Sue Grafton has died

Sue Grafton was the author of the alphabet crime novels, “A is for Alibi” “ B is for Burglar”….etc. These featured Kinsey Millhone a Californian private detective.

I heard while I was staying with my younger daughter. This was a belated family Christmas with all the family except my son’s contingent in N Yorkshire. The news came as a total shock. I’ve been reading the Sue Grafton stories since the late sixties. I was mildly surprised to find Sue is an almost exact contemporary.

I think that I probably borrowed “A is for Alibi” from Port Sunlight library. This was a rather strange private library dating from the days of Port Sunlight as a private model village housing workers from the Lever Bros soap and detergent factory. I was working at Unilever Research and allowed access. I rather enjoyed visiting the library after lunch where its tranquil ambience made a pleasant contrast to the rest of my day.

The library was quite small with a modest loan collection and a small reading room. The loan collection would have enabled me to continue with the Alphabet books until it closed in 1979. By that time I was a firm fan as I have been ever since. The books created a whole world with Henry the spry octogenarian neighbour always a strong presence. Henry, a retired baker, approaches Kinsey’s ideal man and she comments that if it were not for the age difference she would marry him.

There is always a strong sense of place in the books. While set in fictional Santa Teresa this town exactly matches Santa Barbara even down to the streets ( albeit with different names )

While in no way great literature there is a sense that real characters are portrayed. All the books are set in the seventies and eighties as fictional time moves at a quarter of real time. While the plots portray crimes these are handled in fairly low key way and there is very little sex and violence. I began to see the characters as old friends and it was interesting to see them develop through the series.

Fans have written a companion book “G is for Grafton” which sets out what emerges about Kinsey in the early books. Kinsey is orphaned in a car crash at 5 years old and is then raised by her Aunt Gin as a self reliant young lady. Kinsey thinks for a long time she has no other relatives but discovers some late in the series. I was particularly interested in Kinsey’s flatlet which features a lot in the books. This has been created by Henry after the original converted garage is destroyed by fire, and is designed along the lines of a ship board suite with everything ultra compact..

The last book “Y is for Yesterday” has been published recently and the final “ Z is for…” will now never appear. This alphabet will forever end at Y.  Sue Grafton is dead. Kinsey Millhone is dead. I shall miss her.