Hit and Run

HIT AND RUN may be the best Lawrence Block audiobook to date, thanks in no small part to narrator Richard Poe. Uniquely, the story doesn't feature a cop or private detective, but an assassin who is trying to stay alive after his bosses turn on him. Protagonist John Keller challenges the listener to root for the bad guy--who desperately wants to stay alive. Poe's strong, reassuring voice holds the listener's attention as surely as Block's powerful writing, and his pacing is perfect as he characterizes Keller's paranoia, skill, and determination. With nuanced tones that project Keller's sad memories and yearning, Poe makes him a vulnerable character listeners can cheer on. And we do. M.S. (c) AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine

May 5, 2008
While in Des Moines for one last job in MWA Grand Master Block’s solid fourth Greatest Hits thriller (after Hit Parade
), hit man John Paul Keller takes to the road. He’s been accused of assassinating the governor of Ohio, who was in Iowa preparing for a presidential bid. By the time Keller gets back to his New York City apartment after too many days of fast food, his prize stamp collection has been stolen. With the governor’s real killer still hot on his trail, Keller travels to New Orleans, where he rescues a woman, Julia Roussard, from a rapist in a local park. As Keller and Julia’s relationship develops, he considers leaving the old life behind, but knows he must clear his name and settle the score. Block’s trademark blend of humor and violence is a good fit for the deadpan Keller. While some fans may be disappointed to see Keller headed toward retirement, hope remains that this won’t be the last outing for one of the crime genre’s most unusual antiheroes.

Starred review from April 15, 2008
He leads a sedate lifebounded by his own apartment with its state-of-the-art TV and TiVo, the newsstand with the "Times" every morning, and his stamp albums all arranged on their shelves. When his neighbors come to be questioned by the policeand they willhe'll be described as "a quiet kinda guy. He kept to himself." The life of a hit man's not an easy one, and it's never seemed tougher than in this latest appearance (following "Hit Parade") of premier hit man Keller. Although he's looking forward to a well-deserved retirement, Keller just can't say no to a job in Des Moines, of all places. While he's there, the governor of Ohio is assassinated in town, and the evidence points to Keller. He's been set up, and despite having millions in a bank account, he doesn't have the cash to buy clean underwear and has to drive a hot car toward New Orleans with a Homer Simpson cap pulled down over his face. What a way to spend the golden years. Before it's all over, though, the old guys (both Keller and Block) show they've still got what it takes to teach the youngsters a thing or two in this brisk, suspenseful, and funny romp. A sure bet for all public libraries. [See Prepub Alert, "LJ" 3/15/08.]Bob Lunn, Kansas City P.L., MO

Copyright 2008 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 15, 2008
Keller, Blocks stamp-collecting hit man, star of several novels and many short stories, is in Des Moines, Iowa, to do one last job before retiring. Dot, his friend and agent, has managed Kellers money shrewdly, and hes a wealthy man. But while Keller is buying some stamps in a suburb, the governor of Ohio, campaigning for the presidential nomination in Des Moines, is assassinated. Within hours, Kellers picture is on every TV screen in the country. Hes been set up to take the fall, and the sting cuts deeply into all aspects of his life, one aspect ofwhich will prove particularly shocking toseries fans. With no access to his casheven his stamps have disappeared from his Manhattan apartmentand only $200 in his pocket, Keller is the most wanted man in the country, and his life, as he knows it, is effectively over. This is the first novel-length Keller since Hit Parade (2006), and it offers Block the room to take his character in some new and fascinating directions. Hit men have become more common as protagonists in crime fiction in the years since the firstKeller story appeared, but its no surprise that consummate pro Blocks version of the ordinary-guy-as-killer remains the best of the lot.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2008, American Library Association.)