• A is for Alibi

  • A Kinsey Millhone Mystery
  • By: Sue Grafton
  • Narrated by: Mary Peiffer
  • Length: 7 hrs and 39 mins
  • 3.9 out of 5 stars (2,722 ratings)

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A is for Alibi  By  cover art

A is for Alibi

By: Sue Grafton
Narrated by: Mary Peiffer
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Publisher's summary

When Laurence Fife was murdered, few mourned his passing. Plenty of people had reason to want him dead. But the police thought his wife Nikki , with motive, access and opportunity, was the #1 suspect. The jury thought so too.

Eight years later and out on parole, Nikki hires Kinsey Millhone, a gutsy P.I., to find the real killer. The trail is cold, but Kinsey finds a lead that brings her face-to-face with the murderer!

This is the first in the popular series featuring California investigator Kinsey Millhone. She's 32, twice divorced, no kids, an ex-cop who likes her work...and who works strictly alone!

Don't miss the other titles in the Kinsey Millhone Alphabet Mystery Series.
©1982 Sue Grafton (P)1993 Books on Tape

Critic reviews

"Grafton has created a woman we feel we know, a tough cookie with a soft center, a gregarious loner....Smart, well-paced and very funny." (Newsweek)

Featured Article: Best Mystery Series—Listens That'll Take You Right to the Crime Scene


While a standalone mystery is great when you're in the mood for a one-and-done, sometimes you want to feed your craving with an entire mystery series—knowing there's a world and characters you can keep coming back to for the satisfaction of solving crimes. With audiobooks, you get the added bonus of sinking deeper into the setting, clues, and suspects as the story is performed for you, so you'll feel like you're alongside detectives, ready to bust a case.

What listeners say about A is for Alibi

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4 out of 5 stars
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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Good introduction to the Sue Grafton mysteries.

Story drags a bit, and the somewhat monotone quality of the narrator makes it a slow read. I will try Grafton’s next book before deciding whether to continue in her series.

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  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars
  • L
  • 01-22-21

Narrator is monotone

No expression makes this book soooo boring. Need a new narrator. Their is no expression, sounds like a female version of the “Beuler, Ferris Beuler” character. Horrible.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

read book and audio version is just as good

loved the book Sue Grafton is great and the story is excellent. glowing recommendation for it

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Blast from the Past

I have read a couple of Sue Grafton's books in this series, but I never started from the beginning. Listening to this was fun because of how quaintly dated it all is now. The references to women wearing pantyhose, answering services, answering machines, landlines, writing notes and paperwork. It was a hoot! Even with all of these things making the story sound dated, it held up pretty well over time. It was an enjoyable experience!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

This is a great series!

I really enjoy these books. The narrator is talented and while not my favorite, she still does a good job with the different voices, emotions, and expressions.
Sue Grafton does a great job with creating a badass and likeable main character. The plots are really engaging and keep you guessing until the very end. Great pleasure read as it’s not too intense to cause discomfort or anxiety but enough to keep you on the edge of your seat.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Basic hardboiled detective novel

Didn't love it didn't hate it. My mind wandered often. Not too much depth in characters. Good for driving or doing chores if you don't have a lead on a better book. I may well get another in this series being that I was particularly distracted by life around me when I was listening to this one. I think I've heard that Grafton matures as a writer as the series progesses.
the narrator puts on what I assume is a tough voice, but she does a good job and is clear with good cadence.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Story A+ Narrator D

I've read all of the Sue Grafton alphabet series books. I thought since they are available here I'd listen to them (they are THAT good) - starting with A is for Alibi. I chose this one because it was the unabridged version. Loved the story, not so much the reader. It was annoying to hear her mispronounce the Spanish town names, and emphasize words that ended up sounding odd to me. I'm looking forward to hearing the other narrator who has been complimented by several reviewers. Hoping B is for Burglar is read by the better one.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Kinda boring

Glad this was not my first experience with Kinsey. I was not impressed with her. The story had a lot of filler. But it still would have had some degree of entertainment value if it wasn’t for a very poor reading. This book was not a performance at all. It was just a mediocre reading. Judy Kaye performs this book and the rest of the series with depth, inflection, humor and appropriate voices. But she did not perform the unabridged.
I only listened to this because I wanted to get the whole story. It was just OK. After all it was “A” and the stories would get better but probably not the reader.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Starting over...

I own all the hardbacks of this book series, and it was Sue Grafton that got me started on reading mysteries. I loved the characters in this series, and wanted to introduce my husband to it for long car rides on audio book. This was a great companion for a trip from South Dakota to Colorado...finished it as we drove into our driveway. I'm not thrilled with the narrator, however. She doesn't do the various voices as clearly as other people have, and I wished the next books had an option for another narrator. But the book is amazing...start here! And go all the way through the series, and you'll come to love Kinsey Millhone as much as I do.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

OK for First

Am anxious to get to the next book. This one did lack umph!! It seemed to drag a bit. Here's hoping the next in series is better.

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