Sue Grafton

Sue Taylor Grafton (April 24, 1940 – December 28, 2017) was an American author. She mostly wrote detective novels. She was best known for her "alphabet series" of books, featuring the character Kinsey Millhone. The first in the series was ""A" Is for Alibi" (1982); the final was ""Y" Is for Yesterday" (2017). She also wrote screenplays for television movies. Crime writer Ross Macdonald was her biggest influence as a writer.
Grafton was born in Louisville, Kentucky. Her father was crime writer C. W. Grafton (1909–1982). She was divorced twice and had three children. She was married to Steven F. Humphrey until her death.
Grafton died of cancer on December 28, 2017 in Santa Barbara, California. She was 77.