Author Robin Yocum Visits Barnesville Hutton Memorial Library
BARNESVILLE — Acclaimed author Robin Yocum visited Barnesville Memorial Hutton Library on Wednesday, May 20, to give a Q&A about his career, his writing process and the novels he has written.
While there, Yocum also promoted his newly published novel, “The Last Hitman” (2025). Some townsfolk and students of Ms. Tricia Zaccagnini’s English classes attended. She was responsible for organizing Yocum’s visit at the library and is a current teacher at Barnesville High School.
Yocum is an author who has written seven novels thus far. Each novel centers on stories and characters within the Ohio Valley as Yocum himself is originally from the area. He grew up in Brilliant—an unincorporated community located in Jefferson County.
One of his novels, “A Brilliant Death” (2016) takes place in the very same area where Yocum experienced his youth.
“The Last Hitman” is, as mentioned previously, Yocum’s latest work. The novel follows an aging hitman named Angelo Cipriani who feels unwelcome in an Ohio Italian mafia family ever since new leadership took the reins.
When the new mob boss attempts to take out Angelo, (or, “whack” if you’re a “Goodfellas” fan) which ends up backfiring on him. More information about the novel and on Yocum’s other works can be found here.
Before the event officially began, I had a moment to talk with Yocum about “The Last Hitman.” Featured are the questions I asked followed by his responses.
Q&A with Robin Yocum
QUESTION: Can you share some details about your new book, “The Last Hitman?”
ANSWER: I had written a short story several years back for Strand Magazine called “The Last Hit.” It was set in Steubenville, as is the new book. The short story was about Angelo, an aging mob hitman who had outlived his usefulness to the family. The FBI knows this, and they are trying to flip him. The family finds out and sends a hitman to take out the hitman.
I really liked Angelo as a character. I felt he had more to say to me. How did he become a hitman? What was his history with the family? Did he have a love interest? I took the short story as the basis and told the rest of his story, bringing him up through high school and through the conflict of leaving the family. The younger generation looks at him like a dinosaur; they’ve put him out to pasture, and he is naturally resentful of that.
QUESTION: Have you revisited characters like this in your previous works?
ANSWER: I have two nonfiction books and seven novels. “Favorite Sons” and “The Sacrifice of Lester Yates” share the same characters. You can read them in any order—it isn’t a continuing series—but those are the only two where I’ve done that. Generally, when I get to the end of a book, I’m tired of my characters and ready to let them go. But with those two, written about eight years apart, I brought them back.
QUESTION: Is this your first time visiting Barnesville to promote a book?
ANSWER: This is my first trip to the library, but I’ve been to the high school four or five times. I’ve lost track! I usually go out once a year to talk to Tricia Zaccagnini’s classes.
QUESTION: How important is it to you that your stories are set in the Ohio Valley?
ANSWER: It’s vital. When I started the sequel to “Favorite Sons”—which is set in Crystalton, a fictionalized version of Brilliant—I got about 20,000 words into it and it wasn’t going anywhere. I realized the problem was the setting. I moved the action to Columbus. I love Columbus—I’ve lived there forever—but it doesn’t have the grit and the grind of the Valley. It lacks the steel mills, glass factories, coal mines and railroads.
I moved the action to Blaine, a little town at the bottom of the hill near St. Clairsville where I used to play baseball. As soon as I did, I found my mojo again. The Valley has that blue-collar work ethic. Even when I set stories in the 2020s, I find a way to talk about the days when the Ohio Valley was an industrial powerhouse. I also make sure to mention Dean Martin, DiCarlo’s Pizza, and Iron City Beer in every book. I want to capture those Valley favorites.
QUESTION: Is there anything about this particular book that stands out compared to your others?
ANSWER: The book I’m working on is always my favorite! It’s like picking a favorite child; I like different books for different reasons. With “The Last Hitman,” I was happiest that I could write 330 pages about a mob hitman and succeed in making the reader root for him.
That’s a challenge. I had to give him humanity. He’s a good friend to a former mobster in a nursing home; he brings the widow of a former godfather her favorite cookies. I liked Angelo enough that I left the door open at the end to possibly write another book if I can come up with a compelling narrative.
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