The Last Alibi

A Jason Kolarich Novel, Book 4

By: David Ellis

Narrated by: Luke Daniels, Tanya Eby

Length: 13 hrs and 43 mins

Publisher's summary

Defense attorney Jason Kolarich is back in another edge-of-your seat thriller...and this time he may find himself in over his head, in more ways than one.

James Drinker is a bit of an oddball. A funny-looking, geeky loner, he walks into Jason Kolarich’s office one day with a preemptive concern: two women have recently been murdered, seemingly by the same killer, and Drinker thinks he will be the police’s main suspect. One woman was his ex-girlfriend, he says, and the other was a friend. He’s the only link between the victims and he has no alibi for the night of either murder - surely the police will realize it soon. Believing he’s the target of a frame-up, Drinker hires Kolarich for his defense.

Something about James Drinker seems off from the start, but Kolarich doesn’t give it too much thought. Until another murder occurs. And then another. And as he begins to probe his client’s life and story more closely, it quickly becomes clear that nothing about James Drinker is what it seems...and that the target of the frame-up isn’t Drinker, but Kolarich.

Unable to stop a serial killer - and prove his own innocence - without breaking his sworn attorney-client privilege, Jason Kolarich must hunt for the truth about James Drinker, the series of brutal murders, and why he’s been set up to take the fall. The answers will be beyond anything he could have imagined.

©2013 David Ellis (P)2013 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

Nice Plot Twists

I discovered David Ellis from a book he co-authored with James Patterson and then sought his other titles. I really like his style, characters, and interesting plots with little surprises all along the way. This was my favorite of the Jason Colarich series.

Another great story by David Ellis

I love the complexity of the Jason Kolarich series and Luke Daniels is a great reader.

GRIPPING

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes. Story of true friendship, love, coverups, wrong conclusions, twisting fate to save a friend.

Which character – as performed by Luke Daniels and Tanya Eby – was your favorite?

Jason Kolarich

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Hold tight if you believe you know who done it and why think again the ending will have you thinking.

Any additional comments?

David Ellis when is book 5? Wait to see what will happen to Jason !

Well Done!

Probably one of my top two books I've ever listened to!! (The Life We Bury is the other)

Good but might be better on paper.

What made the experience of listening to The Last Alibi the most enjoyable?

David Ellis' story

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

Yes. I didn't find myself anticipating as many elements as I usually do after over 600 Audible titles and thousands of books before those.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

Usually I like Luke Daniels just fine. His ONLY, but HUGE, error in this book was Joel Lightner's voice. I have read or heard all of David Ellis' books. I think he would agree and Luke is in danger of becoming a joke like Scott Brick if he keeps doing that. And Tanya Eby just wasn't needed for this book. She wasn't horrible...except every time she did a male voice. It was also a distraction to hear the same character voiced by 2 readers.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Oh, not really...it was just a really good story.

Narration Drags this Down

I had never heard of David Ellis until I ran across this series. I'm glad I did. Excellent series, and tremendously talented author. I will now be looking for more books to read from Ellis.

To me, however, the narration dragged this particular book down, unlike the previous books in the series. I hate to say that, and I know it is an odd statement, considering that both these narrators are top-shelf voice actors.

I generally love Luke Daniels' narrations. He's one of the best in the business. Even in the previous book in this series, his work was superb. However, he brought something different to this book that is a little annoying. He's almost cartoonish at times in his voicing for Jason Kolarich. If I close my eyes, I can easily think I'm listening to Jim Carrey in The Mask. That's fine in certain situations, but it is not good for this character in this novel, IMO.

Also, the addition of the Tanya Eby was disappointing. Again, I think she's one of the best female voices for narration, but I would have preferred not to switch between male and female in this book.

All this may not bother others, but it did me. This is just my opinion in my review.

This is really such a great series. Love the characters, the depth, and the author.

If Luke Daniels performed as he did in The Wrong Man, and was the only narrator, this would have been five stars all the way.

Awesome

Great story, It was well written and the performers was good as well. Love all his books

David Ellis Does it Again !

I have found a new author ! David Ellis is a great writer and The Last Alibi is fantastic! The Jason Kolarich series is wonderful. The characters and performances are excellent. This is one of my favorite books...ever. I highly recommend this author and this series.

INTERESTING STORY LINE

Would you listen to The Last Alibi again? Why?

Although I enjoyed the book, I found it difficult to follow during the first half. The author keeps jumping from the present to the past in ways that I found confusing. I have enjoyed some of the author's earlier books much more. The last third of the book was very well done.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

Not so much time spent on the main character's sexual relationships. More time spent on the investigation and trial.

What do you think the narrator could have done better?

I would have preferred one, rather than two, narrators. Still, each did an acceptable job.

I liked it and I hated it.

Where does The Last Alibi rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Dave Ellis is a solid writer and I find it hard to critique him too hard. Most of my problems with the story line have to do with personal taste. I like for a story to start at the beginning and go to the end for the most part. This story jumped around from past to present at such regularity that I sometimes had difficulty keeping up.

I also like the character of Jason Kolarich, that is, until this novel. Ellis chose to ruin my favorite character and make him weak and obnoxious. If the writing had not been so good, I would have quit reading.

I would give this novel a 3.5 our of 5 based on the books that I choose to read.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

I would not have made the character of Jason Kolarich so deplorable.

What does Luke Daniels and Tanya Eby bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Luke is probably my favorite reader and I will read a new author just based on the fact that he is the reader. Luke can play so many voices that the story comes to life for me. My favorite Luke Daniels books are written by Kevin Hearne.

Tanya Eby did a very nice job of playing the voice of Shauna, but I did not care for her depiction of Jason as well. It was probably because both readers read the part of Jason and I just preferred Luke's over Tanya. I would probably have liked her fine if she were reading the whole book and the readers were not swapped every chapter or so.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I occasionally laughed, but no crying.

Any additional comments?

I guess I find it a little strange that Jason Kolarich can jump in the bed with someone he just met and treat all his friends like second class citizens, yet, I don't believe there was ever a mention of a single kiss for Shauna, even after she stood by him throughout his difficult times. I like my main characters to have some character I guess.