Hit Man

By: Lawrence Block

Narrated by: Robert Forster

Length: 7 hrs and 44 mins

Publisher's summary

Keller possesses all the qualities of a professional killer. He's cool, confident, reclusive, icy, and ruthlessly efficient. But this seasoned hit man is also prone to self-doubt as he finds himself caught in the clutches of a mid-life crisis. Between contracts, he learns a few crucial truths about himself and the ways of the world he's become detached from, and winds up a wiser - if not better - man.

©1998 by Lawrence Block (P)1998 by Dove Audio, Inc.

voice of prefomer is great

I think the performance is great. Enjoyable Good way, an interesting way to pass some time period I like Lawrence Block. I would recommend that he not read his own books. I've listened to a few. The stories are good. His voice doesn't have enough of inflection. He's a tremendous writer

I do not enjoy watching murder of good/normal

people, but it kept my interest.

The only reason I gave this 3 stars instead of 2 was because I did not feel I wanted it to be over. It kept my interest because I was waiting for something more. But by the end, more never came. The character does not change. And there is no overall plot. It is a series of short stories written for a magazine.

It’s a different take on the work and life of a hit man. Some readers will find this humorous, but I did not. I was unsettled. In contrast I did enjoy two other series about anti-heroes: Dexter a serial killer, and Parker an armed robber who occasionally killed. The difference is Keller (in Hit Man) kills anyone including good guys. Dexter only kills bad guys. Parker robs anyone and occasionally kills bad guys .

The author skips too many things. For example, Keller has a dog and lives with a girl. Then in one scene he says the girl left him a month ago and took the dog. I wanted to hear why the girl left him. It was not explained.

Another example, Baskin pretends to be someone he is not and hires Keller to kill some people. There is a problem, so Keller needs to find Baskin. All of a sudden Keller is in Baskin’s house waiting for him. I never saw how Keller learned who Baskin was and how he found him.

Another example, receptionist tells Keller to wait on the porch until boss is done with another meeting. Next sentence says twenty minutes later Keller is on a train returning home. I assume he met with the boss. I wanted to hear his conversation with the boss.

I didn’t like those gaps. It felt like I was missing things.

There were about three sex scene references, but no details. They were like “she took off her clothes.” Then it’s the next day.

AUDIOBOOK NARRATOR:
Robert Forster was good. He used one of the Chicago-thug-type accents.

Genre: crime fiction

Narrator makes this book even better

Any additional comments?

I was surprised how much I liked this collection of short stories about a nice-guy hit man who has no qualms about doing his job, even to nice people. It’s supposed to be a novel but each chapter is self-contained and something about the hit man’s introspection is charming. This is not a thriller, you'll never be on the edge of your seat, but it’s consistently compelling with a spare, no-nonsense narrative style.

Part of the reason I loved it so much was Robert Forster's narration. He is The Hit Man. Too bad he wasn't used on future installments.

Never knew I could LOVE a

This book was wonderful. Could not stop listening. With the narrators voice and the authors great writing I could see Keller in hs day to day activities of killing people. This is by far one of the best books I have listened to/read in a long time. This book is far from predictable. I am usually a murder medical mystery type of reader, so this was different from my usual. I could listen to a million books about Keller by Block.

No joy here!

Just a so so listen to pass the time on a long drive across the state. It kept me and my hubby listening, waiting for something more that never came. I liked the author's attempts at humor, he even made me chuckle a few times. But this novel was mainly anecdotes of the hits that were performed by a lackluster, emotionless, sometimes bored killer. I found it mildly interesting but something really bothers me about glorifying or normalizing the cold-blooded killing of total strangers. Why ever would anyone find that amusing, compelling or even humorous? At least Dexter went after the real bad guys . . . .

Narration was done well, so at least there was that.

Subtle and Satirical

The Hit Man is a sensitive and insightful fellow who just happens to have a job that is violent. The narrator does an excellent job presenting the humorous and subtle sides of the main character and his female boss. My husband and I really enjoyed listening to this book.

Hard to describe intertesting book.

I kept waiting for a plot to develop. There was a bit of one - sort of. It mostly was a series of chapters where the hit man has to find a new and clever way to do his job. However,each time you do get a little deeper into his character. In the end a satisfying plot never really developed but somehow, in some way that is hard to explain, I did enjoy the book and looked forward to learning more about Keller. I think the writing was just so good that it made you want to listen despite the lack of action in the usual sense. The characters were well developed and the narration was perfect for the book. The moral dilemmas within the immoral actions were also interesting.

I know this will come off as a mixed review, and I guess it is, bit I did rate it 4 stars, am glad I listened to it, and probably will buy at least one more sequel.

Hardboiled with a heart

One of the best books I've listened to from audible. The chapters are more like short stories, but they tie together in a broad way. I'm not sure why some people don't like Robert Forster as a narrator, I think he's fantastic for this kind of material. Highly recommend.

Block continues to grow his literary garden.

I liked the change of pace of this novel. Block succeeds in telling a serene, calm yarn about an insane man, a killer. The hit man's story is compelling, intelligent and ultimately both human and inhuman. This is one great writer, one who can create an internal dialogue and keep the reader fascinated.

Good listen

Is there anything you would change about this book?

I wasn't sure what to expect with this book since I've never heard of this author. I liked the narrator's voice and the story line kept my attention. There were a few parts in the dialogue where the lines were a little too cheesy for me but I enjoyed it for the most part. I am disappointed because the other books in this series are narrated by the author and I'm unfortunately not too fond of his voice. I wish this narrator was on the other series of books.