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America has always had an inexplicable appetite for the legendary
tales of the most notorious of the criminal world. Books, movies,
and television have seen a proliferation of gangster titles dating
from the 1933 Scarface to the popular series "The Untouchables"
and the now-classic Godfather saga. I admit it --- I can't get enough
of it either --- which is why I was so intrigued when Lawrence Block
released his first book, Hit Man, a collection of episodes
in the life of a fictional contract killer. And like everyone else
who read it, I couldn't wait for the return of John Keller in Hit
List. What captures the imagination is Block's characterization
of Keller as an endearing, witty guy who just happens to kill people
for a living. Minor flaw. Even more remarkable is that he has you
embracing this irrational hero by the time you've hit chapter two.
At
first blush, it would seem that life is pretty simple for Keller:
he leaves town, he does the deed, he comes home. But Keller is the
consummate professional and he has a finely tuned sense of things
being just a bit out of sync on this latest round of assignments.
A narrow escape with death, victims dying before he arrives, the
coincidental deaths of several peers --- all creating a disturbing
chain of events that points to one shocking conclusion: Keller,
the hit man, is on somebody's hit list.
Despite
the fact that Block leaves no doubt that Keller dispatches his targets
with cool precision, there's the inevitable vein of humor that pops
up at appropriate moments to keep the storyline leaning toward a
lighter note. Just imagine --- you're a hit man, stalking your prey,
establishing their routine so you can calculate when to make your
move. Then right before your eyes, your prey attempts to cross the
street and becomes part of the grillwork on some old lady's car.
Keller's befuddlement over this turn of events is trademark Lawrence
Block. Ethically, how can you collect your fee if you didn't do
the job? Never mind that the guy is dead, there's pride involved
here!
Keller,
as you might imagine, is a solitary man whose romantic life is intermittent
and whose friendships are limited. It isn't that he doesn't exhibit
any savoir faire, it's just that intimacy on any level usually ends
up imitating the all-too-appropriate axiom: I could tell you, but
then I'd have to kill you. On the other hand, his employer, Dot,
represents the one consistent relationship in his life. In fact,
their frequent conversations, which serve as the cohesive thread
in the storyline, are suffused with witty repartee and at times
are quite revealing of the undercurrent of human emotion.
"...I
guess I've just been wondering how much of life is destined and
preordained. How much choice do people really have?...I never set
out to be what I've become. It's not like I took an aptitude test
in high school and my guidance counselor took me aside and recommended
a career as a killer for hire."
Heavy
stuff? Well, maybe, but Block has a limitless gift for creating
the unconventional story and never strays far from the satirical
edge. As in this exchange when Keller has his first indication that
something is amiss:
"You
want to know what it is, Dot? I'm out of synch."
"Out of synch."
"Ever
since I got off the goddam plane and walked up to the wrong guy.
Tell me something. Why would anyone meet a plane carrying an unreadable
sign?"
"Maybe they told him to pick up a dyslexic."
"...Never mind. You know what I just decided? I'm going to cut through
all this crap and just do the job and come home."
"Jesus,"
she said. "What a concept."
Whatever
circumstances in his past propelled Keller into a life of crime
--- and we may never really know --- we certainly know where he's
headed. The hit man, and Hit List, are sure to be the talk
of the town, and fans will be clamoring for yet another installment.
Are you listening, Mr. Block?
--- Reviewed by Ann Bruns (BkPageWC@aol.com)
© Copyright 1996-2008, Bookreporter.com. All rights reserved.
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