Joseph Kanon (born 1946) is an American author, best known for thriller and spy novels set in the period immediately after World War II.

Kanon was the editor in chief, CEO, and president of the publishing houses Houghton Mifflin and E. P. Dutton in New York.

Further novels followed, including The Prodigal Spy, The Good German and Alibi.

His stories are set in the period between World War II and 1950, and he has often used a real event, such as the Potsdam Conference or the Manhattan Project, as the background for a murder case.

[2] A film based on The Good German was produced in 2006, directed by Steven Soderbergh and starring George Clooney and Cate Blanchett.