Rating: 
Summary: Was it really Block who wrote it?
Review: After reading 'Hit man' (and other 11 of Block's books), I expected great time with this one. Were it some 150 pages shorter it could have given me a good time. But I've ended up with nothing but a long, boring time. I simply couldn't stand all those endless, pointless, funless dialogues, and the looong description of the jury thing.
Rating: 
Summary: I wish I was on the hit list
Review: Brutally slow in developing. I gave it 75 pages and I had to stop wasting my time. Keller is BORING! What a lame central character. Give me a reason that I want to care about this guy. This is the first book I picked up from Block ... and my last. Bye bye beret boy.
Rating: 
Summary: When's The Next One??
Review: Dear Mr. Block:
Don't leave us hanging! I want to drink iced tea (or lemonade) with Dot in White Plains again. It's been four years; we can use another installment.
If you'd like some plot ideas, contact me...but I'll probably like yours better.
This installment is, to me, better than the original (although the original's shock value is hard to replicate). What strikes the reader is the casual reserve and discipline of Keller, as well as his capitvating way of looking at the world. It's easy to see why he's Dot's favorite.
Let's have some more!
Rating:
Summary: I wish I was on the hit list
Review: Had a couple plane rides last week, so read Hit List by Lawrence Block. Sometimes the brain needs a break. This kind of thing gives it. I usually like Lawrence Block's murder mysteries, but I must admit that this one fell way short. It was a different character than he usually writes about (maybe the only book with that guy since it didn't sell that well). The protagonist is a hit man, a contract killer. He is also a stamp collector (supposed to give him depth and ellicit empathy). Single living in a small non-descript flat in New York. Works for a "suburban housewife" out in New Jersey. Very dispassionate, but not in a cruel way. In a "well, this is my job and I better get it done so I can go to the stamp dealer" sort of way. He is not very complex, although Block tries to make him so. During a couple of his jobs he has a "funny feeling" and strange things happen. Like two people being shot in the head with a 22 in a hotel room he just moved from. And two of his targets getting killed by other means right in front of him without his help. Eventually he figures out that a competitor is trying to kill him and has successfully killed other guys as a way to reduce the competition. Sometimes I wish that tactic were available to my startups. Of course this eventually leads him to try to get the drop on the other guy and I won't bore you with the details there. Lets just say the end peters out into nothingness. Not really a page turner. Not an engaging character. But provides a good break from computer manuals and business plans to change the world.
Rating:
Summary: Block is usually terrific but this one is subpar
Review: I bought this because of a rave review, and wasn't disappointed. It's a well crafted page-turner with a thoughtful subtext about the banality of evil. After I finished it, though, the main character kept coming back to my mind, in an unpleasant way. It's very much about how normal-seeming people can have an absolute vacuum where the rest of us have morals. Knew a guy like this in Vietnam, and got to where I didn't want to turn my back on him ... same feeling with Keller.
Rating: 
Summary: Too Much Schtick
Review: I looked forward to reading this book after I read "Hit Man." At best, it was average, with too many Abbott and Costello routines mixed in. What made the first book good was that it was a collection of short stories, which were, in effect, his assignments. Too bad this book couldn't have been more of the same. Also, not that I'm an expert, but his obsession with stamp collecting could lead to his downfall...he's leaving a trail. But maybe he wants to get caught...hmmmm. Read it and you'll see what I mean. I do recommend reading it, but don't have high expectations going in.
Rating:
Summary: Hit List Gets Whacked
Review: I've long been a devoted fan of Block, specifically the Matt Scudder series, but I latched onto Hit Man in '98. A great new character coupled with Block's talent at dialogue. Hit List, however, is filled with so many inane asides and trivial banter that the story suffers. I couldn't help thinking that this book couild have been told in half as many pages had the reader been spared some of the sparring between Keller and Dot--Patrick Picciarelli, author, "Blood Shot Eyes."
Rating:
Summary: Great story telling, but lacks soul.
Review: Lawrence Block creates a book length version of the hit man character found in an earlier compendium of short stories. Keller, and his partner Dot, do jobs across the country. And they are jobs, or work, and just that.Block is a master story teller. He weaves small details, love stories, jury duty, and the niggling facts of every day life into the story of a man who has found his place in life, killing other people. The point seems to be that in a complex society full of millions of niches, this man has found his natural place, killing other people for money. And doesn't that make for a fun interesting read. Even the conflict with another hit man is less than enthralling -- just well told. The problem I have is this: Keller is written as the most boring of hit men, his small quirks barely rippling the waters of his placid life. He is the Mr. Whipple of killers, white bread and potatoes with white sauce. The mesmerizing style and taut writing of Block catch you up and you love the read, but you are left wanting something heavier, spicier, with more oomph. Block is clearly writing against the grain of his character for effect. He never describes Keller's deadliness, or his murders. The book and the character remind me of The Accidental Tourist. The book is a matter of fact, often funny, but ultimately soulless book about a hit man. If Block's Scudder novels are often full meals, this is a snack book, and a sorta good one.
Rating:
Summary: Hits in Parts But Misses in Others
Review: Some parts of this book are really interesting and a great read while others you are fighting not to fall asleep as they are so boring. When Keller is actually on the job as a hit man it is fascinating and must turn the next page to find out what will happen next reading, but when he is not on the job his life is very boring. Stamp collecting, visiting an astrologer, jury duty and things like this just aren't interesting. Basically this book is about a professional killer named Keller who has some competition. Only problem is that his competition doesn't want any, and it soon becomes apparent to Keller that if he doesn't work out who his rival is and kill him first he will be killed himself. If Lawrence Block had maybe concentrated a little more on this aspect rather than the boring chapters he wrote then this book could have been five stars. Without the editing it barely makes two and a half.
Rating:
Summary: Still Love Keller...but he has a case of the "slows"
Review: When Abraham Lincoln fired General McClellan, he gave the the general the boot because he had a "case of the slows." Well, Abe might say the say the say about Block's book. It was not a bad book by any stretch. It was good, but not much happened (which, I will grant is much of Keller's life when he is not working). However, the goofy and sarcastic conversations with Dot were too long. Also, the ending was totally out there. Still, there is a charm to Keller and I was pulling for him. The strengths of "Hit Man" were not totally in evidence and in the end,the book had the slows. Still, I love Keller hope there is a new novel about him soon.
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