Sue Grafton

This modern day American author of detective novels, Sue Grafton, is not to be confused with the novelist, C. W. Grafton, who is actually her father. Sue is an alumnus of the University of Louisville, with a bachelors degree in English Literature. Although she has written several books, she is best known for the chronological detective series that takes place in the fictional town of Santa Teresa, California.

The main character in these novels is a feisty female private investigator named Kinsey Millhone. All of these novels are written from Kinsey’s perspective. Millhone works part time with California Fidelity Insurance. The books begin when Kinsey is about 32 years of age and lives in a studio apartment. Her pals are her landlord, Henry, and the nearby tavern owner, Rosie.

The first book of this mystery series was written and takes place in 1982; it was called “A is For Alibi.” The series continues through the alphabet. Her latest book, “T is for Trespass,” was released in 2008. This latest book is written from the perspective of a creepy sociopath with the stolen identity of Solana Rojas. Grafton has publicly announced that the last book of the series will be titled, "Z is For Zero."

Grafton’s novels are so well-known that they have been published in 28 countries and in 26 different languages. As a highly acclaimed bestseller, her readers tally into the millions. Grafton received the Ross Macdonald Literary Award in 2004, which is always given to a California writer with a standard of excellence.