Sue Grafton Books in Order

Sue Grafton was a New York Times bestselling American author best known for the Kinsey Millhone crime mystery series.

This page lists all Sue Grafton books in order, including her complete series, standalone novels and short stories, organized primarily by publication order.

Sue Grafton passed away on December 28, 2017, at the age of 77.

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Kinsey Millhone Series (Books in Order)

Also called The Alphabet Series, the Kinsey Millhone series follows a former cop turned private investigator based in Santa Teresa, California, as she investigates crimes ranging from murder to financial fraud.

Publication Order

  1. A is for Alibi, 1982
  2. B is for Burglar, 1985
  3. C is for Corpse, 1986
  4. D is for Deadbeat, 1987
  5. E is for Evidence, 1988
  6. F is for Fugitive, 1989
  7. G is for Gumshoe, 1990
  8. H is for Homicide, 1991
  9. I is for Innocent, 1992
  10. J is for Judgment, 1993
  11. K is for Killer, 1994
  12. L is for Lawless, 1995
  13. M is for Malice, 1996
  14. N is for Noose, 1998
  15. O is for Outlaw, 1999
  16. P is for Peri, 2001
  17. Q is for Quarry, 2002
  18. R is for Ricochet, 2004
  19. S is for Silence, 2005
  20. T is for Trespass, 2007
  21. U is for Undertow, 2009
  22. V is for Vengeance, 2011
  23. W is for Wasted, 2013
  24. X, 2015
  25. Y is for Yesterday, 2017

Standalone Novels

Short Story Collections and Anthologies

Non-Fiction Books

Sue Grafton Biography

Sue Grafton Books in Order

Sue Grafton was an American author who wrote the Kinsey Millhone books, a long-running series centered on a private investigator based in California. She published twenty-five books in the series between 1982 and 2017.
Official website: suegrafton.com

Sue Grafton was born Sue Taylor Grafton in 1940 in Louisville, Kentucky. She was the daughter of the lawyer and detective mystery author C.W. Grafton. She attended Western Kentucky University, graduating in 1961 with a Bachelor of the Arts in English literature, and minors in fine arts and the humanities.

After completing her studies, Sue Grafton held various jobs, including work as a hospital admission clerk and medical secretary.

She also worked extensively in television, spending more than a decade writing scripts for TV films, including adaptations of Agatha Christie novels. This work helped shape the way she approached plot structure and dialogue in her novels.

Her major breakthrough came in 1982 when she published A is for Alibi, which introduced the character of Kinsey Millhone. The series became the author’s primary work and it continued alphabetically through Y is for Yesterday. She was very outspoken about her decision to not allow film adaptations or continuation of her series by other authors.

Sue Grafton died in 2017, before completing the planned final novel of the Kinsey Millhone series.

Sue Grafton Book Adaptations

  • The Lolly-Madonna War – adapted into the drama film Lolly-Madonna XXX (1973)
  • B is for Burglar – adapted into the Japanese TV film Kako Kara No Koe (1988)
  • D is for Deadbeat – adapted into the Japanese TV film Wangan ni Kieta Onna (1989)

Sue Grafton Awards and Honors

Awards

  • B Is for Burglar – Anthony Award for Best Novel (1986)
  • B Is for Burglar – Shamus Award for Best PI Novel (1986)
  • The Parker Shotgun – Anthony Award for Best Short Story (1987)
  • The Parker Shotgun – Macavity Award for Best Mystery Short Story (1987)
  • C Is for Corpse – Anthony Award for Best Novel (1987)
  • F Is for Fugitive – Falcon Award (1991)
  • G Is for Gumshoe – Anthony Award for Best Novel (1991)
  • G Is for Gumshoe – Shamus Award for Best PI Novel (1991)
  • K Is for Killer – Shamus Award for Best PI Novel (1995)
  • The Eye – PWA Lifetime Achievement Award (2003)
  • CWA Diamond Dagger (2008)
  • Edgar Award Grand Master (2009)
  • Malice Domestic Award for Lifetime Achievement (2011)

Nominations and Shortlists

  • A Is for Alibi – Shamus Award for Best PI Novel (1983)
  • Between the Sheets – Shamus Award for Best PI Short Story (1987)
  • C Is for Corpse – Shamus Award for Best PI Novel (1987)
  • E Is for Evidence – Anthony Award for Best Novel (1989)
  • E Is for Evidence – Macavity Award for Best Novel (1989)
  • A Poison That Leaves No Trace – Edgar Award for Best Short Story (1991)
  • A Poison That Leaves No Trace – Shamus Award for Best PI Short Story (1991)
  • Full Circle – Shamus Award for Best PI Short Story (1992)
  • A Little Missionary Work – Shamus Award for Best PI Short Story (1993)
  • K Is for Killer – Anthony Award for Best Novel (1995)
  • T Is for Trespass – CrimeFest Sounds of Crime Award (2009)
  • V Is for Vengeance – Lefty Award for Best Novel (2012)
  • W Is for Wasted – Lefty Award for Best Novel (2014)
  • W Is for Wasted – Shamus Award for Best PI Novel (2014)
  • Y Is for Yesterday – Shamus Award for Best PI Novel (2018)

Edited by

Marika

Founder of Mystery Sequels, a reference site focused on listing mystery and thriller books in the correct reading order. I maintain and update the site’s bibliographies as new titles are released, ensuring accuracy and consistency across author and series pages.

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9 Comments

  1. I felt like Kinsey Millhone was a neighbor of mine along with her great friend the baker who owned the house that she rented the garage from and turned it into her little home. My first book was F is for fugitive and after that I went and picked up the old ones and bought all the new ones I fell in love with her and stories, and felt like she was a friend of mine. When I lived in Arizona she used to come to the Poison Pen and sign books and I was always there in line she always spoke to me and would write whenever I wanted her too on the Dedication page. She was so down to earth. I miss her so much.

  2. Now that the new vehicles do not have CD players any longer, is ther a chance that the Sue Grafton Alphabet Series will be sold on a flash drive?

  3. I’ve read and have several of Sue’s books and really liked all the ones I’ve read so far. I hope to eventually get and read them all, and by then I do hope that the final letter Z for Zero will have become a reality in the form of a final novel written by a worthy author as selected by Sue’s family. I never met Sue, but I felt sad when I learned of her passing much too soon.

  4. I’ve just started reading the series (4th book now) and find it hard to put them down. The whit she interject s by way of Kinsey makes me smile. A gifted writer for sure.

  5. I’ve read Sue’s books for years and have loved every one. I have enjoyed the spitfire in Kinsey and her irreverent comments. I know Sue did not like ghost writers but since she had already prepared the outline for “Z” it would be fantastic if a special writer could be identified to complete her final book. Sue will surely be missed.

  6. I love Kinsey…please it would be a great tribute to Sue Grafton if the family would select a worthy author to follow Sue’s outline for “Z” and bring the series to a proper finale…It would be even better if it was set in the present so we could learn about our treasured friend Kinsey’s life! Love you Sue
    William T Creighton

  7. @Linda Delsing I’m so glad you actually got to meet her, I’m a bit envious (in a good way). I actually cried when I’ve learned of her passing 3 years ago.

  8. I have love Sue Grafton books so much! I think there is Kinseys in all of us! Her short stories are more of a memoir than any thing she has written. She was so nice to my hubby and myself when we talked to her after a book signing of Kinsey and Me! My Mom and sisters round robined her books. Some I have on my iPad some are hard cover and some are well worn paperbacks that I found at garage sales. I reread them and enjoy every minute feeling that I know the real Sue Grafton!

  9. I fell in love with the eyes of sue when i looked at her picture on cover of book i picked up at my local used book sore in college station texas. when i read and met kinsey i fell in love with her. i am saddened for sues’ family. i have alphabet books and i read them over again and again. and yes the alphabet now ends with i.

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