The Last Hitman - by Robin Yocum

Book Synopsis

Marked for death, a hitman must figure out how to save himself and exact a final revenge before his past catches up to him.

Perfect for fans of Eli Cranor and Tulsa King, this thrilling mafia tale shows what happens when loyalty isn't a two-way street.

There was a time when being a "made man" meant something. Angelo Cipriani was a member of the inner circle of the powerful Fortunato Crime Family, which controlled the Upper Ohio Valley. Of course, Angelo would never admit that such an organization existed, let alone to all of the bodies he dropped for his boss. Angelo was a loyal soldier, even after a rival family strafed him with bullets and put him in a coma for three weeks.

But times have changed. Four decades have passed, and the glory days of mob rule have waned. As drugs replace the mob's traditional revenue streams and the FBI looks to bring down the Fortunatos, Angelo finds himself on the outside with the current administration, essentially, "on the shelf." He spends his days pining over a waitress at the local diner and reminiscing with a one-legged former colleague in a nursing home.

Angelo was a man of honor in a world that he now barely recognizes.

But when the FBI shows up, Angelo realizes the past is far from dead and buried. Faced with old secrets and fresh betrayals, Angelo finds himself unretired: The Last Hitman is ready to get back to work.

Review Quotes

Praise for The Last Hitman
"This is really an engaging read. You are rooting for Angelo."
--Men Reading Books

"The Last Hitman is a rollicking tale of mob violence, betrayal, attitude, and homicidal psychos that I thoroughly fell for. A terrific tale."
--C.J. Box, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Battle Mountain

"Get ready to duck--because this is a powerful left hook of a novel. With the same sharp, no-nonsense style that made him a top crime reporter, Robin Yocum channels the voice of Angelo Cipriani, a gun-for-hire who's done some nasty things in his time. But nobody's perfect, right? You'll find yourself rooting for Angelo--and savoring this fast-paced, captivating tale."
--Julia Keller, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of the Bell Elkins Novels

"I don't quite know how he did it, but Robin Yocum has created, in the gangland assassin Angelo Cipriani, one of the most likable cold-blooded killers ever encountered in fiction. The Last Hitman is flat-out the best crime novel I've read in years."
--Donald Ray Pollock, author of The Devil All the Time

"Confession: I have a mad crush on 69-year-old Angelo Cipriani, a made man and killer of bad and not-so-bad guys. This is a wonderful, beautifully written story, told with the surety of a gripping, brutally frank memoir. Angleo is humble, loyal, romantic, and has a secretly tender heart. The Last Hitman is the tale of a man finally becoming himself. It's also one hell of an underworld tale, and I'm here for every riveting word of it!"
--Laura Benedict, Edgar-nominated author of The Stranger Inside

"Robin Yocum has written a magical book. The Last Hitman is compelling and compulsive reading, with a brilliantly constructed protagonist. Angelo Cipriani is the kind of character every author aspires to create, a hitman with a heart full of love, life, and vengeance."
--Mark Pryor, author of the Hugo Marston mystery series

About the Author

Robin Yocum is known for his fiction set in the Ohio River Valley. He has authored two nonfiction books and six novels. His most recent novel, The Sacrifice of Lester Yates, was released in April of 2021 by Arcade CrimeWise, and was a finalist for the 2021 Dashiell Hammett Award for outstanding crime writing. Favorite Sons was named the 2011 Book of the Year for Mystery/Suspense by USA Book News. A Brilliant Death was a Barnes & Noble No. 1 bestseller and a finalist for both the 2017 Edgar Award and the Silver Falchion Award for best adult mystery. Yocum is also the host of the true-crime podcast, Dead Before Deadline, which features stories he covered when he was a police and investigative reporter for the Columbus Dispatch, where he won more than 30 local, state, and national journalism awards. He is the principal at Yocum Communications, a public relations and marketing consulting firm in Galena, Ohio, which he founded in 2001. Yocum grew up in the Ohio River village of Brilliant, Ohio. He has a bachelor's degree in journalism from Bowling Green State University.