Sue Taylor Grafton was a renowned New York Times-bestselling author, celebrated for her "alphabet series" of detective novels, featuring private investigator Kinsey Millhone in the fictional city of Santa Teresa, California. Her works, published in twenty-eight countries and twenty-six languages, have captivated millions of readers worldwide.

The daughter of detective novelist C. W. Grafton, Sue was profoundly influenced by the works of Ross Macdonald. Before achieving fame with her detective series, she wrote screenplays for television movies. Her early novels, including Keziah Dane (1967) and The Lolly-Madonna War (1969), are both out of print. In the book Kinsey and Me, she shared stories revealing Kinsey's origins and her own past.

Grafton earned significant literary accolades, being named a Grand Master by the Mystery Writers of America in 2009 and receiving the Ross Macdonald Literary Award in 2004. She was staunchly protective of her work, never allowing adaptations of her novels into films or television shows and opposing ghostwriting in her name.

Sue shared over thirty loving years with her husband, Steve Humphrey, and divided her time between Montecito, California, and her birthplace, Louisville, Kentucky. She had three children and four grandchildren and cherished cats, gardening, and fine cuisine.