Order of Sue Grafton Books

When Sue Grafton put pen to paper, she wasn’t just writing mysteries—she was reinventing them. Born on April 24, 1940, in Louisville, Kentucky, Susan Grafton didn’t just stumble into the world of detective fiction. She walked in with sharp heels, a sharper wit, and a mind that could unravel the tightest knot of suspense. She was the daughter of C.W. Grafton, a crime novelist himself, which perhaps explains why murder and mayhem seemed like such comfortable company to her.

Sue's early life wasn't all noir and novel plots, though. After attending the University of Louisville, she transferred to Western Kentucky University where she studied English literature. While most college students were discovering ramen and rebellion, Grafton was already forming the backbone of what would become one of the most iconic mystery series in American fiction.

Before she was the literary architect of Kinsey Millhone—the unyielding, razor-smart private investigator at the heart of the "Alphabet Series"—Grafton spent fifteen years in the trenches of television screenwriting. Shows like Rhoda and Nurses might have benefited from her storytelling prowess, but she grew to loathe the process. “Hollywood eats its young,” she once quipped, and she wasn’t willing to be on the menu. She used that frustration, that creative suffocation, as fuel. And what came next was nothing short of legendary.

In 1982, Grafton exploded into the crime fiction scene with “A Is for Alibi.” What started as a single book soon became a cultural phenomenon. Each title ticked up a letter in the alphabet and pulled readers deeper into a world of secrets, lies, and brilliantly sketched criminal minds. Kinsey Millhone, a tough but relatable loner with a strong moral compass and a soft spot for junk food, was everything traditional detectives weren’t. And that’s exactly why readers fell in love with her—and Grafton.

Over the next three decades, Grafton delivered 25 novels, all climbing the alphabet from A to Y. She had planned for a Z, but fate, cruel and ironic as ever, wrote a different ending. Sue Grafton died on December 28, 2017, after a battle with cancer. Her family announced there would be no “Z Is for Zero,” honoring her wish that no ghostwriter would ever finish her series. In a way, the unfinished alphabet became its own kind of mic drop—powerful, poetic, and perfectly Grafton.

Her legacy? It's not just about the books, though they remain masterclasses in narrative control, character depth, and slow-burning tension. It’s about how she redefined what a female detective could be. It's about how she challenged a male-dominated genre and came out on top, all with wit, grit, and a refusal to conform. Sue Grafton didn't just write crime novels—she rewrote the rules.

So if you're new to her work, consider this your formal invitation. Open up “A Is for Alibi” and step into a world where justice wears sneakers, drives a beat-up Volkswagen, and doesn’t give a damn about your approval. Once you're in, don’t expect to stop. The alphabet—and the danger—only gets more addictive from there.