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John Keller is a hit man who kills people for money. His agent, Dot, calls him with the details and he then goes to whatever city he needs to be in to kill his prey, be it man or beast. Keller likes his job, is very good at it and makes quite a lot of money. Lately he uses most of his fee to pay for all the stamps he's purchasing for his increasingly large collection. You would think that John Keller would be a mean type of fellow -- after all he kills anyone and any animal that is assigned to him -- but there is something very appealing and charming about this man. Dot, the woman who assigns the hits or targets to Keller and other agents, is a recurring character and is, amazingly, also rather likable. Author Lawrence Block has written another intriguing book in the Hit Man series. As with all the other John Keller books, HIT PARADE isn't so much a novel, as a group of short stories or vignettes about Keller and his jobs. There seems to be a sports theme running throughout the stories in HIT PARADE, baseball and horse racing being favorite themes. This book also shows that Block has a way with writing terrific dialogue between men and women that is very intelligent and entertaining. What I find truly remarkable is that Block can write about a man with an extremely dislikable job who murders everyday people who seem to be nice enough, and yet you find yourself rooting for Keller. This just proves that Block is a superb writer! He knows his characters well, knows New York City's every neighborhood and can communicate it all in some of the best books I've ever read. HIT PARADE is the third in the John Keller series and it won't kill you to read it. In fact, I'd suggest you read them all.
Reviewed by Sharon Katz, May 2006
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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
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