With the publication of her latest book in August, Ms. Grafton’s alphabetical series had reached “Y Is for Yesterday.” She had said she was planning to conclude it with “Z Is for Zero.”
“She was adamant that her books would never be turned into movies or TV shows,” her daughter wrote, “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.”
December 29, 2017
"... 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."
From the NYT obituary for the mystery writer Sue Grafton, who began with “A Is for Alibi" in 1982:
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"She had said she was planning to conclude it with “Z Is for Zero.” And so she did. RIP Sue Grafton.
We have all of them that are available on Audible/Amazon. Not enough.
I missed "X" probably because it was published just a few months after "W is for Wasted." Now I'll order it and "Y is for Yesterday." I'll miss Kinsey Millhone. RIP Sue Grafton.
And, yes, I'll buy them through the Althouse Amazon portal.
I read a few of her mysteries. The early were better than the later, IMO.
I am about halfway through the "Y" book now. It's too bad there won't be another one. Ms. Grafton wrote some very entertaining books, and it is obvious she had a devoted and loving family. It was a shock to hear of her death today. RIP.
Order in chaos. Chaos only appears to be disordered by virtue of incomplete or insufficient characterization and unwieldy processes/states. Human life is a chaotic process that begins at conception and ends with a natural or anthropogenic death.
Tank read many of her books. I think they were cleaner and better earlier, but she was always a good read/story teller; the perfect book for the beach or on an airplane.
I didn't realize she was also a writer for the TV series, Rhoda.
I got her to sign a couple of her books at Bouchercon. In the mystery community, she was known as helpful, generous, and friendly to everyone, even a no-name book reviewer like me.
I hope her kids eventually sell Kinsey to the movies. I understand Grafton's reasons (she worked in Hollywood) but it's possible to find a producer who'll do her justice. Be a shame if she was forgotten.
I agree, Bill. They would make a terrific mystery series like those of P.D. James that BBC showed. Inspector Dalgliesh.
I read most of the books and they were mostly good.
RIP
I've never read Grafton, but because of the comments here, I just bought "A is for Alibi" (Kindle) from Amazon via the Althouse Portal.
(Maybe I'll write a sci-fi novel about a future where people can travel instantaneaously between distant solar systems via what they call "the Althouse Portal". How the portal works has been forgotten, but people believe that it's named for its creator, a wizard of an earlier age.)
I’ve read all but the last two. Like a few others here I feel the earlier ones were better than the later ones. None the less Kinsey has remained one of my favorite characters. RIP Sue. You brought me many many hours of reading pleasure.
@Godfather, I got started with "C is for Corpse," which I very much liked (it won an award) but I felt that A and B weren't as good (despite my opinion, "B is for Burglar" also won an award, so what do I know). Her best books are really superb; her worst ones aren't all that bad. I didn't that much like "Q is for Quarry," but I can't for the life of me remember why not. OTOH "T is for Trespass" highlights a very real and easily overlooked form of crime.
Grafton's PI, Kinsey Millhone, is a little ditzy -- not nearly as bad as Evanovich's Stephanie Plum! -- which causes her to get into more harrowing situations than a truly intelligent person might get into.
Just a note for guys with the seven year itch. There is a rumor out there that Grafton got many of her plot ideas imagining how to murder her first husband during a lengthy and bitter divorce proceedings.
Big MIke--I heard that too, that she plotted how to kill her husband, then decided to write about the idea instead. I liked the Alphabet books I read, though not nearly all of them. I tried Stephanie Plum, and I found the comedy a bit too broad for my tastes, but I could have handled it if Stephanie *ever* learned from her mistakes. Comedy based in all-new mistakes? Sure! Comedy from the making the SAME mistake for the hundredth time? Pass.
Well since we have mystery readers assembled, I will say the best out there is still Michael Connelly...even after all the years he has been telling us about Harry Bosch et, al.
The next two I always buy is Robert Crais and Harlan Coben.
I read the first six of them back in the late 1980s, but never another one after that. No real reason why I stopped since I was quite happy with the ones I did read.
1) How do you pronounce 'Millhone'? Mill- hone? Mil-lone? Mill-hony? Mill-ho-nay???? How?!? Tell me how!!!
2) Got sooooooo tired of reading about the uncrushable wadded up little black dress buried under junk and garbage in her car's back seat.
3) And her diner's chicken paprika.
Have read them all except for the latest, which is on the hold list at my local library. Feeling guilty that my second thought, after being sorry that she's had cancer and just lost the battle, was great disappointment that the series will never "conclude." Was especially hoping for resolution of her very very gradual change of heart about letting people and family into her life in a serious way.
Loved Kinsey Millhone and the thinly-disguised Santa Barbara setting. Grafton's lead character was as complex and human as is V. I. Warshawski who prowls the darker sides of Chicago under the tutelage of Sara Paretsky. Thanks for the great adult entertainment, Sue!
I read a bunch of the early ones. Got tired of them around G or H.
I like gimmicks like the alphabet, Evanovitch and the numbers, John D. MacDonald and the colors. So easy to remember what you've read if you are at a yard sale. Easy to ask for Christmas and birthday gifts. Always hated picking up a "new" Christie title and finding out it was the British title of something I'd read about a quarter of the way through the book.
I always wondered what she was going to do when she ran out of letters.
I'm actually pleasantly surprised that she didn't use ghostwriters. I guess I just assume that "name" writers in heavily commercial genres are actually "brand name" writers who don't write more than the first few books in the series.
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