Sue Grafton Books in Order: Kinsey Millhone + Complete List

The Sue Grafton books in order are best known for the Kinsey Millhone alphabet series, which follows a private investigator in the fictional California town of Santa Teresa. If you’re here for Kinsey, start with A Is for Alibi and keep going alphabetically through Y Is for Yesterday.

The main Kinsey books are the heart of the page, but you’ll also find Grafton’s short stories, early standalone novels, and nonfiction work below. That keeps the full bibliography together without confusing the main series order.

Jump to:

• Kinsey Millhone Series / Alphabet Mysteries
• Sue Grafton Short Stories and Collections
• Sue Grafton Standalone Novels
• Sue Grafton Nonfiction and Editorial Work
• Will Kinsey Millhone Be Adapted for the Screen?
• Who Was Sue Grafton?

Kinsey Millhone Series / Alphabet Mysteries

The Kinsey Millhone books are simple to follow because publication order and alphabetical order are basically the same thing. Grafton started with A Is for Alibi, then moved through the alphabet one book at a time, with X as the one title that doesn’t use the “is for” pattern.

Kinsey is a private investigator in Santa Teresa, California, a fictional version of Santa Barbara. The cases usually stand on their own, but Kinsey’s life, friendships, habits, and scars build as the series goes on.

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 Peril (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)

What Happened to Z Is for Zero?

Z Is for Zero was supposed to be the final Kinsey Millhone book, but Sue Grafton died before she wrote it. After Grafton’s death, The Big Thrill reported that her husband said she had not started writing Z Is for Zero. Bookreporter also wrote that there was no finished plot and no notes left behind for another writer to follow.

That’s the real reason the series stops where it does. It wasn’t just that the book went unpublished. It was unwritten. And because Grafton did not want another writer publishing under her name, her family chose not to bring in a ghostwriter to invent the ending.

So the Kinsey Millhone series ends with Y Is for Yesterday. The alphabet remains unfinished, but it ends with Grafton’s own words instead of someone else’s version of Kinsey.

Sue Grafton Short Stories and Collections

If you want more Kinsey after the main alphabet novels, this is where I’d go next. These are extras, so you don’t need to stop the main series to read them.

1. Kinsey and Me: Stories (2013)
2. Deadly Anniversaries: A Collection of Stories from Crime Fiction’s Top Authors (2020) (Includes “If You Want Something Done Right . . .”)

Kinsey and Me is the main short story collection to know about. It includes Kinsey Millhone stories as well as personal stories featuring Kit Blue, a character drawn from Grafton’s own past.

Sue Grafton Standalone Novels

Before Kinsey Millhone, Grafton published two standalone novels. These aren’t connected to the alphabet series, so you can read them whenever you want.

1. Keziah Dane (1967)
2. The Lolly-Madonna War (1969)

Sue Grafton Nonfiction and Editorial Work

This is separate from the Kinsey Millhone story, but it’s worth noting if you want Grafton’s mystery-writing work beyond fiction. Grafton co-edited this handbook with Jan Burke.

1. Writing Mysteries: A Handbook by the Mystery Writers of America (2002) (with Jan Burke)

Will Kinsey Millhone Be Adapted for the Screen?

A+E Studios acquired the television rights to the Kinsey Millhone alphabet series in 2021. The deal was notable because Grafton had avoided screen adaptations during her lifetime, even though she had worked in Hollywood before becoming best known for Kinsey.

Her husband, Steve Humphrey, was announced as an executive producer on the project. The deal doesn’t change the reading order, but it explains why readers may still hear about a possible Kinsey adaptation.

Who Was Sue Grafton?

Sue Grafton was an American mystery writer best known for creating Kinsey Millhone and the alphabet series. She was born in Louisville, Kentucky, and her father, C.W. Grafton, also wrote mystery novels.

Before the Kinsey books took off, Grafton worked as a screenwriter. That background helps explain why she kept such a firm line between the books and Hollywood for so long.

Grafton often described Kinsey as a kind of alter ego. Both author and character were shaped by difficult childhoods, a strong independent streak, and a stubborn sense of survival.

Grafton died in 2017, leaving the Kinsey Millhone series unfinished at the letter Y.

Looking for similar books in order?

If you want more mystery authors and reading-order guides like this one, start with my Mystery Books in Order index.

• Books in Order (Full Index)
• Sara Paretsky Books in Order
• J.A. Jance Books in Order
• Janet Evanovich Books in Order