Hit Me

Keller, Book 5

By: Lawrence Block

Narrated by: Richard Poe

The conclusion of Hit and Run found Keller living in a big old house in post-Katrina New Orleans' Lower Garden District, with a new name (Nicholas Edwards), a new wife (Julia), a new career (rehabbing houses), and a baby on the way. It certainly looked as though he was done killing people for money. But old habits die hard, and when the economic downturn knocked out the construction business, a phone call from Dot draws him back into the old game. His work takes him to Dallas, to settle a domestic dispute; to Florida, where he joins a government witness on a West Indies cruise; to Wyoming, where a widow has her husband's stamp collection for sale; and to New York, where he lived for so many years, and where people might remember him.

©2013 Lawrence Block (P)2013 Recorded Books

Block as Dante and Jung

In my interpretation, the five book Keller series (Keller's Fedora, a novella, is the cherry on top) is a Jungian exploration of a man with an obvious but not all encompassing dark side who proceeds through his life with perhaps more questions than most of us (as a killer for hire, he is unusually introspective) until in book 4 the bottom falls out and he finds himself in the midst of Dante's darkest of dark woods needing to find and accept his inner self and go into the light from there. After reading all five, I began to see the connections Block had laid the foundation for in each earlier work and how he made the connections that leads John Keller to resolution. Read them all; read them in order; reread

A collection of stories, mores stamps than stabs

Good narration. Rather slow pace. Not too absorbing with a bit more focus on the stamps than on the action. Feels like a collection of short stories rather than a coherent whole.

Lawrence Block

Block delivers superb prose with another novel featuring the stamp collecting hitman. Love the short story format, perfect for bedtime reading.

It's a Hit with Me

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

I enjoy the character of Keller. It is unusual to have a hitman as the hero of the book. I like all of his ruminating and he even made stamp collecting seem interesting. I also like his relationship with his wife and daughter.

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

I would compare it to the other books in the series. I would also compare it to Lawrence Block's burglar mysteries

Have you listened to any of Richard Poe’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I have listened to Richard Poe before. This is one of my favorite performances.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No. I wanted to make the book last more than one day.

Any additional comments?

Lawrence Block is one of my favorite authors. I have read all of the titles in each of his three series. I didn't think I would like the Keller books but now I highly recommend them.

Do I need to know EVERY tiny detail?

The answer is no. I've read all of the other Keller books, but got this one as audio. I think they are a better read than a listen.

Great return to this series !

I am so glad that Lawrence returned to this series ! I thought that this series was way too short and that he could have gotten much more mileage out of it. As usual great writing and story development. The main character is so rich and ever developing. This is no exception to the series that has Block's normal great combination of mystery and humour. Wonderful as usual. In addition to being a great writer, Lawrence is a great narrator and I am glad he chooses to narrate his own work. I hope that the series continues....encore, encore.

Keller repeats himself....

I enjoyed the first Keller's stories. They are about the unusual character of a professional killer who spends most of his money in collecting rare stamps. Keller is after all a nice guy (well groomed and low profile), a gentle sociopath who does his job with the mix of duty and boredom of a bank clerk ..
This unusual setup and Laurence Block's good writing skills make Keller stories good for a while, but they clearly start getting repetitive .. It is difficult to add new dimensions to the main character or change credibly the routine of a professional killer... In this last book Keller is married (with a wife who knows of his profession and is also a "nice" sociopath") and tries to make killing a part-time job along with stamps dealing...It is getting boring.
Richard Poe does a great job and kept me awake...

Keller is Back

I thought the Keller series ended with the last novel and I'm glad I was wrong. The cold quirky killer is back and I love it. Not your typical assassin novel. The story is more about the quirky views and habits of a almost lovable killer. Always fun.

I love the Keller series.

it is my favorite series, slightly ahead of the others. I can't find any fault worthy of mention.

I find I'm not really a fan of hitmen

I've enjoyed Block for years, I realize his previous hero, the drunk private investigator aged out, but man those stories were awesome mystery/suspense. I'm not so keen on the hitman theme. The books are done well, but I know there is an empty area in Keller's soul that I can't get behind, that I don't condone.

Hit Me is really three short stories, including Keller in Dallas.