Killing Castro

Thank heavens for audiobooks; you can get one of Lawrence Block's first thrillers, published in 1961, enhanced by Henry Leyva with some perspective you couldn't get from a reprint. The story, which was probably supposed to take place after Castro's revolution, but before the Bay of Pigs, centers on five Americans who answer an ad posting a reward of $100,000 (not much money these days) for Castro's head. A young fellow seeking revenge, a dying banker, a hit man, a loner, and a mercenary agree to split the reward five ways. Leyva portrays five markedly different characters, each with the right intonations. He plays the loner, hit man, and mercenary with the toughness you'd expect, and the two amateurs with great sympathy. He makes this short thriller a pleasure to listen to. A.L.H. (c) AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine

Starred review from November 17, 2008
Shortly before the Cuban missile crisis, mystery Grand Master Block (Hit and Run
) donned a pen name to publish this absorbing yarn about five men vying for a $100,000 prize put on Fidel Castro’s head by a mysterious guy named Hiraldo. Bounty hunter Ray Garrison only works on his own; hardened murderer Michael Turner is paired with 19-year-old Jim Hines, avenging his brother’s execution; and Earl Fenton, longing to do some good before he dies of cancer, teams up with jack-of-all-trades Matt Garth, who just wants the money. As they make their way to the Cuban coast, sympathetic locals support the five would-be killers in their titular goal despite their penchant for rape and mayhem. Passages discussing Castro’s life and times add depth to this intense, taut thriller, just as good now as it was in 1961.