Alibis

Sixties freak turned real-estate executive Carl Rodman and his wife, Delia, have never fully recovered from the death of their son Eric. And notes from a former school chum and blackmailer, Sonny Vance, calling Carl a child killer aren't helping any. Rodman hopes that murdering Sonny will help him forget, but when he returns home after the murder to a swarm of police, he confesses to his guilt only to discover that the police are there to investigate a different murder--Delia's. Which means that Carl's only alibi for one murder is another. It's a potentially brilliant premise, but singularly unsympathetic characters mix with a confusing plot and poor narrative pacing to choke this debut thriller. (Apr.)