She is Kinsey Millhone, and for millions of readers (not a few of whom have named their newborns after her), she is far more than a creature of fiction. For millions of us, she is us (or how we'd like to be), and that is a large part of her appeal and our loyalty. Now for every reader who has ever shared Kinsey Millhone's adventures comes this lively, informative look into her life, her work, her thoughts.

With the cooperation of Kinsey's creator, Sue Grafton, who provided unprecedented access to her working journals, authors Natalie Hevener Kaufman and Carol McGinnis Kay have created a fully dimensional biography that will answer every question readers have ever had. It's all here in a feast for fans that is full of facts and includes such features as time lines, maps, floor plans, case logs, and photos.

But it's also a revealing journey into the mind and work habits of Kinsey's creator. You'll learn why Sue Grafton chose to write detective fiction and how she responds to runaway plot lines and unruly characters - and even what titles she has discarded in the series, what she plans for Kinsey's future, and how she sees their evolving relationship.

Most of all, you'll find out why Grafton is so esteemed in the field of detective fiction and, from an analysis of her craft, why she has earned so prominent a place in American letters.