E Is for Evidence was published by Henry Holt in 1988. Kinsey is investigating a warehouse fire for California Fidelity Insurance when a $5,000 deposit appears in her bank account — an apparent bribe that she did not solicit. She is immediately suspected of fraud, her professional relationship with California Fidelity is severed, and she must investigate both the arson and the frame-up simultaneously.
The novel is the first where Kinsey is both detective and victim: someone is deliberately destroying her reputation and livelihood, and the investigation of the arson case keeps intersecting with the investigation into who is trying to ruin her. The structure anticipates the later novels’ increasing willingness to put Kinsey in personal jeopardy.
Kinsey Under Siege
The frame-up is devastating because Kinsey’s professional reputation is her livelihood. She has no family money, no institutional backing, no partner to fall back on. California Fidelity is her primary client, and losing that relationship threatens not just one case but her entire career. Grafton raises the stakes beyond physical danger to something equally frightening: economic destruction.
The Insurance World
Grafton’s depiction of the insurance investigation business — the mundane reality of fire inspections, claim assessments, and forensic accounting — is drawn from genuine research. The procedural detail is not decorative; it drives the plot and grounds the thriller elements in the real economics of fraud.
Collecting E Is for Evidence
First edition (Henry Holt, New York, 1988): Boards with dust jacket.
Approximate market values:
- Fine in dust jacket: $75–$175
- Signed first edition: $150–$400
Projected values (2026–2036): Moderate appreciation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this the first time Kinsey is personally threatened? It is the first time her livelihood (rather than her physical safety) is the primary target, making it a different kind of threat.
Does Kinsey leave California Fidelity? The professional rupture is significant and affects subsequent novels in the series.