Hit Parade

By: Lawrence Block

Narrated by: Lawrence Block

Length: 7 hrs and 56 mins

Publisher's summary

The New York Times best-selling author and master of the modern mystery returns with a fierce and poignant new novel featuring his acclaimed killer-for-hire, Keller. John Keller is everyone's favorite hit man. He's cool. Reliable. A real pro: the hit man's hit man. The inconvenient wife, the business partner, the retiree with a substantial legacy. He's taken care of them all, quietly and efficiently.

Keller's got a code of honor, though he'd never call it that. And he keeps the job strictly business. But while Keller might be a pragmatic and crack assassin, he's also prone to doubts and loneliness just like everybody else. And though he's got Dot, his wisecracking contact and sometimes confidante, these days, it doesn't seem to be enough.

Keller's been at this business a long while. Just maybe it's time to pack it in. Only problem is, retirement takes money. And to get money, he's got to go to work....

Hit Parade, the third novel featuring the fascinating Keller, displays the hallmarks that distinguish Lawrence Block's award-winning fiction: the intelligence, the clever plotting, the humor, the tricky twist and ironic turns, the darkness and emotional complexity, and, above all else, the humanity.

©2006 Lawrence Block (P)2006 HarperCollinsPublishers

Critic reviews

"Well-crafted....With dry wit." (Publishers Weekly)
"Block's legion of fans will savor his subtle wit, his consummate narrative skills, and his idiosyncratic method of celebrating the lives of working folks in America." (Booklist)

Hit Parade

Lawrence Block may write a good book, but i am BEGGING him NOT TO READ IT!! Please hire a professional actor, this was painful to listen to.

The narrator makes all the difference

Ouch!! It hurts to listen to this book. I listened to the first eddition in this series as fast as I could. It was great, and the narrator really gave Keller & Dot a personality. He picked up on the author's humor and gave the book some life. This new narrator speeds through the story like he's got something better to do, & puts the inflection in the wrong part of the sentences. Doesn't get the authors humor, and stumbles over Kellers quirky thoughts so bad their not funny anymore. Can I get a refund??

Bad listen

Mr. Block does a terrible job reading his own work. Unable to listen to this story after the wonderful job Forster does with "Hit Man"

Cannot listen to this

There have been poorly narrated books in the past but this is the worst. Read by the author in a monotone nasal inflection-less voice, I constantly tune out and stop listening and when I force myself to tune back in, it's terrible to listen to. This is my second attempt to force my way through this book so I can listen to the next and I cannot do it, can't get past the hour mark. Save yourself, do not buy this book!

Please re-release this book with a new narrator

No shame in failing but your publisher let you down when they let you release this "product". Did they not listen to it? This may have been as good as Hitman but I wouldn't know because I couldn't get through the 1st chapter.

Storytelling is an art in itself that obviously has more history behind it than writing. Please respect the craft.

Unlike some, I like the narrator and the story

Would you listen to Hit Parade again? Why?

I like the author's narration: it's as down to earth as the story of a man who fell almost by accident into murder as a profession. I tend not to like narrators who feign opposite sex voices. Lawrence Block reads it as he wrote it: sparcely and without affectation. Both Keller and Dot treat murder as Block treats his text. Both murder and narration are simple matters. They happen, and that's it.

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

I am engaged by the characters, Keller and Dot, who make their living by trading in death as if they were selling vacuum cleaners.

What about Lawrence Block’s performance did you like?

I like the fact that the narration is as matter-of-fact as the way Keller and Dot see their profession. Strangely, a book about a company which deals in the most extreme of occupations, murder for hire, seems appropriately told in the matter-of-fact, almost staccato delivery. I know others find Block's delivery uninspired, but I love it, almost like pushing at a sore tooth that's acting up, which is appropriate for a text about murder as a way to earn a living.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I laughed many times in this book, as I often do in Block's works. He has a fine sense of humor.

Any additional comments?

This is the weakest of the

Terrible!

I was a great fan of the previous two Keller books (and the fantastic readings by--I believe it was--Robert Forster) but in this one Block has basically phoned it in--in the writing AND the reading. It's rambling, boring and pointless. Listen to the previous 2 and skip this one. A major disappointment.

Laura says it for me.

This may only be the second audio book I have not finished. I am 51 minutes into it and it just plain s*cks. I have read/heard 80% of Block's stuff and never said anything like this before. It is almost as bad as that Patricia Cornwell book where she tried to be funny...

Narration Ruins the Book

This book is an excellent reason why authors should not read their books. As a narrator, Mr. Block exhibits no voice modulation abilities nor is his voice particularly pleasant to listen to.

The narration ruins this book -- I don't think that I'll be able to complete the book because it is just so difficult to figure out who is speaking.

What a shame . . .

Awful Reading!

I never write a review but I have to say this was the most painful book to listen to because of the very bad narration. I took several weeks to get through it as i could only listen to it in small pieces.