Sue Grafton biography

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Sue Grafton

Sue Grafton

Sue Grafton Biography

Sue Grafton entered the mystery field in 1982 with the publication of 'A' Is for Alibi, which introduced female hard-boiled private investigator, Kinsey Millhone, operating out of the fictional town of Santa Teresa, (aka Santa Barbara) California. 'B' is for Burglar followed in 1985 and the series, now referred to as 'the alphabet' mysteries, continued going strong until the 2017 release of 'Y' is for Yesterday. In addition to her books, she's published several Kinsey Millhone short stories, and with her husband, Steven Humphrey, wrote numerous movies for television, including A Killer in the Family (starring Robert Mitchum), Love on the Run (starring Alec Baldwin and Stephanie Zimbalist), and two Agatha Christie adaptations, Sparkling Cyanide and Caribbean Mystery, which starred Helen Hayes.

Grafton is published in at least 28 countries and 26 languages. She loved cats, gardens, and good cuisine, and spent her time between her homes in Montecito, California, and Louisville, the city in which she was born and raised.

She died in Santa Barbara California in late December 2017 of cancer. She was 77.

"She was adamant that her books would never be turned into movies or TV shows," her daughter wrote on the author's website, "and in that same vein, she would never allow a ghost writer to write in her name. Because of all of those things, and out of the deep abiding love and respect for our dear sweet Sue, as far as we in the family are concerned, the alphabet now ends at Y."

Sue Grafton's website

This bio was last updated on 12/29/2017. In a perfect world, we would like to keep all of BookBrowse's biographies up to date, but with many thousands of lives to keep track of it's simply impossible to do. So, if the date of this bio is not recent, you may wish to do an internet search for a more current source, such as the author's website or social media presence. If you are the author or publisher and would like us to update this biography, send the complete text and we will replace the old with the new.

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Books by this Author

Books by Sue Grafton at BookBrowse
Y is for Yesterday jacket V is for Vengeance jacket U is for Undertow jacket T is for Trespass jacket
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Read-Alikes

All the books below are recommended as read-alikes for Sue Grafton but some maybe more relevant to you than others depending on which books by the author you have read and enjoyed. So look for the suggested read-alikes by title linked on the right.
How we choose read-alikes

  • Reed Arvin

    Reed Arvin

    Reed Arvin grew up on a working cattle ranch in Kansas. He studied music in college, became a successful session musician and record producer, and toured the world with a variety of artists. He now writes full time. His first... (more)

    If you enjoyed:
    P Is For Peril

    Try:
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    by Reed Arvin

  • Nevada Barr

    Nevada Barr

    Nevada Barr is an award-winning novelist and New York Times best-selling author. She has a growing number of Anna Pigeon mysteries to her credit as well as numerous other books, short stories, and articles. She currently ... (more)

    If you enjoyed:
    P Is For Peril

    Try:
    Flashback
    by Nevada Barr

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