Sue Grafton. A is for Alibi (1982)

     Sue Grafton. A is for Alibi (1982) Kinsey Millhome is an ex-cop PI. She does mostly surveillance work for insurance companies and such. This time, she’s engaged by a paroled convicted murderer to find out who really killed her husband. Kinsey does so, getting emotionally entangled with the killer in the process. Neat, straightforward writing, adequate characterisation, good narrative pace, reasonable plotting and puzzling, and more attention than usual to clothes and interior decoration. As a first effort, it’s very good. Grafton has since worked her way through most of the alphabet. I’ll look for them in the usual venues. **½ (2004)
Update 2013: I've read almost all Grafton's books. Good stuff, highly recommended.