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

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