Rating: 
Summary: Humanizing Hit Men
Review: Not glamorizing--there's a difference. Lawrence Block is the writer who could make us root for the man if not the hit (even if the hit is against, say, Scott Peterson). And there's a love relationship there too: "You're not going to kill me, are you?" "No." And that's the end of it. Yes, folks, as shocking as it might be to some of you even Donald Rumsfeld is allowed to go home at night and be loved. Not that Rumsfeld is a hit man...out of control media opinion to the contrary.
Rating:
Summary: Easy to Love, Hard to Take
Review: My sister told me to read this book after we talked about a particularly messy divorce in our family. Her premise: with some people, it's cleaner, simpler and even fairer to hire somebody to kill them.
So, maybe the reason I liked this book so much is that I operated from that premise: some people deserve to die, and that utilitarianism overwhelms the obvious moral objection.
And then you come to like and even pity the terrible man who kills for money. Quite an accomplishment for Lawrence Block.
Keller is an introvert who, like many introverts, thinks about the things he sees and the people he meets in strictly his own way. These quirky insights are what engage the reader. And when you find yourself liking a murderer and, maybe even worse, liking his sarcastic boss, something of a literary coup has happened right under your nose.
Quick tip: if you like audiobooks, this one, read by Robert Forster, comes across much better than the sequel, read by the author. Lawrence, leave audio to the pros!
Rating:
Summary: Keller is Captivating!
Review: What more can one crave from a novel than to want to keep reading. Keller is a hit man we can care about. He is at once ordinary (in his desire for some normal existance--he tries on possible average lives like shoes) and extraordinary in that he IS a killer. Having read Hit Man and Hit List, there is only one thing I can say, "I want more Keller!" Thank you Mr. Block.
Rating: 
Summary: Amusing, yet thought provoking, story collection
Review:
First off, this is definitely a short story (or maybe novellas or some such .. long stories) collection, not a novel. True, they are chronologically ordered, and there is development of the characters' lives, but each is clearly independent and complete in itself. They're connected in the same way novels in a series are.
Overall, I didn't like this set of stories quite as much as Mr. Block's Matt Scudder series of novels, which I consider one of the finest in mystery fiction. It doesn't have the weight, the gravitas. Yet there is more to it than his Bernie Rhodenbarr books, there is serious intent even if it is not fully pulled off.
Perhaps the essential problem is an ultimate lack of credibility. Block imagines the character of Keller, and presents him manfully and with great skill, in prose that drags us along. Yet, ultimately, do we really believe in him?
For Keller is a hit man -- he gets a call from a nameless man in White Plains, then flies off to kill a total stranger, usually with no idea why, at least initially. Yet he is also a decent, ordinary guy, who gets involved in the case, often befriending the target and trying to see the right and wrong in the situation, often does his best to alleviate suffering ... but does kill. Like the recruiting poster says, "travel to exotic places, meet new friends .... and kill them."
And this is the failing in Hit Man -- Block never gets to the disconnect between Keller's essentially horrific acts and his internal life. "Just a job" doesn't quite cut it. Most of us try to justify our work to ourselves, easy enough if you simply perform some useful task such as plumbing, but even the sleaziest used car salesman delights in taking advantage of the sucker, a lower class of being; or the weapons maker is convinced his task in needed for security, even for peace. We don't see the conflict in Keller except for some very specific instances, and we don't see any resolution.
In essence, Keller is like a wild animal -- he is as cute and furry as a bear begging for food by the side of the road, yet as fully removed from our moral compass as the bear is when he smashes through the window to snag a cooler, or our baby, for lunch.
[Spoiler, sort of:] Probably the least convincing story is "Keller's Last Refuge" in which he is approached by a mysterious stranger who flashes an ID and recruits him to assassinate 'traitors'. Keller accepts this with astonishing ease, and we see the moral outrage, the self-justification for his acts, that we don't in the other stories. Of course the astute reader will have anticipated the plot twist in this one.
Rating: 
Summary: Not Good
Review: Keller rules. I know that sounds like a 6th grade endorsement of this zippy novel (or short story collection?), but I'm just wild about Block's book. It was fun (and quick) read that is perfect for summer. Keller is killer as he well knows. The stories are funny and sometimes surprising. Even more, Keller gets to us. He is a decent and moral man in his own way. Block and Keller have a new fan. I'll be reading "Hit List" soon...
Rating: 
Summary: Trivializing murder
Review: This book is easy to read, with lots of conversation. It did hold my interest. I felt like I was reading Lawrence Block's fantasies, which they clearly are. "If I were a hit man, what would I do?" Keller, the hit man, lives in New York City, like Block. His comings and goings in various U.S. locales (mostly the mid-west it seems) bring to mind Lawrence Block traveling in these places, how he would react, the people he would meet. A nice fantasy, but with one exception: Lawrence Block doesn't really murder people, but Keller does.Keller is obviously a sociopath. Essentially, this means he can murder and feel no remorse about it. I'm pretty sure there are youngsters out there in the world who want to emulate Keller, but is it right to trivialize his conduct and make him appear an Everyday Guy? Well, whether it's right or wrong is not the issue I guess, but what holds interest. Or is it? This attraction to criminals and murderers, which apparently is a long-standing love affair for humanity, definitely says something about we humans. Is it any wonder we need God? Without a higher power, we'd really be at the edge of extinction, because, who else would keep us all from trying to be little Kellers, little "wanna be hit men" (and women?). Oh, that's right, this is a "men's" book: It's the men who idolize these killers and cool hit men, isn't it? Keller's business associate Dot seems to be an exception, in that she also seems to vicariously enjoy his hits, but isn't that unusual for women, that is, to enjoy the idea of murder (and to benefit financially from it)? I think most women would be a little more upset about Keller, and take less vicarious interest in him, than men. So thank Heaven for little girls! It's them and God keeping us from bloodthirsty Chaos Itself (Hell?). Diximus.
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