Grafton, Sue (1940-2017), was an American author of detective novels. Her novels feature Kinsey Millhone, a tough and humorous female private eye (private investigator) based in a fictional city in southern California. Grafton was one of the first writers to feature a woman in the realistic style of such male detective story writers as Raymond Chandler and Ross Macdonald.
Millhone first appeared in “A” Is for Alibi in 1982. “B” Is for Burglar followed in 1985. Afterward, Grafton regularly published Millhone novels that follow an alphabetical title pattern. Other novels in the series include “C” Is for Corpse (1986), “D” Is for Deadbeat (1987), “E” Is for Evidence (1988), “F” Is for Fugitive (1989), “G” Is for Gumshoe (1990), “H” Is for Homicide (1991), “I” Is for Innocent (1992), “J” Is for Judgment (1993), “K” Is for Killer (1994), “L” Is for Lawless (1995), “M” Is for Malice (1996), “N” Is for Noose (1998), “O” Is for Outlaw (1999), “P” Is for Peril (2001), “Q” Is for Quarry (2002), “R” Is for Ricochet (2004), “S” Is for Silence” (2005), “T” Is for Trespass (2007), “U” Is for Undertow (2009), “V” Is for Vengeance (2011), “W” Is for Wasted (2013), X (2015), and “Y” Is for Yesterday (2017). A selection of short stories and autobiographical pieces was published as Kinsey and Me (2013).
Grafton was born on April 24, 1940, in Louisville, Kentucky. She attended the University of Louisville, graduating in 1961 with a B.A. degree in English. Grafton died on Dec. 28, 2017.
