The Critics: ‘Killing Che: A Novel’

Travel Blog  •  Jim Benning  •  04.05.07 | 1:04 PM ET

imageHow many ways can writers exploit the life and legend of Che Guevara? How many different verbs can be paired with “Che” to produce a pithy title? We’ve seen Chasing Che. Then came Loving Che. Now comes a new thriller to add to the Che library: Killing Che. Written by screenwriter Chuck Pfarrer, who drew on his own Navy SEAL experience as well as Jorge Castañeda’s Che biography, Compañero, the novel follows CIA operative Paul Hoyle on his 1967 quest to hunt down the beret-wearing revolutionary in Bolivia.

Los Angeles Times columnist and critic Tim Rutten loved the book, arguing that it’s “one of those rare thrillers with more than commercial ambitions, most of which are realized in ways bound to gratify the serious reader.”

What’s more, Rutten notes, “Killing Che” would make great airplane reading.

For the flight home, if you haven’t quenched your thirst for South America-related killer thrillers, why not pair it with Killing Pablo? Just a thought.

Related on World Hum:
* Che and the Image Seen ‘Round the World
* The New Che Play: ‘School of the Americas’
* Will ‘The Motorcycle Diaries’ Spawn a New Magazine: Condé Nast Revolution?