The shot: Amazon.ca: Philip Kerr: Books

Product Description

From Publishers Weekly

Popular British author Kerr (A Five-Year Plan, etc.) skillfully weaves fictional intrigue and historical events in his new novel, a political thriller set in the early JFK years. At the center of the story is a Miami-based hit man who goes by the name of Tom Jefferson. He has been hired by mobster Sam Giancana and his Mafia buddies--who are eager to continue doing business in Havana--to kill Fidel Castro. But the plan hits a snag when, bragging about a deal the mob made with Joe Kennedy to provide Teamster support for his son's presidential campaign, somebody tells Tom about a tape that Giancana secretly made of JFK's trysts with Marilyn Monroe. Listening to the tape, Tom discovers that the woman in JFK's arms is not Monroe, but an eager JFK campaign worker named Mary Jefferson--Tom's wife. When Mary turns up dead, Tom disappears with the mob's cash to join rogue FBI agent Alex Goldman in devising a plan to shoot JFK in Harvard Yard. As Tom stalks JFK and the mob tracks Tom, Kerr produces enough double twists and triple crosses to keep even the savviest reader riveted. Although a surplus of period detail sometimes slows the novel's pace, Kerr's Cuba steams, his Vegas glitters and his New York buzzes in what is, overall, an engrossing and well-written conspiracy thriller. (Apr.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Library Journal

The Kennedy administration's early comparison to "Camelot" was perhaps more apt than we knew, because John Kennedy has now joined King Arthur as a figure more legendary than real. He emerges here as a robust young champion of the American dream and the target of a professional hit man with roots in Cuba and friends in the Mafia. Kerr paints a stunning portrait of this energetic and corrupt era, masterfully weaving a compelling tale that presents historic events in a context that lends greater insight into Kennedy's inevitable demise. Narrator George Guidall's performance is flawless; his subtle accents and exquisite timing provide a perfect resonance for this remarkable work. Very strongly recommended. Ray Vignovich, West Des Moines P.L.
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Product Description

Inside This Book (Learn More)
Browse and search another edition of this book.

First Sentence
Helmut Gregor feared the sound of his real name as another man might have feared the name of his worst enemy. Read the first page

Explore More
Concordance

Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover

Tag this product

(What's this?)

Think of a tag as a keyword or label you consider is strongly related to this product.
Tags will help all customers organize and find favorite items.

Customer Reviews

12 Reviews

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

Average Customer Review

3.5 out of 5 stars (12 customer reviews)

Share your thoughts with other customers:

Create your own review

Most helpful customer reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars What a juicy, fun story!, April 5 2002

By A Customer

Never having read a Philip Kerr novel, I was not expecting
anything. O.K., it's not Proust, but it kept me entertained to
the very last drop. I must say, I anticipated the last line of
the book, but so what? I thought the characters were
fantastic. It reminded me a little of Prizzi's Honor - not quite
as literary a tour de force, but amusing gangsters being
themselves.

I was very disappointed - saddened - by the death of Nimmo. He was such a neat character. I kept half-expecting him to turn up at the end alive...hidden, perhaps, by the FBI, as protection...oh, well. ...

Yes, the women were stereotyped...I thnk the book is all about guys-and-gangsters; it's a real "guy thing" and though
I am a feminist it didn't bother me ... I thought that was
unnecessary, although there were plenty of pejorative expressions for Jews, the Irish, Italians, Germans and just about every other ethnic group on the planet...

Anyway, I loved the story. ...the characters were wonderfully real...the
scene in which Nimmo tucks into a linguine prima vera over a gruesome autopsy report, while the squeamish gangster Roselli looks on with disgust, is priceless.

As for the wise cracks - they made the book a real pleasure;
it was a trip down memory lane for some of us who were
around during the early sixties. In this book Kerr is like a
stand-up New York-Miami comedian, constantly flipping terse references to celebrities of the Kennedy years.

And Tom Jefferson is one sexy killer. I think women would like this book, too. I know I did.

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews

Was this review helpful to you? Yes No

Report abuse

4.0 out of 5 stars Told A Story from A Different Angle. Not Bad., Nov 3 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: The Shot (Hardcover)

This is actually a very good story. The only problem is with too many wisecracking sentences, really too much, Mr. Kerr. Those unnecessary wisecrackings had made the reading a bit tiresome.

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews

Was this review helpful to you? Yes No

Report abuse

3.0 out of 5 stars all the hallmarks of a great thriller; except an ending, Jun 4 2001

By

Drummond Berman "dberman1" (Brooklyn, NY USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Shot (Hardcover)

i'm beginning to think that thrillers like these should carry some kind of disclaimer. WARNING FROM THE LITERARY COUNCIL: do not get too excited. This material contains an ending which may disappoint. Because in almost every other respect, The Shot is not only Kerr's finest, most thrilling, best plotted and fascinatingly peopled work to date - it is a fine and worthy and exciting thriller in its own right. A "new take on the plot to kill JFK", The Shot takes you beneath the surface of the 1960 presidential election and the Cuban Crisis, providing a fascinating look at the mob, FBI, CIA and Cuban-related shenanigans going on at the time. In the middle of it all is professional killer Tom Jefferson (all his other aliases are president names too - nice touch!). Here, Kerr displays what seems to be an almost disturbing understanding of the lives, methods and motivations of professional killers. There are actually three sharply-drawn assassins in this book, each with enough depth, charisma and drawing power to carry a whole thriller on their own. That aspect of The Shot is outstanding - you get the sense that Kerr has either done a great deal of research or has a genius mind for creating believable and ingenious detail. But none of that can make up for the way I feel about The Shot having just finished it. Most of the action takes place between the latter part of 1960 and the beginning of 1961. And as everybody knows, JFK was assassinated in 63. So it's as you draw closer and closer to the last page, and it's still only January 1961, that you begin to get this sinking feeling that this isn't all leading where you hoped it might. And without giving away the end of the book, when everything resolves itself (in an extremely rushed fashion, I might add) the sense of disappointment is enormous. I can't help feeling that if somehow this book had been stolen from me and never recovered, somewhere around page 350, I might have gone on thinking it one of the best thrillers i'd ever read.

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews

Was this review helpful to you? Yes No

Report abuse

Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review

› See all 12 customer reviews on Amazon.ca

Want to see more reviews on this item?

› Go to Amazon.com to see all 23 reviews 3.6 out of 5 stars

Most recent customer reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars Felt Rather Dashed Off
Kerr's WWII-era Berlin Trilogy (March Violets, The Pale Criminal, A German Requiem) is some of my favourite historical fiction, so I figured I'd give one of his more recent... Read more

Published on April 16 2001 by A. Ross

1.0 out of 5 stars The Shot Misses
Having been confined to a hospital room for the past week sans any good reading and also having inherited from a friend who doesn't know my literary tastes, what can best be said... Read more

Published on Feb 12 2001 by Norman Dale