End of game?

A great new (final? - I hope not) Keller book. Took me a while to get accostumed to the narrator: a little bit harsher and faster than the previous which I find more "kellereske".

5 people found this helpful

A novel for Keller, with little antagonist depth

I enjoyed the previous "short stories" of Keller's (the main character's) hits. This book is a novel form, and so is less focused on the various hits of a hitman, and more on the introspective thoughts of a man who's career is winding down; overlayed on the more interesting premise that the man is a hitman "on the run". The novel form in itself pretty much by definition means there will be a lot "in the middle" with no action. Even without the "action", it still developed the main character as he made choices as a hitman would need to, given his circumstances. For this reason, I enjoyed the book along similar lines to the previous books.

Voice acting by Poe was professional and appropriate for the subject matter.

My only complaint was that not nearly enough time was spent on developing the final antagonist. This reader felt that I did not know the final antagonist at all. In fact, I felt there wasn't enough material to convince me he was the appropriate target for Keller to confront. For this reason, it feels that when the book ends, it ends abruptly, and with a rushed finish.

For these reasons, I give 95% of the book 4/5 stars, but the ending 2/5 stars.

4 people found this helpful

Not the same old Keller

This Keller installment just didn't do it for me. Too much downtime in the middle. Without giving anything away, all I can say is it lacks Keller's usual quirkyness in making his hits and the quirky dialogue between Dot and Keller.

2 people found this helpful

pitiful waste of time

no wonder I hadn't listened to this a second time. the plot was choppy and corny.

1 person found this helpful

No suspense, no intrigue

I don't know what my problem is lately with book choices but I seem to pick out turkeys disguised as ... Some bird that's more interesting. First thing is the narrator's voice. I couldn't shake it as an old Marlboro man, 50-60 years old. The character is mid-forty.

Now the story. It just wasn't that interesting. I kept waiting for some mystery, double-crossing and/or real intrigue and it never materialized. Instead you get a really straightforward tale with a lot of steady eddy moving to and fro by the main character. What kind of car and how he got it, what motel, where'd he eat, what did he eat, went to a movie, drive to New Orleans where he just happened upon a really lucky break by rescuing a damsel in distress who offers him her house and affection within hours of meeting and discovering he is a mysterious maybe killer. I love those coincidences (not really).

The final act is to go right a wrong by killing someone to even the score. He pretty much hit the road, dialed a few phone numbers, caught up with a wise-guy, got what he needed out of him and proceeded to his target. All very uneventful. Can you tell I was disappointed?

1 person found this helpful

Not his best work.

Like this author a bunch but this book seemed like a writing assignment that had to reach a certain word number to be turned in. The story line is good, but not great. The twists were okay but not startling. The solution was mundane and anti-climatic. Not one of his best efforts.

1 person found this helpful

Disapointing

What disappointed you about Hit and Run?

Primarily is a summary of all the other Keller stories to date, lacking the wit and humor in the series and the narration is flat.

Would you be willing to try another one of Richard Poe’s performances?

Yes, he just Is not right for this character, he was fine for the Richard Ford series which I also have

1 person found this helpful

Totally substandard for Lawrence Block

What would have made Hit and Run better?

A better developed plot with more characters.

Would you ever listen to anything by Lawrence Block again?

Yes, I usually like Lawrence Block.

Which scene was your favorite?

None

Any additional comments?

A real disappointment for Lawrence Block fans. The reader was good, but he could do just so much with the inferior material. This purchase was a waste of good money.

1 person found this helpful

You'll wish a hit man kills you, 2 end the pain!

Hit & Run is one tiresome Lawrence Block novel. Unfortunatly this boring butcher of time takes place almost entirely in the paranoid thoughts and self talk of hit man Keller.
In earlier novels, Keller was entertaining and deadly. In this novel you get beaten up with hours of deathly boring navel gazing by formerly entertaining hit man Keller.
No wonder shrinks have such a high rate of suicide, after attempting to listen to this disaster, I wanted to jump from the Brooklyn ridge.

1 person found this helpful

Can a hit man really settle down?

I really enjoyed the previous two Keller stories by Lawrence Block, especially the first book Hit Man. Robert Forster read the first story and I had an initial impression of Keller based on the narrator's rendering of the character which was very good, especially given his New York accent. Lawrence decided he would read the second book (Hit Parade) and I don't think that was such a wise idea since although I really enjoy him as a writer, narrating is not his forte. I found his narration to be distracting from the story line and perhaps it would sell better if he was able to remake the story using Robert Forster as the narrator.

Then the third book Hit and Run came along and Richard Poe narrated the story. He too has a kind of gravelly voice which fit the story OK, but to be honest, I like Robert Forster a little better as the narrator. Nothing against Richard Poe as a narrator though since I still think he did a good job and I didn't ding the book due to him as the narrator. His narration as Dot was certainly very good.

I enjoyed this book, although at times, and it seems to be Keller's style, I got a little tired of Keller over-thinking situations. There's a point where his over-thinking becomes annoying such that I found myself near the end of the book saying out loud - just call the darn phone number and cut it out already. It was a novel idea in the first book (Keller over-thinking things), and it wasn't too bad in the second book, but his over-thinking in this book went a little further than I liked since if it wasn't about stamps, it was about a girlfriend, or Dot, or should he check his apartment, or a stolen car, or any number of things that would pop up.

I think that if Lawrence was to reel back the over-thinking by perhaps 50% for each situation in this book it would've been just right. Perhaps as part of the character development he sees Keller as wanting to get out of the hit man business and it's Keller over-thinking things that has become more extreme, and suggesting that yes, he should probably get out of this line of work. I hope Keller doesn't exit the hit man business since he's an interesting hit man that seems to have an impulsiveness that is timely and quite brutal when the time arrives.

I think the book could've headed towards the final stretch a little more smoothly around the final character that had caused so many problems for Keller. Surely "just call me Al" deserved the "attention" that characters less worthy received.

1 person found this helpful