The Last Hitman

In Yocum’s electrifying if familiar latest (after The Sacrifice of Lester Yates), semiretired contract killer Angelo Cipriani’s attempts to live a quiet life are complicated by pressure to rat on his former accomplices. Raised in a poor immigrant household in Steubenville, Ohio, in the 1960s, Angelo never expected to make it beyond the local steel mill. However, his street smarts and work ethic caught the eye of mafioso Alphonse Fortunato, who took Angelo under his wing, offering him steady work and a path to rise within the organization for nearly 40 years. Now—after being pushed out of the family by its new leader, Little Tommy, who pivoted operations to the drug trade against Angelo’s wishes—Angelo spends his mornings at a local diner, nursing coffee and pining for Carolyn, a waitress he’s too shy to ask out. When an FBI agent blackmails Angelo into informing on Little Tommy and the rest of the family, he must weigh a lifetime of loyalty against his hope of a future with Carolyn. With brisk pacing and cliff-hangers galore, Yocum’s mafia tale excites, even if its twists and betrayals are somewhat predictable. Still, this is sure to get readers’ blood pumping. Agent: Colleen Mohyde, Colleen Mohyde Agency. (Dec.)