The Shot

A professional hitman hired by the mob to kill Fidel Castro gets involved in more than he asked for. The hit is sponsored not only by the mob, but also by Kennedy who wants to become the president and then let the mob run the Cuban casinos. The mob possess a film of Kennedy's sexual adventures and thus all are tied-in in this game. When the hitman finds out that his wife also was Kennedy's lover, he takes things into his own hands and goes after kennedy. One of Kerr's best books.

The Cuban Revolution, Castro, the Mob, the CIA, the FBI, JFK, RFK, Monroe, Sinatra, Hoffa, and the 1960 election. Havana, Miami, Las Vegas, Palm Beach, New York, and Harvard. Capitalism, communism, Khrushchev, spy versus spy, double agents, triple agents, moles, and one Tom Jefferson (alias Marty van Buren) (alias Franklin Pierce), hit man. This rip roaring trip back to the early `60s, complete with movie stars, gangsters, politicians, entertainers, ball players, blue suede shoes, and cherry coca will immerse you into nostalgia like few thrillers do. Characters that made the headlines some 40 years ago walk off the pages as you listen in on the plotting and back stabbing of the then-famous power brokers.Kerr's work is not so much a page turner of what happens next as it is a rich tapestry of the hows and whys of history in the making. Eavesdrop on bigger-than-life hoods and pols maneuvering for advantage. Watch while the little people get caught in the crossfire. And wonder if it really did happen this way. But don't look for a protagonist: it's not here. What is here is the early `60s milieu, in spades - and that's your leading character.

Contrary to some of the other reviewers here, I enjoyed this a great deal. It was an interesting concept, well executed. It really holds your attention, and while you might suspect it's another "what if" historical novel, it's not that at all. Revealing the ending would ruin the read, so I'll merely suggest that you read and enjoy. I would concur with others though who suggest The Shot is not up to his Berlin Noir trilogy. I think they may be the best detective novels of the century.

The five stars here are for a well constructed, fun to read twist, on a topic most would consider exhausted.This is my first read of this Author's work, but not my last. The JFK story is one that has been beaten well beyond death. When I first saw the cover, my thought was, "more garbage". I could not have been more wrong.The book is not one that can be reviewed easily as the plot is so precise, well paced, and consistent, that any specifics would begin the guessing before you got to the book. In a sense this would be fine as the direction the book takes is not one you will have seen before, or would guess. General commentary, or a bit about the story would kill the fun. Many of the names in the book will be familiar from other JFK conspiracy theorists; Sam Giancana, Tony Accardo, Meyer Lansky, Bugsy Segal, OSS, FBI, CIA, MIRR, but that is where the similarity ends. A talented mind can always find a new perspective.The Author recreates the time down to the guests on specific talk shows, and popular television programming at the time like, "Mr. Ed", or movies that were playing like "Psycho". The dialogue at times is razor sharp, and the pace of the book will leave you missing at least one night of decent sleep.An all around great read. Highly recommended!

Philip Kerr has tackled disparate subjects during his writing career, each book hallmarked by meticulous research, and an evocative recreation of the milieu under consideration. "The Shot" carries on the tradition, the locations this time being the USA and Cuba during the Kennedy Presidency. Any description of plot would subtract from the enjoyment of this thriller, but suffice it to say that Kerr has taken an oft commented upon subject, and added quite an original twist to its ending.