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John Keller #5
Hit Me
BESTSELLING AUTHOR AND GRAND MASTER LAWRENCE BLOCK RETURNS TO HIS DEADLIEST HITMAN
A man named Nicholas Edwards lives in New Orleans renovating houses, doing honest work and making decent money at it. Between his family and his stamp collection, all his spare time is happily accounted for. Sometimes it's hard to remember that he used to kill people for a living.
But when the nation's economy tanks, taking the construction business with it, all it takes is one phone call to drag him back into the game. It may say Nicholas Edwards on his driver's license and credit cards, but he's back to being the man he always was: Keller.
Keller's work takes him to New York, the former home he hasn't dared revisit, where his target is the abbot of a midtown monastery. Another call puts him on a West Indies cruise, with several interesting fellow passengers-the government witness, the incandescent young woman keeping the witness company, and, sharing Keller's cabin, his wife, Julia. But the high drama comes in Cheyenne, where a recent widow is looking to sell her husband's stamp collection...
In HIT ME, legendary Edgar Grandmaster and New York Times bestselling author Lawrence Block returns to one of his most beloved characters. Welcome back, Keller. You've been missed.
A man named Nicholas Edwards lives in New Orleans renovating houses, doing honest work and making decent money at it. Between his family and his stamp collection, all his spare time is happily accounted for. Sometimes it's hard to remember that he used to kill people for a living.
But when the nation's economy tanks, taking the construction business with it, all it takes is one phone call to drag him back into the game. It may say Nicholas Edwards on his driver's license and credit cards, but he's back to being the man he always was: Keller.
Keller's work takes him to New York, the former home he hasn't dared revisit, where his target is the abbot of a midtown monastery. Another call puts him on a West Indies cruise, with several interesting fellow passengers-the government witness, the incandescent young woman keeping the witness company, and, sharing Keller's cabin, his wife, Julia. But the high drama comes in Cheyenne, where a recent widow is looking to sell her husband's stamp collection...
In HIT ME, legendary Edgar Grandmaster and New York Times bestselling author Lawrence Block returns to one of his most beloved characters. Welcome back, Keller. You've been missed.
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First published December 1, 2012
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About the author
Lawrence Block
767 books2,979 followersLawrence Block has been writing crime, mystery, and suspense fiction for more than half a century. He has published in excess (oh, wretched excess!) of 100 books, and no end of short stories.
Born in Buffalo, N.Y., LB attended Antioch College, but left before completing his studies; school authorities advised him that they felt he’d be happier elsewhere, and he thought this was remarkably perceptive of them.
His earliest work, published pseudonymously in the late 1950s, was mostly in the field of midcentury erotica, an apprenticeship he shared with Donald E. Westlake and Robert Silverberg. The first time Lawrence Block’s name appeared in print was when his short story “You Can’t Lose” was published in the February 1958 issue of Manhunt. The first book published under his own name was Mona (1961); it was reissued several times over the years, once as Sweet Slow Death. In 2005 it became the first offering from Hard Case Crime, and bore for the first time LB’s original title, Grifter’s Game.
LB is best known for his series characters, including cop-turned-private investigator Matthew Scudder, gentleman burglar Bernie Rhodenbarr, globe-trotting insomniac Evan Tanner, and introspective assassin Keller.
Because one name is never enough, LB has also published under pseudonyms including Jill Emerson, John Warren Wells, Lesley Evans, and Anne Campbell Clarke.
LB’s magazine appearances include American Heritage, Redbook, Playboy, Linn’s Stamp News, Cosmopolitan, GQ, and The New York Times. His monthly instructional column ran in Writer’s Digest for 14 years, and led to a string of books for writers, including the classics Telling Lies for Fun & Profit and The Liar’s Bible. He has also written episodic television (Tilt!) and the Wong Kar-wai film, My Blueberry Nights.
Several of LB’s books have been filmed. The latest, A Walk Among the Tombstones, stars Liam Neeson as Matthew Scudder and is scheduled for release in September, 2014.
LB is a Grand Master of Mystery Writers of America, and a past president of MWA and the Private Eye Writers of America. He has won the Edgar and Shamus awards four times each, and the Japanese Maltese Falcon award twice, as well as the Nero Wolfe and Philip Marlowe awards, a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Private Eye Writers of America, and the Diamond Dagger for Life Achievement from the Crime Writers Association (UK). He’s also been honored with the Gumshoe Lifetime Achievement Award from Mystery Ink magazine and the Edward D. Hoch Memorial Golden Derringer for Lifetime Achievement in the short story. In France, he has been proclaimed a Grand Maitre du Roman Noir and has twice been awarded the Societe 813 trophy. He has been a guest of honor at Bouchercon and at book fairs and mystery festivals in France, Germany, Australia, Italy, New Zealand, Spain and Taiwan. As if that were not enough, he was also presented with the key to the city of Muncie, Indiana. (But as soon as he left, they changed the locks.)
LB and his wife Lynne are enthusiastic New Yorkers and relentless world travelers; the two are members of the Travelers Century Club, and have visited around 160 countries.
He is a modest and humble fellow, although you would never guess as much from this biographical note.
Born in Buffalo, N.Y., LB attended Antioch College, but left before completing his studies; school authorities advised him that they felt he’d be happier elsewhere, and he thought this was remarkably perceptive of them.
His earliest work, published pseudonymously in the late 1950s, was mostly in the field of midcentury erotica, an apprenticeship he shared with Donald E. Westlake and Robert Silverberg. The first time Lawrence Block’s name appeared in print was when his short story “You Can’t Lose” was published in the February 1958 issue of Manhunt. The first book published under his own name was Mona (1961); it was reissued several times over the years, once as Sweet Slow Death. In 2005 it became the first offering from Hard Case Crime, and bore for the first time LB’s original title, Grifter’s Game.
LB is best known for his series characters, including cop-turned-private investigator Matthew Scudder, gentleman burglar Bernie Rhodenbarr, globe-trotting insomniac Evan Tanner, and introspective assassin Keller.
Because one name is never enough, LB has also published under pseudonyms including Jill Emerson, John Warren Wells, Lesley Evans, and Anne Campbell Clarke.
LB’s magazine appearances include American Heritage, Redbook, Playboy, Linn’s Stamp News, Cosmopolitan, GQ, and The New York Times. His monthly instructional column ran in Writer’s Digest for 14 years, and led to a string of books for writers, including the classics Telling Lies for Fun & Profit and The Liar’s Bible. He has also written episodic television (Tilt!) and the Wong Kar-wai film, My Blueberry Nights.
Several of LB’s books have been filmed. The latest, A Walk Among the Tombstones, stars Liam Neeson as Matthew Scudder and is scheduled for release in September, 2014.
LB is a Grand Master of Mystery Writers of America, and a past president of MWA and the Private Eye Writers of America. He has won the Edgar and Shamus awards four times each, and the Japanese Maltese Falcon award twice, as well as the Nero Wolfe and Philip Marlowe awards, a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Private Eye Writers of America, and the Diamond Dagger for Life Achievement from the Crime Writers Association (UK). He’s also been honored with the Gumshoe Lifetime Achievement Award from Mystery Ink magazine and the Edward D. Hoch Memorial Golden Derringer for Lifetime Achievement in the short story. In France, he has been proclaimed a Grand Maitre du Roman Noir and has twice been awarded the Societe 813 trophy. He has been a guest of honor at Bouchercon and at book fairs and mystery festivals in France, Germany, Australia, Italy, New Zealand, Spain and Taiwan. As if that were not enough, he was also presented with the key to the city of Muncie, Indiana. (But as soon as he left, they changed the locks.)
LB and his wife Lynne are enthusiastic New Yorkers and relentless world travelers; the two are members of the Travelers Century Club, and have visited around 160 countries.
He is a modest and humble fellow, although you would never guess as much from this biographical note.
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February 25, 2013
When his finances get into trouble, Keller finds himself back in business with Dot and dispatching targets in the only way he knows how.
In the interest of full disclosure, I received this ARC from Lawrence Block in exchange for reviewing it. Hell, when your favorite living crime writer gives you an ARC, you drop what you're doing it and read it.
First off, I loved the way Hit and Run ended and thought maybe bringing Keller back was a mistake. However, the way Block did it, with Keller's business flipping houses tanking, made perfect sense, and Keller's new family dynamic added some extra twists. Block's writing is as it has been for the duration of the Keller series; breezy but still powerful. He even made me care about stamp collecting for a couple hours.
In this outing, Keller starts a business, brokers a deal on an amazing stamp collection, goes on a cruise, and kills some people. I phrase it like that because, for me, the Keller books are more about what Keller does when he isn't out on a job. His relationships with his wife Jule, his daughter Jenny, and the ever-present Dot, as well as his wrestling with ethical and philosophical issues, keep the stories fresh and show the man behind the murders.
The jobs are interesting too. Keller has to take out a man's wife before he divorces her, return to New York to take out an abbot, kill a young bride's much older husband, and tries to find out who made an attempt on a targets life before he had the chance, all the while busying himself with family and philately.
That's about all I have to say. If you're looking for a view behind the curtain of the murder for hire business, give Lawrence Block's Keller series a try. Hit Me may be the best one yet.
In the interest of full disclosure, I received this ARC from Lawrence Block in exchange for reviewing it. Hell, when your favorite living crime writer gives you an ARC, you drop what you're doing it and read it.
First off, I loved the way Hit and Run ended and thought maybe bringing Keller back was a mistake. However, the way Block did it, with Keller's business flipping houses tanking, made perfect sense, and Keller's new family dynamic added some extra twists. Block's writing is as it has been for the duration of the Keller series; breezy but still powerful. He even made me care about stamp collecting for a couple hours.
In this outing, Keller starts a business, brokers a deal on an amazing stamp collection, goes on a cruise, and kills some people. I phrase it like that because, for me, the Keller books are more about what Keller does when he isn't out on a job. His relationships with his wife Jule, his daughter Jenny, and the ever-present Dot, as well as his wrestling with ethical and philosophical issues, keep the stories fresh and show the man behind the murders.
The jobs are interesting too. Keller has to take out a man's wife before he divorces her, return to New York to take out an abbot, kill a young bride's much older husband, and tries to find out who made an attempt on a targets life before he had the chance, all the while busying himself with family and philately.
That's about all I have to say. If you're looking for a view behind the curtain of the murder for hire business, give Lawrence Block's Keller series a try. Hit Me may be the best one yet.
March 5, 2013
Back at the beginning of this series, professional hit man Keller would often fantasize about retiring and buying a house in one of the cities he visited while on the job, and circumstances beyond his control eventually pushed into that very situation. When we last saw him, Keller was living in New Orleans under a new name and with a new job that didn’t involve murdering people for money. It seemed as if Lawrence Block, had written a happy ending for the guy, and it was a very satisfactory way to close out Keller's story.
So I was a little nervous when I heard that Block had a new Keller book coming out. It felt like there was a lot of potential to screw up an ending that I liked a lot. I should have had more faith in the writer who has brought Matt Scudder back from apparent conclusions several times.
Keller is happy in New Orleans with his wife and infant daughter. The construction business he got into has taken a hit with the housing bust, but he still has enough money banked to make ends meet. Of course, a serious philatelist like Keller could always use more money for his hobby, and when an opportunity to resume his former job in Dallas coincides with a stamp auction he wanted to attend, Keller finds himself back in the murder-for-hire game.
Like most of the other Keller books, this is really a series of long short stories about different jobs that Keller works. (Note to TV executives, if you’re looking for another book series to adapt, check this out. Each Keller’s story could be an episode. I have some ideas. Call me.) In addition to his Dallas trip, Keller also takes a cruise, makes a homecoming trip to New York and tries to work a job around his appraisal of a large stamp collection.
While this is as entertaining and engaging as the other Keller books, I gotta say that I was a little depressed while reading it. Keller enthusiasm for his work always waxed and waned, but there was always the feeling that he was working towards getting out someday. Seeing Keller back on the job when he really doesn’t need the money saddened me a bit. I feared that it was making him seem more selfish and unfeeling than he’d been previously.
Fortunately, Block deals with this directly, and I still thought that Keller is a petty decent guy despite what he does by the end of the book. It’s a testament to Block’s skill in crafting such a great character that I think I’d be more than happy to read another book if it was just Keller’s adventures in stamp collecting with absolutely no murder-for-hire.
So I was a little nervous when I heard that Block had a new Keller book coming out. It felt like there was a lot of potential to screw up an ending that I liked a lot. I should have had more faith in the writer who has brought Matt Scudder back from apparent conclusions several times.
Keller is happy in New Orleans with his wife and infant daughter. The construction business he got into has taken a hit with the housing bust, but he still has enough money banked to make ends meet. Of course, a serious philatelist like Keller could always use more money for his hobby, and when an opportunity to resume his former job in Dallas coincides with a stamp auction he wanted to attend, Keller finds himself back in the murder-for-hire game.
Like most of the other Keller books, this is really a series of long short stories about different jobs that Keller works. (Note to TV executives, if you’re looking for another book series to adapt, check this out. Each Keller’s story could be an episode. I have some ideas. Call me.) In addition to his Dallas trip, Keller also takes a cruise, makes a homecoming trip to New York and tries to work a job around his appraisal of a large stamp collection.
While this is as entertaining and engaging as the other Keller books, I gotta say that I was a little depressed while reading it. Keller enthusiasm for his work always waxed and waned, but there was always the feeling that he was working towards getting out someday. Seeing Keller back on the job when he really doesn’t need the money saddened me a bit. I feared that it was making him seem more selfish and unfeeling than he’d been previously.
Fortunately, Block deals with this directly, and I still thought that Keller is a petty decent guy despite what he does by the end of the book. It’s a testament to Block’s skill in crafting such a great character that I think I’d be more than happy to read another book if it was just Keller’s adventures in stamp collecting with absolutely no murder-for-hire.
February 27, 2013
Of all the characters that Lawrence Block has created, my second-favorite (after Matthew Scudder) is John Paul Keller, philatelist and hit man. Keller orginially appeared in a series of short stories that were published in Playboy and other magazines. Later, some of the stories were collected in Hit Man, and since then Keller's adventures have been chronicled in three other books. This is the fifth in the series.
Keller had earlier attempted to retire. He had moved from New York, his long-time home base, to New Orleans. There he became Nicholas Edwards, acquiring along the way a wife and fathering a young daughter. As Edwards, Keller created a business rehabbing houses that had been damaged by Hurricane Katrina. But then the Great Recession hit New Orleans along with the rest of the country, and the rehabbing business dried up to virtually nothing.
Keller is not destitute by any means. After a long and successful career as a hit man, he has off shore accounts, after all. But he is accustomed to a certain lifestyle which is now crimped by the lack of income. In particular, he has a growing stamp collection that is expensive to maintain.
Fortuitously, he receives a call from Dot, the woman who used to give Keller his assignments back in New York. Dot has also retired and moved to Sedona, Arizona. She's grown bored, though, and has gone back into business, scheduling hits. She wonders is Keller might be interested in an assignment.
He is. And thus begins a series of jobs that will take Keller to a variety of cities and even on a cruise as he carries out his appointed duties. Often, he is able to work in stops at stamp conventions and dealers, growing his collection with the money he is now earning.
It's all a great deal of fun and Keller is a very engaging character. He is, by turn, wistful, melancholy, reflective and playful. Even though is is an assassin for hire, he has his own moral code and he remains true to himself. The addition of a wife and child make him an even more interesting and well-rounded character, and it's great to have him back. My only regret about the book is that I liked it so much I devoured it over the course of one afternoon and evening, rather than taking the time to savor it over several days.
Keller had earlier attempted to retire. He had moved from New York, his long-time home base, to New Orleans. There he became Nicholas Edwards, acquiring along the way a wife and fathering a young daughter. As Edwards, Keller created a business rehabbing houses that had been damaged by Hurricane Katrina. But then the Great Recession hit New Orleans along with the rest of the country, and the rehabbing business dried up to virtually nothing.
Keller is not destitute by any means. After a long and successful career as a hit man, he has off shore accounts, after all. But he is accustomed to a certain lifestyle which is now crimped by the lack of income. In particular, he has a growing stamp collection that is expensive to maintain.
Fortuitously, he receives a call from Dot, the woman who used to give Keller his assignments back in New York. Dot has also retired and moved to Sedona, Arizona. She's grown bored, though, and has gone back into business, scheduling hits. She wonders is Keller might be interested in an assignment.
He is. And thus begins a series of jobs that will take Keller to a variety of cities and even on a cruise as he carries out his appointed duties. Often, he is able to work in stops at stamp conventions and dealers, growing his collection with the money he is now earning.
It's all a great deal of fun and Keller is a very engaging character. He is, by turn, wistful, melancholy, reflective and playful. Even though is is an assassin for hire, he has his own moral code and he remains true to himself. The addition of a wife and child make him an even more interesting and well-rounded character, and it's great to have him back. My only regret about the book is that I liked it so much I devoured it over the course of one afternoon and evening, rather than taking the time to savor it over several days.
August 19, 2025
More About Stamps than Murder
A review of the Mulholland Books eBook (April 8, 2025) of the Mulholland Books hardcover original (February 12, 2013).
[3.4 average rating for the 5 stories, rounded down for a GR 3]
In the previous book in the series, the neurotic hitman John Keller seemed to have finally retired after having been on the run due to being setup as the fall-guy for a political assassination. He has a new identity and wife and child in New Orleans, where he works in house renovations and buy & sell flips. But with the U.S. housing mortgage crisis (the book is set in the early 2010s), the business has dried up and when Keller's old handler Dot comes calling, he needs the work and the money. Also there are a few stamps he'd like to acquire.
Even though the plots are set around the various jobs assigned by Dot, most of the stories are built around the stamps that Keller plans to acquire and the stamp auction or dealer he will attend in each city where the targets live. There is likely a degree of roman à clef fiction here as Block himself was an obsessive stamp collector and wrote about it in articles that were collected in Generally Speaking: All 33 columns, plus a few philatelic words from Keller (2011).
Athough this 2013 collection is the final full-length Keller book, Block did return to the character for a final novella Keller's Fedora in 2016.
The following are individual story ratings and synopses:
1. Keller in Dallas *** Keller is drawn back into the hit man racket when the U.S. housing market crashes in the early 2010s. Living in retirement in New Orleans with a wife and child, he also needs money for a stamp that he covets. The auction is in Dallas and fortunately so is the target that his old handler Dot has lined up. But can he collect the double bonus?
2. Keller’s Homecoming **** Keller goes back to New York City when yet another hitjob is offered in the same city as a stamp auction. Will he be recognized by anyone from back in the day before he had to go on the run? And how will he penetrate the fortress-like sanctum of his target?
3. Keller at Sea *** The job requires that Keller take a trip on a Caribbean cruise liner and new wife Julia is willing to go along to be part of the cover of a vacationing couple. The target is an old time mobster with 2 security guards though and he is staying in a hard-to-get-at upper deck suite.
4. Keller’s Sideline **** Keller wants out of the hit man racket but needs to keep busy. His body feels too old to continue doing housing renovation work. Why not turn his stamp collecting hobby into a business and become a stamp broker / seller?
5. Keller’s Obligation *** Keller is reluctant to take on a job when he discovers the target is not only a juvenile but also a fellow stamp collector. He decides his obligation is to ensure the future of stamp collecting and will take out the client instead.
Trivia and Links
I read a considerable number of Lawrence Block books in my pre-GR and pre-reviewing days. Probably 40 or so out of the 100+ that are available. That included all of the Matt Scudder books, several of the Bernie Rhodenbarrs, several of the Evan Tanners, several of the Kellers, a dozen or so standalones and some of the memoirs. There were even a few of the earlier pulp novels which were originally published under pseudonyms.
Lawrence Block (June 24, 1938 - ) considers himself retired these days, but still maintains an occasional newsletter with the latest issued in November 2024. That last newsletter links to a rare interview Block provided for a Turkish mystery magazine which you can read in English or Turkish here.
A review of the Mulholland Books eBook (April 8, 2025) of the Mulholland Books hardcover original (February 12, 2013).
“Business dried up,” he said. “There’s no financing. We can’t buy houses and we can’t sell them, and nobody’s hiring us to repair them, either, because there’s no money around.”
“Keller, I’ve got something if you want it. I had a guy lined up for it and I just learned he’s in the hospital, he flipped his car and they had to yank him out of there with the Jaws of Death.”
“Isn’t it the Jaws of Life?”
“Whatever.”
[3.4 average rating for the 5 stories, rounded down for a GR 3]
In the previous book in the series, the neurotic hitman John Keller seemed to have finally retired after having been on the run due to being setup as the fall-guy for a political assassination. He has a new identity and wife and child in New Orleans, where he works in house renovations and buy & sell flips. But with the U.S. housing mortgage crisis (the book is set in the early 2010s), the business has dried up and when Keller's old handler Dot comes calling, he needs the work and the money. Also there are a few stamps he'd like to acquire.
Even though the plots are set around the various jobs assigned by Dot, most of the stories are built around the stamps that Keller plans to acquire and the stamp auction or dealer he will attend in each city where the targets live. There is likely a degree of roman à clef fiction here as Block himself was an obsessive stamp collector and wrote about it in articles that were collected in Generally Speaking: All 33 columns, plus a few philatelic words from Keller (2011).
Athough this 2013 collection is the final full-length Keller book, Block did return to the character for a final novella Keller's Fedora in 2016.
The following are individual story ratings and synopses:
1. Keller in Dallas *** Keller is drawn back into the hit man racket when the U.S. housing market crashes in the early 2010s. Living in retirement in New Orleans with a wife and child, he also needs money for a stamp that he covets. The auction is in Dallas and fortunately so is the target that his old handler Dot has lined up. But can he collect the double bonus?
2. Keller’s Homecoming **** Keller goes back to New York City when yet another hitjob is offered in the same city as a stamp auction. Will he be recognized by anyone from back in the day before he had to go on the run? And how will he penetrate the fortress-like sanctum of his target?
3. Keller at Sea *** The job requires that Keller take a trip on a Caribbean cruise liner and new wife Julia is willing to go along to be part of the cover of a vacationing couple. The target is an old time mobster with 2 security guards though and he is staying in a hard-to-get-at upper deck suite.
4. Keller’s Sideline **** Keller wants out of the hit man racket but needs to keep busy. His body feels too old to continue doing housing renovation work. Why not turn his stamp collecting hobby into a business and become a stamp broker / seller?
5. Keller’s Obligation *** Keller is reluctant to take on a job when he discovers the target is not only a juvenile but also a fellow stamp collector. He decides his obligation is to ensure the future of stamp collecting and will take out the client instead.
Trivia and Links
I read a considerable number of Lawrence Block books in my pre-GR and pre-reviewing days. Probably 40 or so out of the 100+ that are available. That included all of the Matt Scudder books, several of the Bernie Rhodenbarrs, several of the Evan Tanners, several of the Kellers, a dozen or so standalones and some of the memoirs. There were even a few of the earlier pulp novels which were originally published under pseudonyms.
Lawrence Block (June 24, 1938 - ) considers himself retired these days, but still maintains an occasional newsletter with the latest issued in November 2024. That last newsletter links to a rare interview Block provided for a Turkish mystery magazine which you can read in English or Turkish here.
September 13, 2013
Ok. I have been away from GR for a couple of months now and so am just starting the wade through the books I have read since my last visit. So the disappointing ones first. That way I can at least feel I am moving the log jam and the good stuff can flow freely.
This was weird because although it was an horrendous story it was quite 'page-turney' though as I imbibed it on my kindle it was more of a page click but you know what I mean. One of a series but as this is the only one I have read I cannot really speak about its forebears or where it stands in the whole work itself but I have to say I found the main character horrible.
The whole premise is of a bloke who kills for huge amounts of money, just accepts the contract and does the deed. Block is rather cowardly in the novel though I feel because although he appears to be claiming to be describing an amoral contract killer he balks at actually presenting it in that way and conveniently the victims are always found to have been traitorous or loathsome or foully disingenuous themselves thus in some weird way lessening the action on the part of his anti-hero. This was disingenuous on Block's part I felt because if you are presenting the story as the workings of an amoral character then do not retreat from that into some sort of murder justification.
Keller is vicious and cold and cruel and his wife, don't get me started on that vile cow. She gets ultra turned on when she discovers what her husband does for a living and I found the whole ridiculous concept of caring wife/mother or of Keller's loving caring dad/husband angle weirdly unswallowable. Both of them self justify and excuse and I did not like them or find them in anyway convincing. Bonnie and Clyde they were not but she appeared to take to having a hand in the slaughter of people like a duck to water and floated along quite merrily afterwards with only a slight nod in the direction of unconvincing angst. Just did not ring true...though admittedly my previous experience of contract killers and their vile spouses is, to my knowledge, fairly limited.
I had far more time for his 'boss' Dot who is at least openly uncaring and proud of her bitch credentials. She I found interesting in a scary way.
All in all. Not a series I will rush to read any more of. One book down lots more to go.
This was weird because although it was an horrendous story it was quite 'page-turney' though as I imbibed it on my kindle it was more of a page click but you know what I mean. One of a series but as this is the only one I have read I cannot really speak about its forebears or where it stands in the whole work itself but I have to say I found the main character horrible.
The whole premise is of a bloke who kills for huge amounts of money, just accepts the contract and does the deed. Block is rather cowardly in the novel though I feel because although he appears to be claiming to be describing an amoral contract killer he balks at actually presenting it in that way and conveniently the victims are always found to have been traitorous or loathsome or foully disingenuous themselves thus in some weird way lessening the action on the part of his anti-hero. This was disingenuous on Block's part I felt because if you are presenting the story as the workings of an amoral character then do not retreat from that into some sort of murder justification.
Keller is vicious and cold and cruel and his wife, don't get me started on that vile cow. She gets ultra turned on when she discovers what her husband does for a living and I found the whole ridiculous concept of caring wife/mother or of Keller's loving caring dad/husband angle weirdly unswallowable. Both of them self justify and excuse and I did not like them or find them in anyway convincing. Bonnie and Clyde they were not but she appeared to take to having a hand in the slaughter of people like a duck to water and floated along quite merrily afterwards with only a slight nod in the direction of unconvincing angst. Just did not ring true...though admittedly my previous experience of contract killers and their vile spouses is, to my knowledge, fairly limited.
I had far more time for his 'boss' Dot who is at least openly uncaring and proud of her bitch credentials. She I found interesting in a scary way.
All in all. Not a series I will rush to read any more of. One book down lots more to go.
February 14, 2024
This is a pretty good read. If you have followed the story of our everyman/hit man Keller then you know he settled down and stopped killing people.
Then the recession hit and you know how it is... Sometimes you have to go back to an old carrier to pay the bills, or buy that rare multi-thousand dollar stamp.
So Keller (no longer using that name) has to find a way to fit his old career into his new life...and how will his wife react...and can he keep it from touching his child????
Still the book felt like it was taking a step backward. It's told in what I'd call a series of "literary" vignettes and has a kind of "non-ending".
So this is a bit like finding some Keller short stories with an ending which will leave you hoping it gets more tied up later. Not bad and the story telling is still good. See for yourself. If you liked the others you'll most likely like this.
Then the recession hit and you know how it is... Sometimes you have to go back to an old carrier to pay the bills, or buy that rare multi-thousand dollar stamp.
So Keller (no longer using that name) has to find a way to fit his old career into his new life...and how will his wife react...and can he keep it from touching his child????
Still the book felt like it was taking a step backward. It's told in what I'd call a series of "literary" vignettes and has a kind of "non-ending".
So this is a bit like finding some Keller short stories with an ending which will leave you hoping it gets more tied up later. Not bad and the story telling is still good. See for yourself. If you liked the others you'll most likely like this.
July 14, 2020
Keller is enjoying a quiet life in New Orleans with his wife and daughter when, like many Americans at the time, he is hit by the financial crisis of the late 2000s. With his house-flipping business belly-up, Keller receives a call from Dot asking if he’s willing to come out of retirement.
Once again, Block eschews the novel format for a collection of loosely connected short stories. Honestly, I have no preference between the two ways in which Block chooses to present Keller’s story – each has its own merits. This time around, we see Keller venture back to the Big Apple to take down a prominent holy man, go on a "vacation" with his wife Julia where a fellow passenger is a dead-man walking, and also work alongside a woman in Cheyenne who is looking to unload her deceased husband’s stamp collection.
I will say that choosing to read every book in a series in quick succession is not something I normally do. I generally like to space novels out to just get the illusion of more time with a character. However, Block’s prose goes down as easily as my favorite comfort food, so it was easy to make an exception to my own rule. That said, I got a bit worn down by all the stamp talk in this one. I realize it’s important to the character and helps to ground him in reality, but I think I hit my limit mid-way through HIT ME. That’s probably just fatigue speaking though. Hard to hold it against the series in any way.
These were some fun stories. I particularly enjoyed "Keller’s Homecoming" where he has to come up with a way to knock off an Abbott inside a Monastery. Not an easy task. The best bits of the story involve Keller struggling with the loss of comfort in the city he called home the majority of his life. It’s not like the target on his back brought about by the events in Des Moines will ever truly go away, so it’s dangerous to risk being recognized in New York City. Block did a good job balancing Keller’s anxiety over how to complete the job while attempting to stay undercover.
There’s still a novella on the horizon that I need to read, so I’m not entirely finished with Keller just yet. I’m going to give myself a bit of a breather before this one though. As long as Block wishes to keep writing about his humble hit-man, I’m willing to read on.
Once again, Block eschews the novel format for a collection of loosely connected short stories. Honestly, I have no preference between the two ways in which Block chooses to present Keller’s story – each has its own merits. This time around, we see Keller venture back to the Big Apple to take down a prominent holy man, go on a "vacation" with his wife Julia where a fellow passenger is a dead-man walking, and also work alongside a woman in Cheyenne who is looking to unload her deceased husband’s stamp collection.
I will say that choosing to read every book in a series in quick succession is not something I normally do. I generally like to space novels out to just get the illusion of more time with a character. However, Block’s prose goes down as easily as my favorite comfort food, so it was easy to make an exception to my own rule. That said, I got a bit worn down by all the stamp talk in this one. I realize it’s important to the character and helps to ground him in reality, but I think I hit my limit mid-way through HIT ME. That’s probably just fatigue speaking though. Hard to hold it against the series in any way.
These were some fun stories. I particularly enjoyed "Keller’s Homecoming" where he has to come up with a way to knock off an Abbott inside a Monastery. Not an easy task. The best bits of the story involve Keller struggling with the loss of comfort in the city he called home the majority of his life. It’s not like the target on his back brought about by the events in Des Moines will ever truly go away, so it’s dangerous to risk being recognized in New York City. Block did a good job balancing Keller’s anxiety over how to complete the job while attempting to stay undercover.
There’s still a novella on the horizon that I need to read, so I’m not entirely finished with Keller just yet. I’m going to give myself a bit of a breather before this one though. As long as Block wishes to keep writing about his humble hit-man, I’m willing to read on.
February 27, 2018
Keller has retired from the hitman business, devoting his time to rehabilitating houses in New Orleans, his family, and his stamps. Then the crash set in, and he starts killing people like he never left.
It's okay. To be honest, I like his burglar books better.
It's okay. To be honest, I like his burglar books better.
May 9, 2017
Stuff to do, places to go, including catching a flight...but I had to finish off this great collection of hits. Keller has almost convinced me to look into stamp collecting with this fascinating series of jobs. He makes a visit to study what is coming up on auction and is very excited at the thought of putting in a winning bid. "This was the straight goods, the genuine article. All he had to do to go home with it was outbid any other interested collectors. And he could do that, too, and without straining his budget or dipping into his capital. But first he'd have to kill somebody."
There are many highly amusing conversations by phone with Dot who talks him into more jobs. Even though he had intended to stay out of the game and stick close to home in New Orleans with this wife and baby daughter, Jenny.
On one of these jaunts Keller is thinking of his mother when he obeys the hotel sign that advises him to throw his towels on the floor. He knows his mother would not have approved and these thoughts bring him into a somnambulant conversation with his dead mother. "My stars, Johnny. You've gone clear across the country to spend a week in the middle of nowhere, and all you're getting for your trouble is some stamps? He tried to explain, but his mother wasn't having any. If I sent you to town to sell our cow, she said, I swear you'd come home with a handful of magic beans. You remember that story? You used to love that story, and I used to love telling it to you, but I never for a moment thought you'd take it as gospel."
Since I came late to the Keller table, I know I have more books to look forward to. Great stuff!
There are many highly amusing conversations by phone with Dot who talks him into more jobs. Even though he had intended to stay out of the game and stick close to home in New Orleans with this wife and baby daughter, Jenny.
On one of these jaunts Keller is thinking of his mother when he obeys the hotel sign that advises him to throw his towels on the floor. He knows his mother would not have approved and these thoughts bring him into a somnambulant conversation with his dead mother. "My stars, Johnny. You've gone clear across the country to spend a week in the middle of nowhere, and all you're getting for your trouble is some stamps? He tried to explain, but his mother wasn't having any. If I sent you to town to sell our cow, she said, I swear you'd come home with a handful of magic beans. You remember that story? You used to love that story, and I used to love telling it to you, but I never for a moment thought you'd take it as gospel."
Since I came late to the Keller table, I know I have more books to look forward to. Great stuff!
July 18, 2015
The fifth Keller novel, about a hitman and actually more about the morality and life of ordinary people. Keller never has been to much of a moral knight he sees his profession as a way to earn money and have a life.
In this fifth installment we see Keller, by now married and having a daughter, returning to his old trade after the market on houses and all connected has gone down the drain. Dot is still his manager even if she has relocated herself and reinvented her life as well.
This book is about Keller's journey from hitman to reluctant stamp salesman and his gradual goodbye to the game. When in the final pages a big game changer tales place.
As always a great book about killing, living and stamps. Lawrence Block undoubtedly has some more Keller up his sleeve and I do not doubt my intention of reading them.
For those who have not read any, start at the beginning. Well worth yourwhile.
In this fifth installment we see Keller, by now married and having a daughter, returning to his old trade after the market on houses and all connected has gone down the drain. Dot is still his manager even if she has relocated herself and reinvented her life as well.
This book is about Keller's journey from hitman to reluctant stamp salesman and his gradual goodbye to the game. When in the final pages a big game changer tales place.
As always a great book about killing, living and stamps. Lawrence Block undoubtedly has some more Keller up his sleeve and I do not doubt my intention of reading them.
For those who have not read any, start at the beginning. Well worth yourwhile.
November 19, 2020
This being the fifth book in the quintology, the book serves as kind of a swan song for Keller. We kind of see him settle into his life with his wife Julia and daughter Julia more as well as transition back into his former life as a hired assassin.
But even less than in previous books, he’s not just killing people to fund his burgeoning philately hobby; he’s also concerned that with the downturn in the economy about providing for his family. So, instead of taking every job that comes his way to buy even more rare and expensive stamps, he’s also building a nest egg for his family AND buying only kind of rare stamps for his collection.
And by the book he becomes semi-retired and actually seems to only be going after unscrupulous clients who order hits on innocent children and other folks who definitely should be safe from such base behavior. It’s kind of a nod to Dexter and a perfect way to cap the series, if this indeed is the last of the series.
But even less than in previous books, he’s not just killing people to fund his burgeoning philately hobby; he’s also concerned that with the downturn in the economy about providing for his family. So, instead of taking every job that comes his way to buy even more rare and expensive stamps, he’s also building a nest egg for his family AND buying only kind of rare stamps for his collection.
And by the book he becomes semi-retired and actually seems to only be going after unscrupulous clients who order hits on innocent children and other folks who definitely should be safe from such base behavior. It’s kind of a nod to Dexter and a perfect way to cap the series, if this indeed is the last of the series.
September 1, 2019
More like 3.5 stars. I just didn't feel a lot of urgency in any of these tales, so it was more of a draggy read than prior entries in the series. But I'll always love Keller for the philately.
January 7, 2024
The fifth and possibly the last installment in the life of go to killer for hire - Keller. It is always good to return to a familiar character, especially when the author can effortlessly weave his magic in episodes from this fictional gun for hire. Block clearly has an affinity for this original lead in this popular series but why is he so warmly received? It isn't easy to explain and perhaps he isn't everyone's leading man, who should be cheering the bad guy, hoping he gets safely back to his wife & daughter? However, if you read a few pages you'll be hooked and just as much a fan as I. We're not really supporting contract killing in the process merely marveling at the wit and banter the main characters exchange, which marks out this author's work and enables him to get away with it one more time in this excellent book.
Keller should be retired; he's changed his name and settled down in New Orleans working in a tax declarable profession, yet he is lured out of 'retirement' to earn 'easy' money. this profitable sideline has always enabled him to collect the more expensive and rare stamps.
Stamp collecting even becomes an interesting hobby in the presence of Keller and its place in his life seems to become more to the fore in this latter stories. It has always been part of the plot, a pastime to give him a reason to be somewhere other than to murder the subject because someone wants them dead and is able to pay for that contract.
Keller's life has changed and it is how he deals with this new priorities that demonstrates Block's craft in storytelling and maintains the reader's interest.
There is no real climax to the book; the ending isn't a tumble down a waterfall but his fans will feel he has finally retired.
I will miss him and the many aspects of his personality that allows him to kill but not cheat on his wife; that gives him empathy for others but the ability to fade to forgetfulness those he has terminated.
Watch out for the passage about names that are not shortened it will make you smile and delight how skillfully Block sends you down a dead end; only to spin you around and demonstrate the real depth of his writing.
Keller should be retired; he's changed his name and settled down in New Orleans working in a tax declarable profession, yet he is lured out of 'retirement' to earn 'easy' money. this profitable sideline has always enabled him to collect the more expensive and rare stamps.
Stamp collecting even becomes an interesting hobby in the presence of Keller and its place in his life seems to become more to the fore in this latter stories. It has always been part of the plot, a pastime to give him a reason to be somewhere other than to murder the subject because someone wants them dead and is able to pay for that contract.
Keller's life has changed and it is how he deals with this new priorities that demonstrates Block's craft in storytelling and maintains the reader's interest.
There is no real climax to the book; the ending isn't a tumble down a waterfall but his fans will feel he has finally retired.
I will miss him and the many aspects of his personality that allows him to kill but not cheat on his wife; that gives him empathy for others but the ability to fade to forgetfulness those he has terminated.
Watch out for the passage about names that are not shortened it will make you smile and delight how skillfully Block sends you down a dead end; only to spin you around and demonstrate the real depth of his writing.
April 12, 2014
The Keller hitman series lends itself well to a short story format and that is what we have here, a collection of episodes or stories connected by a character. Often this means that the reader suffers through some repetition of background details. And stamps. And then more stamps.
Keller now lives in New Orleans and where he has a successful business remodeling and flipping homes after Katrina. He’s married to Julia and has a child, Jennie, whom he loves and dotes on. Then Dot, his old “hit” contact, calls and offers him a job, The business having slacked off a little because of the subprime crisis, and wanting to add some rare and exotic stamps to his collection, Keller, with full knowledge of his wife (who gets “hot” when told of his exploits -- something I found truly abhorrent), heads off to other cities to fulfill the contract (and buy stamps.) Each case is unique and brings its own challenges. I liked the one at sea the best.
I like the series and in the past eagerly read all of Block, but Keller’s nonchalance about killing has begun to grate, not to mention Julia’s complicity in its rationalization. Keller’s greatest moral challenge is now which stamp to buy. The book does have some of the classic repartee between Dot and Keller that continues to make the book fun and interesting.
Of course, if you don’t like stamp collecting you won’t like Keller.
Keller now lives in New Orleans and where he has a successful business remodeling and flipping homes after Katrina. He’s married to Julia and has a child, Jennie, whom he loves and dotes on. Then Dot, his old “hit” contact, calls and offers him a job, The business having slacked off a little because of the subprime crisis, and wanting to add some rare and exotic stamps to his collection, Keller, with full knowledge of his wife (who gets “hot” when told of his exploits -- something I found truly abhorrent), heads off to other cities to fulfill the contract (and buy stamps.) Each case is unique and brings its own challenges. I liked the one at sea the best.
I like the series and in the past eagerly read all of Block, but Keller’s nonchalance about killing has begun to grate, not to mention Julia’s complicity in its rationalization. Keller’s greatest moral challenge is now which stamp to buy. The book does have some of the classic repartee between Dot and Keller that continues to make the book fun and interesting.
Of course, if you don’t like stamp collecting you won’t like Keller.
July 14, 2013
Its hard for Keller to decide if he only wants to be a family man, a killer, or a stamp collector as each circumstance in this novel revolves around these issues. The balance is intriguing and the question remains unanswered. 7 of 10 stars
June 17, 2015
I think Hit Me is supposed to be the last book of the Keller's Greatest Hits series? I like Mr. Block's solid writing, I like how he wrote about Keller the hit man, I like how Keller is so damn sexy when he is assassinating people hard at work---I'm not shy to admit Keller makes the top of my Book Boyfriends List, even though he's with wife and kid now. I like the interaction among Keller, his wife, his agent (Dot) and all those stamp-collecting friends of his.
Most of the murder mysteries in the book are avenge but they do have their moments to shine. I know I'm going to miss Keller and companies if Mr. Block really decided he would not write more book about him. 4 stars.
Most of the murder mysteries in the book are avenge but they do have their moments to shine. I know I'm going to miss Keller and companies if Mr. Block really decided he would not write more book about him. 4 stars.
January 24, 2016
I am sorry to say this did not grab me at all I had been wanting to try this author for a while as he always got good writeups maybe his other series is better this was a library loan so you never can get the first in the series a bit disappointed
May 5, 2013
In spite of some genuinely funny dialogue and a number of vivid characters, this collection of Keller stories seemed a little perfunctory to me. It is heavily freighted with long, detailed discussions of the nuances of stamp collecting, none of which had much to do with any of the plots. OK, Keller-the-killer keeps his guilt at bay and manages to stay sane partly by collecting stamps: I get it. But here it takes up so much time that it is a distraction, more or less like the repeated and repeated AA meetings in Block's Matthew Scudder novels. Maybe Block himself is more interested in stamp collecting than in writing. These stories show signs of being written by a master who no longer needs to do anything but gesture at actually writing the story. Block admits in one of them that they are really just puzzles--how will Keller get past the guards, or get into the impregnable building, or be two places at once, or correctly identify the real intended victim, or whatever? Once the puzzle is solved (and Block knows that we know he will solve it), there is no further interest. So here, the actual murders are foregone conclusions, and we don't actually witness any of them. Once Keller has figured out how to do it, the actual execution (in both senses) is assumed. In the last story, Block even foregoes clarifying the puzzle--he just states that Keller will successfully figure out who deserves to be killed, and the story ends. Maybe next time (if there is one) the phone will ring, it will be Dot with a job for Keller, and Block will let us assume the rest.
December 3, 2012
I'd never read any of Lawrence Block's Keller novels before HIT ME. That will likely change as he's an interesting man.
He's a retired hit man, married with a young daughter. He shared a partnership with a friend in a construction company that buys old houses in New Orleans, refurbishes them, and turns them over for a profit. That had done well until the downturn in the economy had made it a failing business.
Oh, Keller had plenty of money salted away in accounts in other countries from his first "business," but with raising a daughter and his stamp collecting, he was dipping into that more than he wanted. No danger of running out, just not something he liked doing.
So when his handler, a woman known as Dot, calls with a job offer, he decides to take her up on it. His wife knows about his old life and isn't bothered.
HIT ME is really a series of smaller works tied together with his family and his stamp collecting hobby, which gets as much attention as his jobs for Dot.
Liked this one enough to make me want to find the others and look forward to the next book. HIT ME is due out in February from Mulholland Books.
He's a retired hit man, married with a young daughter. He shared a partnership with a friend in a construction company that buys old houses in New Orleans, refurbishes them, and turns them over for a profit. That had done well until the downturn in the economy had made it a failing business.
Oh, Keller had plenty of money salted away in accounts in other countries from his first "business," but with raising a daughter and his stamp collecting, he was dipping into that more than he wanted. No danger of running out, just not something he liked doing.
So when his handler, a woman known as Dot, calls with a job offer, he decides to take her up on it. His wife knows about his old life and isn't bothered.
HIT ME is really a series of smaller works tied together with his family and his stamp collecting hobby, which gets as much attention as his jobs for Dot.
Liked this one enough to make me want to find the others and look forward to the next book. HIT ME is due out in February from Mulholland Books.
June 10, 2013
Loved Hit Man.
Liked Hit List. Liked Hit Parade.
Loved Hit and Run.
But, alas, this latest installment in the saga of the mild-mannered hit man Keller is a disappointment. It could hardly feel more perfunctory or less consequential.
The stakes feel low. The urgency is gone. The pleasure of watching Keller come up with clever ways of killing his victims is mild at best. The banter between Keller and Dot feels rehashed from the previous books.
I know Lawrence Block is a series kind of guy, but I have long wondered if Keller would have been better off left to the single book Hit Man, which is a sheer delight. Then Hit and Run, the only one in the series to be more novel than linked stories, was nearly as good.
But Hit Me adds little to the series, and I am left again to wonder if less would have been more in this case.
Liked Hit List. Liked Hit Parade.
Loved Hit and Run.
But, alas, this latest installment in the saga of the mild-mannered hit man Keller is a disappointment. It could hardly feel more perfunctory or less consequential.
The stakes feel low. The urgency is gone. The pleasure of watching Keller come up with clever ways of killing his victims is mild at best. The banter between Keller and Dot feels rehashed from the previous books.
I know Lawrence Block is a series kind of guy, but I have long wondered if Keller would have been better off left to the single book Hit Man, which is a sheer delight. Then Hit and Run, the only one in the series to be more novel than linked stories, was nearly as good.
But Hit Me adds little to the series, and I am left again to wonder if less would have been more in this case.
March 28, 2013
Keller is back! I hope he's back for quiet a few more books. When I find a series I like, I want to read it for a long while. Several of Mr. Block's series are favorites of mine, and I was thrilled to see this book on the list at the library. I could shout just as loudly that Dot is back, too. Dot is one of my favorite characters. She's sneaky and cold-blooded, diabolical but somehow still lovable. Well...as long as you don't have a price on your head. I love the way Dot feels about her money. Once it touches her hand, it's not returning to its point of departure.
As a past, small-time stamp collector, I loved the information about the stamps and the collecting culture. Way to go, Mr. Block, for another "hit" book.
As a past, small-time stamp collector, I loved the information about the stamps and the collecting culture. Way to go, Mr. Block, for another "hit" book.
Read
March 9, 2017Meet Keller a retired hit man, married with a young daughter. He was in a partnership with a friend refurbishing homes turning a profit in New Orleans after Katrina. Keller is married with a young daughter. His business isn’t doing since the recession so lo and behold he hears from Dot who wants to know if he wants to perform a job since she’s back in the business also. Keller takes the job and does well. He will not do women and definitely no children.
It has been a while since I have read one of Bock’s books and I still find his books entertaining. The characters are likable and I like the back and forth that Keller and Dot have. I wasn’t crazy about all the information about stamp collecting but as I say you can’t have it all when you read a book series.
It has been a while since I have read one of Bock’s books and I still find his books entertaining. The characters are likable and I like the back and forth that Keller and Dot have. I wasn’t crazy about all the information about stamp collecting but as I say you can’t have it all when you read a book series.
March 4, 2013
While not technically one story, the whole book is about Keller, or whoever he calls himself at any given time.
Hard to believe the humorous moments in a hit man's life, but Mr. Block has a wry way of making the gruesome not only interesting, but rather lighthearted.
This was an ARC, but I doubt the actual edition will be any better.
Hard to believe the humorous moments in a hit man's life, but Mr. Block has a wry way of making the gruesome not only interesting, but rather lighthearted.
This was an ARC, but I doubt the actual edition will be any better.
May 10, 2013
Let me start by saying I am a Lawrence Block fan. I have read a multitude of his works. Keller is one of my favorites. That being said, this one is not up to par. Too much stamp stuff, too much Julia stuff, too much kid stuff. The stories and Keller himself are overwhelmed by all the extraneous crap. This is not a chip off the old Block. I hope to fare better in his next offering.
September 6, 2022
One of the worst books I read this year--unless your in love with stamps --which I am not!
Numerous times I was about to shelve this book as UNFinished. More than 3/4 of the book was about the protagonists love of stamps.
Although the book was easy reading --and I did read other books by Lawrence Block involving the hitman "Keller" which probably were in the 3-4 star rating range and the main reason why I bought "Hit Man" which I had not read (until the present.)
The book was a complete disaster and at times just plain agravating for this reader, thus the ONE star rating. Besides a waste of money a waste of time in my honesty, I think this is the lowest rating I have ever gave a book without just "shelving it as "not finished".
Numerous times I was about to shelve this book as UNFinished. More than 3/4 of the book was about the protagonists love of stamps.
Although the book was easy reading --and I did read other books by Lawrence Block involving the hitman "Keller" which probably were in the 3-4 star rating range and the main reason why I bought "Hit Man" which I had not read (until the present.)
The book was a complete disaster and at times just plain agravating for this reader, thus the ONE star rating. Besides a waste of money a waste of time in my honesty, I think this is the lowest rating I have ever gave a book without just "shelving it as "not finished".
April 19, 2015
In the earlier books, when Keller was standing completely apart from society, I could overlook the immorality of his actions. If he's not part of society, I didn't expect him to have the morals of society. That was a large part of those earlier stories - Keller being apart, his actions being just one part of that, viewing that society and maybe trying to figure his place in it.
In this book, Keller finds himself with a partner and a child. He's joined society and you would expect that to change him in profound ways - but it doesn't. Keller goes back to his old ways - not out of economic necessity or the inescapable draw of old habits - but what simply seems like boredom (or the author being unable to say anything more interesting). He needs the spending cash to buy some stamps. "The worthless pieces of paper" as he calls them are more significant to him than human lives.
And then there's Dot. Casually murdering people in the previous book for her own selfish reason (and that Block just lets pass without comment or significance) and restarting the business *literally* out of boredom. I don't enjoy bridge, might as well murder people.
And then there's Julia, Keller's partner. She can forgive Keller's murderous ways when it saves her life, sure. She's OK though with Keller going back to killing? Why? Does the book delve into this? Is there any moral wrestling with this? No, it's just a given. That her joining in with the killing is treated as a fun romp rather than something serious - is disturbing. That she's turned on by this - just gross. At least they left the baby at home.
Now the book isn't so much Keller as an outsider, it's just a book populated by a bunch of immoral characters doing immoral things. Block seems unable to give them motivation, to provide us anything more than flimsy cardboard characters engaged in some meaningless caper. If I wanted that, I'd go watch reality TV.
Goodbye Keller, it was fun for a while.
In this book, Keller finds himself with a partner and a child. He's joined society and you would expect that to change him in profound ways - but it doesn't. Keller goes back to his old ways - not out of economic necessity or the inescapable draw of old habits - but what simply seems like boredom (or the author being unable to say anything more interesting). He needs the spending cash to buy some stamps. "The worthless pieces of paper" as he calls them are more significant to him than human lives.
And then there's Dot. Casually murdering people in the previous book for her own selfish reason (and that Block just lets pass without comment or significance) and restarting the business *literally* out of boredom. I don't enjoy bridge, might as well murder people.
And then there's Julia, Keller's partner. She can forgive Keller's murderous ways when it saves her life, sure. She's OK though with Keller going back to killing? Why? Does the book delve into this? Is there any moral wrestling with this? No, it's just a given. That her joining in with the killing is treated as a fun romp rather than something serious - is disturbing. That she's turned on by this - just gross. At least they left the baby at home.
Now the book isn't so much Keller as an outsider, it's just a book populated by a bunch of immoral characters doing immoral things. Block seems unable to give them motivation, to provide us anything more than flimsy cardboard characters engaged in some meaningless caper. If I wanted that, I'd go watch reality TV.
Goodbye Keller, it was fun for a while.
July 21, 2017
Like other L. Block fans, Keller is a favorite character of mine, and the series, about a hit man and his oft tongue-in-cheek exchanges with his "agent," Dot, are almost always entertaining. I say almost, because I found this edition less enjoyable than many of the previous Keller novels.
It was, perhaps, mostly due to the scattered feeling of this particular book-- it seemed to wander a bit more than usual, and consisted of multiple "jobs" for Keller to complete. Ordinarily, his taking care of business, even if there are several brief jobs rather than one or two long ones (by number of pages they take to tell), is the meat of the story and, for me at least, the best part. His hobby, founded many books ago, of stamp collecting, was always a pleasant diversion. But in this story, the philatelic activity seemed to be dominant, and the hit-man work almost an afterthought.
Perhaps because Keller has married, moved from New York to New Orleans, adopted a new identity and has a precious daughter to rear, Block has changed the way Keller will operate from here on out. Another reviewer mentioned that Keller's character is multi-faceted-- melancholy, sarcastic, anti-social at times, loving (now as a husband), loyal, and holds to his own moral code-- these are all true of Keller and make for a much more interesting person around which to build a story.
Still, despite the character's growth, I found myself growing impatient with the excessive detail about the stamps (took up far too many pages) and yearning for the hits -- get on with the contracted killing for g-d's sake, Keller! When the story turns to one of the many "jobs," things are great. Block is masterful at weaving Keller's methodology, attitude, and humor into each contract's "execution."
I will continue to enjoy this series, and the author for sure; I just hope things get back on track.
It was, perhaps, mostly due to the scattered feeling of this particular book-- it seemed to wander a bit more than usual, and consisted of multiple "jobs" for Keller to complete. Ordinarily, his taking care of business, even if there are several brief jobs rather than one or two long ones (by number of pages they take to tell), is the meat of the story and, for me at least, the best part. His hobby, founded many books ago, of stamp collecting, was always a pleasant diversion. But in this story, the philatelic activity seemed to be dominant, and the hit-man work almost an afterthought.
Perhaps because Keller has married, moved from New York to New Orleans, adopted a new identity and has a precious daughter to rear, Block has changed the way Keller will operate from here on out. Another reviewer mentioned that Keller's character is multi-faceted-- melancholy, sarcastic, anti-social at times, loving (now as a husband), loyal, and holds to his own moral code-- these are all true of Keller and make for a much more interesting person around which to build a story.
Still, despite the character's growth, I found myself growing impatient with the excessive detail about the stamps (took up far too many pages) and yearning for the hits -- get on with the contracted killing for g-d's sake, Keller! When the story turns to one of the many "jobs," things are great. Block is masterful at weaving Keller's methodology, attitude, and humor into each contract's "execution."
I will continue to enjoy this series, and the author for sure; I just hope things get back on track.
February 22, 2017
I have enjoyed reading this series featuring Keller the hit man. This book ends with it open to another book, for which i'm glad.
February 28, 2013
Another in Block's Keller series in which the likeable, stamp collecting 'hit man' has some more targets to 'knock off' and of course some new stamps to acquire. Keller has resurfaced in New Orleans with his wife and young daughter and is now a self respecting partner in a house renovating business until the recession hits and Dot, his contact, calls offering work in Keller's usual line of work. He undertakes a series of 'hits' each offering unique problems that Keller has to overcome In order to complete his assignments. Keller uses his passion for stamp collecting as a cover for being where he is to carry out the hits and manages to add to his collection along the way.
The novel is more a collection of novellas weaved together to form a novel and the stories could equally be enjoyed individually. Although Keller is an assassin the subject is handled quite humorously and his often oblique and convoluted conversations with Dot or his wife are a joy. The stories also tell us more about stamps and the workings of the dealers and collectors than they do about contract killing. Another 'hit' for Block in this series and hopefully he is working on a new Matt Scudder novel ?
The novel is more a collection of novellas weaved together to form a novel and the stories could equally be enjoyed individually. Although Keller is an assassin the subject is handled quite humorously and his often oblique and convoluted conversations with Dot or his wife are a joy. The stories also tell us more about stamps and the workings of the dealers and collectors than they do about contract killing. Another 'hit' for Block in this series and hopefully he is working on a new Matt Scudder novel ?
May 11, 2013
I have read some older Lawrence Block novels that I thought were pretty good but this one, "Hit Me" was the most boring, pointless book I have read in a long time. It was a waste of my time and I guess I am done with Lawrence Block now. It was made worse for me by the unfunny attempts at humor between Keller and Dot. Don't waste your time on this one.
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