Hit Man

Keller is an assassin - he is paid by the job and works for a mysterious man who nominates hits and passes on commissions from elsewhere. Keller goes in, does the job, gets out: usually at a few hours' notice ...Often Keller's work takes him out of New York to other cities, to pretty provincial towns that almost tempt him into moving to the woods and the lakeshores. Almost but not quite. But then one job goes wrong in a way Keller has never imagined and it leaves him with a big problem. Finding himself with an orphan on his hands, Keller's job begins to interfere with his carefully guarded life. And once you let someone into your life, they tend to want to know what you do when you're away. And killing for a living, lucrative though it is, just doesn't find favour with some folks.

Book source ~ Purchased at Audible

Hit Man

John Keller, #1

Lawrence Block ~ author

Robert Forster ~ narrator

16 December 1999

Crime Fiction

7 hours 49 minutes

My Rating ~ 4 bites

John Keller is a regular guy. Not too handsome, not too fugly, just pretty much forgettable. Which is the way he likes it considering he’s a hit man. Based out of New York City, he works with an Old Man in White Plains who acts as the broker for such jobs. Keller travels a lot, usually at a moment’s notice, and kills people, but he makes a decent living, so he’s fine with it.

This is a bit different than I was expecting. Yes, Keller is an assassin. But he’s so damn likeable it’s hard to root against him. This is also a series of short stories which I didn’t realize when I bought it. It’s all good though. Each story is self-contained in the life of John Keller. Various jobs, how he went about them, and what he does in-between. There’s interaction with the Old Man from White Plains and his assistant Dot. He even starts seeing a psychiatrist. Overall, I really enjoyed this book. Keller is a fascinating character, his jobs are varied, and the whole thing is just so interesting. I hate to say that a book about an assassin is an enjoyable read, but it is. It really is. I also had no idea that there are more Keller books. I’m going to be putting those on Planet TBR for future entertainment.