The cast of characters are familiar, but the intrusion of a fictional character - assassin Tom Jefferson, unbinds history from its traditional moorings. There is an element of what-if? about this book, and the result is exquisite. Historians of this period will be familiar with the 'true' outcome of The Bay of Pigs invasion that provides much of the context for this book, but in Kerr's hands history does not necessary follow in an unambiguous, linear fashion. In this book we are transported to the events of 1960/1961, and the escalating tensions between Soviet-backed Cuba and the USA. I shouldn't have worried, 'The Shot' displays all the ingenuity, verve and style, I would expect from Kerr. I was hesitant about reading 'The Shot' in the expectation that I would not find them the least comparable, in terms of quality, with this series. In the Bernie Gunther series of novels we see our anti-hero rubbing shoulders with the likes of Joseph Goebbels, Arthur Nebe, and more frequently, his bête noire, Reinhard Heydrich.

That certain blending of fact and fiction' - or 'faction' as we now call it, was Kerr's uncontested territory. It was his impeccable sense of time and place - the 'historicization' of the mystery genre, where he displayed his talents most emphatically. Kerr was unparalleled in his ability to give his thrillers a certain cerebral edge - recasting your typical thriller in new and innovative ways. If you haven't read them, I would urge you to do so NOW. I know I am not alone in being a huge admirer of the late, great, Philip Kerr's legendary Bernie Gunther series of books. Thanks to Quercus Books and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. keeps you guessing until the end' Sunday Express Jefferson has no issue with Castro: his preferred target is someone much closer to home. Nevertheless, the decision to snuff out the threat of Castro by hiring Tom Jefferson, America's best assassin, to kill him comes from an unusual quarter: the Mafia.īut Jefferson's very skillset that makes him the perfect man for this job also ensures he has no qualms in double crossing his criminal paymasters.

In Havana, Fidel Castro has been in office for a year, and with Cold War tensions rapidly heating up and the Soviets leading the space race, the thought of a Communist leader so close to home is already raising American blood pressure.Īnti-communist fever is rampant in the USA, with a paranoid establishment seeing reds under every bed. In Washington, DC, John F Kennedy has just been elected President.

'A cleverly contrived reworking of the Kennedy assassination myth' The Timesĭarkly imaginative alternative history thriller from the global bestseller and author of the Bernie Gunther thrillers.Īmerica, 1960. as shocking as it is brilliant' Daily Mail

The shot by philip kerr