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.

God Bless You, Robert Forster

I think that this is the first audio book that I've ever given five stars.

If you are a fan of detective fiction or suspense novels, you can purchase this book without worry. Well-written. Nicely paced. Extrememly well read. You'll wish that it was double the length.

Surprisingly Terrific

Was sorry to see this one end. How the author wrote such a delightful story of a 'Hit Man' is amazing, but you will love this gentle character. Fast paced, filled with humor and pathos. A really great book.

Perfect

A perfect marriage of the written and spoken word. Robert Forster's narration adds a new dimension to the characters that make up the ordinary life of "Hit Man", making the wry wit of Lawrence Block even more enjoyable.
Different from Block's Matt Scudder series or "The Burglar" books, this is nevertheless a true Block gem.

Character study & FUNNY

Killing is not the important part of this great collection of stories. The study of Keller's character is key to everything. Keller is first and foremost a mundane person who just happens to be a hitman. Most of the time he contemplates life, eats at boring cafes, collects stamps, watches tv and walks his dog. Occasionally Dot calls him to White Plains, where the two of them sip lemonade. The conversations between Dot and Keller are clever and insightful(you learn a lot about each character during these meetings.) Dot gives him his assignment, he flys to some city, carrys out the murder and returns to his boring life. Keller does a lot of sole searching in an attempt to justify why a person might need to die. He does this everytime he gets a job. Just listen carefully to Hitman and you really will see how much depth there is to Keller and Dot. Great fun.

Not what you expect

I bought this audiobook because it sounded like a murder mystery, one of my favorite genres. But it's not. It's a human interest story about a guy who is a professional hit man (surprise!). I thought to myself: I'm not going to like this, but it turned out to be one of my favorite reads. The story is very original; the main character is engaging. It's interesting how you wind up liking a guy you don't approve of, probably because you perceive motives that you may either find inside yourself, or that you can at least understand and relate to.

THIS IS MY KIND OF KILLER!

I loved this book! I just finished reading Andrew Peterson's latest Nathan McBride (#4) installment "Ready a To Kill". I was mad as heck! No sniper action until the book was almost over! But THIS assassin, Keller, is just like I love my assassins: deadly, dour, and incredibly funny. Block weaves a great tale here with plenty of killings. Keller goes about his job as if he works at the post office. He tries to act heartless but he's a killer with a bit of a conscious. If not actually sorry for taking folks out, he yearns to own a house with a yard for a dog. To sit in front of the television, watching HBO and doing crossword puzzles. Or talking for a full 30 minutes on stamp collecting. Yet he is a deadly killer! A charming unassuming guy who gets his targets to trust him, even inviting Keller to dinner. Then.....WHAM! No one saw it coming! And his partner in crime, the assignment "scheduler", a woman named Dot is the perfect "Charley" to his "Angel". Narrator Robert Forster is the perfect choice - although the author steps in for the next book. I HATE IT WHEN AUTHORS READ THEIR WORKS! But we'll see......

Andrew Peterson needs to take a page from Block's play book. I want a book about assassins who complete their assignments satisfactory, quick, and efficient. Not a bunch of generic ex-CIA snipers whom Peterson failed to take the time to develop. Now I'm on to the next book in this outstanding series! Well played, Block!

What an interesting find on the "Under $10" list.

Okay, I admit it. I ALWAYS run out of credits. I buy more credits and still there's more month left. Last month I headed over to the "Under $10" list to see what I could find. I was looking for something - ANYTHING - that would tide me over until I got my real credits. I bought this one because it was cheap and sounded interesting.

I never would have guessed I'd end up really liking a hit man. I can see why the series is popular. It's so opposite of what I would have ever imagined.

I've been an Audible listener for years and never found this list until recently. If you ever find yourself wanting something cheap and listenable, this is a great list to peruse: http://www.audible.com/mt/Best_Under_10?page=1

A Very Different Approach

Block breaks a ton of rules, especially for the subject matter. And he does it brilliantly. The story isn't so much about an assassin as it is about a man who kills for his day job. It might sound like semantics, but it makes for a very enjoyable change of pace. Sometimes, the author summarizes an action scene, to go into a very detailed internal monologue in Keller's head: he might be thinking of buying a house or taking up a hobby.

This is the sort of thing any teacher or book on writing will tell you not to do. The thing is, it works beautifully! Really.

The narrator does the best job for any audiobook I've ever read. I've listened to it twice, and will probably listen to it again. (Unusual for me and audiobooks.)

As long as you're not looking for a moral

The narrator sounds exactly like what you'd expect Keller to sound like - he is perfect for the role.

I was very surprised at how much I liked this story. It is cheap in price and so I expected it to be cheap in other ways too, but it is not. It's not a mystery/thriller... and it's not much like a true crime novel either - it's sorta like a character study, except the character you're studying happens to be a contract killer. He isn't cruel at all, but also is not soft n' cuddly either.

The book does not explore the morals or reasons behind Keller's job, or even go much into details on how he kills (it's not gory at all)... it's more like an insight into some guy's mind that you would expect to be abnormal or exciting, or something, but turns out that he really isn't that much different from other people who don't happen to kill for a living.

I thoroughly enjoyed both the story and the narration and would have paid way more for it than Audible charges.

It was free, but worth a credit!

Several years ago Audible offered this as a free gift. It's read by Robert Forster, an actor I've always admired in film. It is worth a credit. I remember imagining Forster as the hitter. A fast read!