect fit into everything. Outside of the “murder mystery,” Millhone is also trying to solve a case of insurance fraud. Luckily, I didn’t feel like those two cases got lost within the other. It wasn’t confusing trying to keep both of these things apart.
The romance aspect was a bit off. The start of Kinsey’s relationship with her new lover was interesting and, well, different, for lack of a better word. It just didn’t work.
The sex also wasn’t very sexy. Although, again, this book was published in 1982, and that was a different time for smut in books. It has definitely evolved over the years.
I don't care what year this book was written, 1962, 1972, 1982, or 2002. That is NEVER okay for any time period.
Approximately halfway through the plot, there is <b>A LOT of filler.</b> There was a ton of fluff that wasn’t needed and dragged things out. We do a lot of detail about things that don’t matter in the grand scheme of things. Mainly every single building that Millhone sees. SO MANY DETAILS ABOUT BUILDINGS!
That wasn’t a big deal for me since it does happen in a bunch of books. Especially the first book in a series. I suppose I would rather have too much detail than not enough.
Despite at times being wordy and packed with details, Grafton’s writing is light and easy to follow. The prose isn’t bogged down or confusing in any way.
I wish the mystery was a bit harder to figure out. I had the whodunit nailed fairly early on in the book. However, I do wonder if this wasn’t supposed to be the type of book where the murder was difficult to solve. Maybe it was one where we as the readers were supposed to be able to piece things together fairly easily. I don’t know.
The ending of this one was also BANANAS, and not in a good way. Everything ended in a rather silly manner. I didn’t care for it.
Since this book was published in 1982, there are some toxic aspects when it comes to body image and fat shaming. Unfortunately, that was part of the times. If this was a book that was published now in 2025, I’m sure it would have been different. Although I believe the entire series is set in the 1980s (even the ones written more recently), so who knows?
I plan on continuing with the series despite it finishing on the letter Y. Sue Grafton unfortunately died before she could publish a book for the letter Z.
I’m ready to dive into B is for Burglar.
Based on some of these reviews, I’m thinking I might also need to check out the V. I. Warshawski series.
TLDR: A FUN START TO A WELL-LOVED SERIES! YOU MIGHT NOT LOVE IT BUT YOU WILL LIKE IT!
As always, please remember that reading is subjective, and that’s what makes it so great. 😊
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Infidelity, and Murder