Book: Killing Castro, by Lawrence Block (1961)

One of the many benefits of having a spouse who also reads pulp fiction is that it doubles your chances to win advance copies of books from Hard Case Crime. Thanks, Rosemarie!

Killing Castro marks the fifth time Hard Case has gone to the Lawrence Block well, and you never come back from that trip thirsty. The novel, published before the Cuban missile crisis as Fidel Castro Assassinated by Lee Duncan, tells the tale of five Americans who sign on to complete the title task. Each accepts the assignment for reasons of their own, which Block efficiently lays out. Not one of them meets the fate you would expect. Block also weaves in a brief, illuminating history of Castro’s then-fresh revolution. And the ending still has the capacity to surprise. It hits stores at the end of the year. As always with Block and Hard Case, it’s worth picking up.