Hit List

As I'm sure I've said before, after Matthew Scudder, my favorite of the characters created by Lawrence Block is Keller, the affable and otherwise somewhat boring hit man. Keller first appeared in a series of short stories, most of which were initially published in Playboy. A number of the stories we......more

Keller, the most average Joe hit man you will ever read about, returns. This time, Keller continues collecting stamps, he sees movies at the cinema, goes to the beach, attends an art show and serves his time… on jury duty. Yep, Keller’s life is ordinary and slightly dull, but every once in a while h......more

Keller is a creature of habit. He leads a low-key New York lifestyle and his idea of a good time is collecting stamps. Even his job as a hit man has a certain routine. He gets a job, he flies somewhere, he kills someone, and he flies home. But weird disruptions are happening to Keller in this second......more

Remember how the seminal HBO series The Sopranos was not really a crime series ala The Shield or The Wire. It was a drama where the protagonist just happened to be a criminal. It is the same here. Hit List is a novel about the life and times of Keller, an assassin for hire. It's not really a thrille......more

Keller is a hit man. Every so often, he goes out on a job, but lately, all the jobs are going wrong. Turns out there's a rival hitman out to corner the market. Not bad, but Keller reminds me a bit too much of Block's other character, Burglar Bernie. I like my hit man novels a little more hard boiled t......more