John Keller kills people. Keller lives in his mid-size New York apartment, goes on dates, watches TV, visits his astrologer, collects stamps, and occasionally travels to far-off cities and kills people he's never met.
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But something has gone very wrong for Keller. As he moves from city to city, he leaves a trail of death in his wake...somebody else's trail. Keller soon concludes that someone is out to kill him, and doesn't mind taking out a few civilians in the crossfire.
As the stakes mount, Keller must juggle murder contracts, jury duty, and his mysterious assailant, as well as decide what to do about an old lover who may have figured-out the truth about his profession.
The review of this Book prepared by James Craver
Morrow, Nov 2000, 25.00, 272 pp.
ISBN: 0060198338
John Keller's business requires frequent flyer miles and constant communication with his "agent" Dot. John relaxes by collecting stamps and dreams of one day settling in the towns and cities he frequently visits. If he ever honestly wrote his occupation on a 1040, John would describe his work as a HIT MAN.
John knows that many of his victims are innocent good people, but employment in the new economy has been booming lately as his skills are in greater demand than ever. However, John has a new problem as someone else is beating him to the hit, hurting his lucrative business that depends on reputation and completing the job, customized to meet the objective of the customer. As an unknown assailant hones in on his consulting services, John concludes that he personally has made the HIT LIST of a rival who plans to shut down John permanently.
HIT LIST contains all the humor and action that readers expect from a Lawrence Block novel. The story line is two parts amusement, two parts gloom and doom, and six parts irony. In spite of his profession and his tendency to languish in self-doubt, John retains a likable charm even if readers wonder why he continues to off decent folks. It is the killing of the innocent that leaves HIT LIST not for everyone, but those readers who relish a dark satirical look at life.
Harriet Klausner
The review of this Book prepared by Harriet Klausner
