Lawrence Block Hit Parade

Hit Parade

Lawrence Block

Morrow, Jul 2006, $24.95

ISBN: 0060840889

The consummate professional HIT MAN John Keller always gets the job done though at times there is collateral damage. He ponders whether making a living by assassinating people makes him a sociopath lunatic, but assumes not because when an innocent gets killed or in some cases his target dies he feels remorse. Still he rationalizes his efforts by claiming to be a problem solver. His Westchester agent Dot assigns him his latest Hit List to include a womanizing veteran major league baseball star, a jockey fixing a horse race, a basketball player, a friend who gives him a present, and a neighbor's dog, etc

Keller is in top form in this loosely defined novel that feels more like an interconnected anthology especially when he and Dot discuss make a business killing in a purely Wall St. like way as the bottom line is based on meeting the dead line. The tales are fun as Lawrence Block uses dark dry humor to defuse the gory details and somehow ensures his audience will want Keller to succeed though in many case sympathy towards the victim (especially the canine) also occurs. HIT PARADE is a fine addition to the Keller legacy.

Harriet Klausner