The Third Man

by Graham Greene

Overview

Rollo Martins' usual line is the writing of cheap paperback Westerns under the name of Buck Dexter. But when his old friend Harry Lime invites him to Vienna, he jumps at the chance. With exactly five pounds in his pocket, he arrives only just in time to make it to his friend's funeral. The victim of an apparently banal street accident, the late Mr. Lime, it seems, had been the focus of a criminal investigation, suspected of nothing less than being "the worst racketeer who ever made a dirty living in this city." Martins is determined to clear his friend's name, and begins an investigation of his own...

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780140286823
Publisher:	Penguin Publishing Group
Publication date:	05/01/1999
Edition description:	59th Anniversary Edition
Pages:	160
Sales rank:	173,095
Product dimensions:	5.07(w) x 7.74(h) x 0.44(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Graham Greene (1904-1991) was a prolific novelist, short story writer, travel writer and children's book writer. Many of his novels and short stories have been successfully adapted to the movie screen, including The Third Man (directed by Orson Welles), The End of The Affair, and The Quiet American

Date of Birth:

October 2, 1904

Date of Death:

April 3, 1991

Place of Birth:

Berkhamsted, England

Place of Death:

Vevey, Switzerland

Education:

Balliol College, Oxford

Editorial Reviews

Greene's novella, or "entertainment," was written in 1950 as a sort of preliminary draft for a screenplay and was not actually intended to stand alone as a written work. The motion picture, stated Greene, is better than the story because it is the story in its finished state, and it is the film, starring Joseph Cotten and Orson Welles, that most people will remember. This audiobook, however, brings the story to life very effectively, with all its suspense, odd turns of plot, and intriguing characters placed in the powerful setting of post-World War II Vienna. Murder, racketeering, mystery, and subterfuge combine for a compelling tale that is simple, economical, concise, and very satisfying. Reader Martin Jarvis communicates the mood and pace with intensity and skill and good character differentiation. Chapter breaks and side ends are marked musically by, what else, the famous zither-performed theme song. The story, complete on two cassettes, will please patrons who prefer a shorter commitment. Recommended for all popular collections.--Harriet Edwards, East Meadow P.L., NY

Library Journal

The narration is superb...taut and powerful.

The Daily Telegraph

Still, for me, the best thriller ever written. Just the thing to listen to on the flight to Vienna - Jarvis reads it perfectly.

The Guardian Sue Arnold

This noir classic is voiced with the just right amount of innocence, arrogance, and aplomb by the perfectly cast Kelsey Grammer. In 1947, American writer Holly Martin arrives in the war-ravaged city of Vienna expecting to meet an old friend but soon finds himself acting as an amateur detective in a murder investigation. What happened to Harry Lime? Was he hit by a car, or was he pushed, or was it something else altogether? Grammer’s old “Frasier” partner John Mahoney does solid work as the voice of military investigator Major Callaway, and British actress Rosalind Ayres shines as the lost and beautifully enigmatic Anna Schmidt. This taut audio adaptation closely follows the original Graham Greene film script right down to using the Anton Karas theme music. B.P. © AudioFile 2014, Portland, Maine

SEPTEMBER 2014 - AudioFile