Alibi

By: Joseph Kanon

Narrated by: Holter Graham

It is 1946, and a stunned Europe is beginning its slow recovery from the ravages of World War II. Adam Miller has come to Venice to visit his widowed mother and try to forget the horrors he has witnessed as a U.S. Army war crimes investigator in Germany. Nothing has changed in Venice, not the beautiful palazzi, not the violins at Florian's, not the shifting water that makes the city, untouched by bombs, still seem a dream.

But when Adam falls in love with Claudia, a Jewish woman scarred by her devastating experiences during the war, he is forced to confront another Venice, a city still at war with itself, haunted by atrocities it would rather forget. Everyone, he discovers, has been compromised by the Occupation; the international set drinking at Harry's, the police who kept order for the Germans, and most of all Gianni Maglione, the suave and enigmatic Venetian who happens to be his mother's new suitor. And when, finally, the troubled past erupts in violent murder, Adam finds himself at the center of a web of deception, intrigue, and unexpected moral dilemmas. When is murder acceptable? What are the limits of guilt? How much is someone willing to pay for a perfect alibi?

Using the piazzas and canals of Venice as an enthralling but sinister backdrop, Joseph Kanon has again written a gripping historical thriller. Alibi is at once a murder mystery, a love story, and a superbly crafted novel about the nature of moral responsibility.

©2005 Joseph Kanon (P)2005 Audio Renaissance, a division of Holtzbrinck Publishers, LLC

Critic reviews

"Kanon juxtaposes a powerful love story and a gripping thriller against a palpable historical moment." (Booklist)

good listen!

It would better if producers stopped abridged stories. I purchase because I love the books and the authors. Feedback on the story- protagonist is a bit sanctimonious and and a hypocrite, considering his actions. Wonder how not wrapping up that moral loose end got by beta readers? or was it authorial intent. Excellent moral delimna.

Great listen.

Many interesting but believable twists. Many betrayals. Not the usual type characters, not typical characters. But it all works.

DARN GOOD STORY

Thanks to the 9.95 special I got this book. This is a great story and a darn good reader also. Give it a try . I think you will like it.

Great story, excellent narrator

An excellent exiting story with a lot of turns and twists that keeps you hooked to Holter Graham´s spirited performance; the audio version of Joseph Kanon´s thriller is also well produced.

There are only two things that disturbed me a little. First of all, what a shame that this excellent story is only availble in an abbridged version. And the other thing that was mildly annoying to me is the heavy use of over-the-top Italian accents with almost all characters, expecially since the abbridged version features a lot of dialogue. I´m from Europe myself and speak English quite well, and not everybody over here speaks English with those weird accents, even in Italy.

Otherwise, an excellent job and a joy to listen to.

Kanon abridged! Oh no!

I was so excited to see that Alibi was available through Audible. Imagine my disappointment to see that it is unabridged. A disservice to a fine writer.

Judith