A is for Alibi discussion

[Narumon]

I'm glad that I had an excuse to pick this book up. It was exactly what my mind needed at this particular time of the semester - there's enough of a mystery to keep me engaged, but I don't have to bend my brain into impossible pretzel shapes or remember something the author wrote 300 pages ago.

Like many others on the board, I have always seen the series floating around in bookstores, libraries, and library book sales. But I never picked one up either because I couldn't find the first book in the series, or because I felt they were a little too "easy" to read.

But I'm glad that I did. Yes, the mystery is not too hard to figure out, but that happens in real life more often than stumbling across the works of a serial killer. I enjoyed reading about Kinsey and her work, even the mundane parts of it; I felt that Grafton did a decent job not overly glorifying the private eye and keeping it real. I also understood why we never get to learn much about Kinsey from the novel - 1) we're reading it from her point of view and 2) she's a private detective. So I'm looking forward to what Grafton has her reveal in the future as we progress along the series.

This is one of those series that won't make it to my "PUT ON HOLD THE MINUTE IT COMES OUT" list, but will be one that I keep an eye out for when I visit the library or the used bookstore.

[Bluemoon]

This was a reread for me but I read it so long ago it was like a new book. I have not read a Kinsey book in a while. I do remember that the books do get better with time. I will maybe have to read a few more others and catch up with her.

I agree that I figured out bits and pieces of both killings but did not get all of the details right. But it is fun to try and figure it out before the heroine does.

[Gayla]

I really enjoy this series, and I enjoyed this reread even though I do think the mystery is pretty predictable. (I don't like trying to figure out the endings to murder mysteries, so when I spontaneously guess who the murderer is I sort of assume it's not a very challenging puzzle.)

Kinsey is a great protagonist and I think Grafton does a really good job fleshing her out over the course of the series.

[Deborah]

I enjoyed reading A is for Alibi, though I too wouldn't classify it as a cozy mystery. I commend Kinsey for her job, but I wish Sue Grafton hadn't put so much emphasis on Charlie's vibe, too much foreshadowing. I will admit I've see this in a lot of books I've read in the eighties on back.

Although I liked the book, I'm not sure I liked it enough to pick up the next.

[Cindy]

Cindy C.

I had seen this series of books for years, but I had never picked them up. I don't read a lot of mysteries, but I'm glad I read this one.

I agree with many others in the thread who don't think this falls under the idea of a "cozy" mystery (I think The Cat Who series is cozy); I think this is a bit more gritty.

Kinsey was an interesting character, who according to others in this discussion, gets more fleshed out as the series progresses. She felt a little flat to me, but maybe Grafton did that on purpose in order to hook readers. Perhaps as the series progresses, Kinsey grows as a person?

I don't know if I will read any others in the series any time soon, but I thought it was a pretty fast read, so maybe I will pick up another when I'm heading on vacation and need a fun read.

[Fairlee]

I love mysteries but this one really pull me in with the character especially Kinsey.

[Amy]

This book was ok. It did keep me guessing as to who the killer really was. In my opinion not sure if I would read anymore of this type. I am not usually a mystery book girl. More romance for me. But nice to try something new once in a while.

[Rosemary]

I think I'd read one in this series before, either F or G, but so long ago I can barely remember. I was interested to read the first one. I thought it fitted into the 'hardboiled PI' genre of American crime novels and it was nice to have a woman professional detective, unusual at the time. I enjoyed it although there were a few things I didn't get (view spoiler)[e.g. why did the killer kill Gwen? why was that necessary and how did he know it was necessary? (hide spoiler)]

[Erika]

Apoorv wrote: "Okay, so I have heard so much about this Alphabet Series by Sue Grafton that I was overtly excited to start exploring it.. and now I am really wondering what is so amazing about this book or maybe even the series, if it proceeds along the same way as this ? Dont get me wrong, its not bad or putdownable or something.. but it really does nothing much. Its a typical, run-of-the-mill mystery with an obvious climax and obvious suspects. Nothing really thrilled me in this thriller or made me jump out of surprise with the turn of events."

I totally agree Apoory! I felt the same way. It was not a bad book, but it wasn't a really gripping mystery either, just OK. I found myself drifting off while listening to it (I listened to the audiobook version). It just didn't have that ooomph that really great mysteries have. I don't regret listening to it, but I am probably not going to continue with the series.

[Elizabeth]

This is my first book by Grafton and I'm not sure whether I'm going to read another one. I found the plot predictable, the killer was so obvious from early in the story and I couldn't understand the heroine being so unprofessional sleeping with the suspect and taking her so much time to clue in. Rather disappointing.

[Adina]

My mum likes the author and has all the series so I knew about them and I thought I should try it out. I read other crime books that she recommended and I liked them. Well, it was not the case with A is for Alibi. I thought the characters were boring and I was quick to guess the killer. The writing did not keep me interested and I started to skip paragraphs. So no more Sue Grafton for me.

[Melissa]

Sweetmelissa

I had read this book quite a few years ago and rereading it gave me the same impression as the first go around. I thought the book was okay, but certainly wasn't blown away by it. I might give this series another shot, but likely only when I have nothing else to read (which given the different challenges on this site will be unlikely).

[Julie De]

I was really disappointed in this book. It was very predictable early on in the story and waiting for Kinsey to catch up with the reader was a little frustrating. I also found that the author included too many mundane details throughout the story which made it drag out a bit.

[Mandy]

Meh. The plot was ok, but Grafton was killing me with the details. I really don't need to know what Kinsey ate for every meal. Definitely reads like a first novel. I might pick up others in the series if I'm just looking for a light, quick read.

[Lorna]

It was the writing style that kept me reading to the end. The book wasn't big on plot and there wasn't a lot of action - mostly it was the Kinsey character talking to people. But I really liked the author's descriptions, especially when describing characters. I will probably read a couple more of the series.

[Marie-Anne]

I read this book the first time many years ago, and enjoyed it then, although it I did not count it among my favorite mysteries. Recently my friend Adina gave me almost the ENTIRE series. It seemed like a sign that I needed to read more books in the series, but I decided I want to re-read the first one, and then continue from there. Much to my delight, it was also selected as one of the group reads. So I read it again.
As some other readers noted, isn't it interesting how far we have come in such a short time? I well remember the days when we did not have cell phones and had to type our notes and papers. So I really enjoyed it. The story was nice, and intricate enough, and the writing "vlot" as one would say in Dutch (I'm not sure how to translate that). I'm onto the "B" pretty soon!

[Sandy, Moderator Emeritus]

It's funny - I've been reading mysteries for a very long time, and there have always been plot twists that rely on the main character not being able to call for help, since there were no phones around. I've noticed that more recent mysteries often accommodate this sort of plot twist by having main characters who forget to charge their cell phones, LOL!

It's really funny, when you read older mysteries and find yourself thinking, "well, why don't they just look this person up on the internet?" Imagine, having to go to the library to look for city directories!

[Stacy]

I really just couldn't get into this book. The "mystery" wasn't particularly intriguing to me, and I found myself just plodding along waiting for the book to end. I usually feel compelled to finish any series I start, but I don't think I'll be continuing with this one.

[A B]

Let's just say I can think of another word that begins with "A" instead of "alibi". I really hated this book and its narrator. My less polite review is here. To be fair, this is not a genre I tend to seek out, but I do like to read popular books to sort of keep up with trends, particularly long running series like this one.

My frustration was that things just came too easily for Kinsey. She shows up on doorsteps asking strangers about a 10 year old murder, and suddenly they're cooking lunch for her or inviting her for a drink. She's also downright mean at times (I got weary of her disgust with poor Arlette).

And even if someone isn't wild about dogs, how can someone openly hate them as much as she does?

There are so many good books out there that I hate wasting time on books I don't like. At least it was a fairly short and quick read. I'm going to read a little H.G. Wells to cleanse my mind of this book. (No offense intended to people who like this book. Reading is very subjective and I am just sharing my thoughts).

[etwatson]

I'm overall not a big fan of the mystery genre but like to read the occasional mystery to see if it will change my mind. This book did not. Just not a fan of mysteries. However, it was interesting and fun to read a book written 30 years ago to see how much technology has changed our society. Plus I was getting great mental images about the decor and fashion trends as I was reading.

[Jayme Pendergraft]

I really didn't enjoy this book at all. I think I like to read the funnier mystery books like Sookie Stackhouse or even Mrs Pollifax. This was just too dry for me. It's been on the tbr for a long time, though, so I'm glad I finally got around to it. Now I know I don't really need to try any of the others!

[Kristina Simon]

I read this book when it first came out in the early 80s. I remembered enjoying it, but that was about all I remembered. I'd been wanting to start the series over again anyway, so I was glad to get the change. I found it a little slow, but I liked it well enough to continue with the series, I think.