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.

Simple old school writing

I have always enjoyed Block. His style harks back to an era that championed character development, inner struggles, plots that were somewhat grounded in reality, and conversational dialog that helped push a story forward. Block is similar to authors like Ed McBain, MacDonald, and Elmore Leonard. You just can't find anyone under the age of 65 writing like this any more.

Block does not always hit a home run. And Hit Man is not his most amazing book or series character. I'm not sure if it was written like this, but you have to think that Block wrote 10 or so short stories using his character here and then strung them together to form this novel. The stories fit together nicely and Block manages to string along narratives which glues the resulting work into a cohesive body, but you could still take an individual chapter and present it as a stand alone story.

My primary fault is that the chapter/stories were all the same essentially. Things got a little repetitive. What I liked most here was that Hit Man was not about someone racing to save the world or someone with magical/superhuman abilities. Hit Man was about a simple man with simple tastes taking out people that in the grand scheme of things were small fish. So I liked how this novel was grounded in a semblance or reality. And I liked how Block took a page from McBain, having his character muse over universal questions as the stories unfolded.

If you have not read Block, I would suggest starting with his Matthew Scudder series from the beginning. The first five or six books there are better than any other suspense series I had read until Connelly's Bosch books surpassed it.

A charming executioner

Robert Forster's gravelly, blue collar voice is perfect in his depiction of Keller, the low key, just-get-the-job-done assassin.

The book's title led me to believe that I might be in for a gritty tale of suspense, probably with a surprise ending or a moral dilemma. It's nothing like that! Instead I was treated to a look at the quirky life of an average professional business man, just doing his job. However, his assignments are never straightforward or predictable.

The author sends his character into odd situations where the contract kills are often open to interpretation or require adjustments. Keller the killer, has a dog; a girlfriend; a therapist; a sensible retirement plan; and when his work takes him to new places, he checks to see if there might be someone in the local phonebook that happens to share his name. He is a very likable hit man.

This is audio noir.

Surprisingly good

What made the experience of listening to Hit Man the most enjoyable?

The narration

What other book might you compare Hit Man to and why?

I have not read any other that quite compared as yet.

What about Robert Forster’s performance did you like?

I liked his mono-tone. The voice was basically the same throughout the story.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

I liked the relationship with Keller and Dot.

Any additional comments?

I was very surprised; this book was not what I was expecting. I was expecting to hear a lot of shoot ups and blood. Although Keller did more than his share of killing, it was tastefully done and with class. I enjoyed this book and was very surprised with the ending of Dot ending her husband's life. It was also weird about Andria leaving but she was young and fickle. Keller had a job to do and he build no attachments.

Keller grows on you.

Would you listen to Hit Man again? Why?

Yes I would.

Any additional comments?

Pretty pretty good. Keller's mind is all over he place I can relate.

Great Find in the Bargain Box

I listened to this book while driving to Montana from California which is mostly a very boring drive. But the narrator did such an excellent job with the author's humor and cynicism that I wanted to keep driving so I could keep listening. The story is very well crafted and very engaging. Who would think to make a normal guy out of a professional hit man? Plus, the author throws in Eastern philosophy to make it all perfectly respectable. Do yourself a cheap favor and plop down the chump change for this gem.

Classic Lawrence Block, very well narrated

This is an excellent and typically quirky Lawrence Block book. Keller, the protagonist, is a hit man, but to him it's just a job that he does because he can do it well. The book moves right along, and the reading by Robert Forster is excellent, adding to my enjoyment of the book. This is a perfect book to distract you from a long run. It's not great literature, but it is an excellent book by a master of his trade. Recommended.

Loved the short story format

Great characters. Lots of little unexpected twists. The vignette/short story nature of the whole novel made it nice for my commute.
Looking forward to the next.

Surprisingly fun listen

Ordered this one because it was cheap and was pleasantly suprised. Hit men and crime thrillers are not usually my thing but this one had just enough humor and plot twists to more than satisfy. The reader was perfect voice for Keller's ruminations on life death patriotism and pet ownership. Would have given five stars but it wasn't that deep. Still, great fun.

Possibly the Best Audio Book I've Ever Heard

There isn't mucht to add from what the other reviewers have said except one thing.

I don't see this as a story about a hit man. It is yet another allegory about "everyman". The fact that Keller is a paid assassin is not the point of the story. It makes it very interesting to listen to because his occupation is very extreme.

The story is about who we are and what we become and how we end up looking back at our lives trying to decide if what we do defines who we are. I know that I never dreamed as a child of going into sales -- yet here I am at age 50 running a sales organization. Like Keller, I don't love what I do, but I don't hate it. It's not at all, though about who I am.

Being a hit man is not who Keller is, it's just what he does. This story has certainly been done before -- the mid-life crisis where a man gets a dog, a hobby, a much-younger girlfriend -- but doing it in this context is nothing short of brilliant.

And then when you add Robert Forster into the mix, magic happens. This narration is simply remarkable. Forster nailed this one dead on.

Don't be put off by the fact that this hit man isn't punished or thinking that this book will desensitize you to violence -- it won't. It's a great book and if you pass it up - you'll be missing a lot.

Great hit!

This was a terribly witty, funny and streaming book. I found the writing a lot like Elmore Leonard (or maybe it is vice versa). Highly recommended reading for the people that like the genre.