Hit List - Lawrence Block [136]
John Keller is an intriguing character whose
conflicts add to the appeal of this new series.
Congratulations, Lawrence Block: You’ve still got it.”
Kansas City Star
“WEIRDLY DELIGHTFUL . . .
It seems highly unlikely that such an immoral
cipher could inspire even a short story. But Block
is one-up on the alchemists: He can transform
base material into literary gold . . . There’s a fair
amount of action, nice twists and turns of plot,
and even a bit of romance . . . Much of it is witty,
some laugh-out-loud funny . . . Block’s magic is so
potent that he raises our concerns for the
future safety of his sociopathic hit man.”
Los Angeles Times
“ASSIDUOUSLY INVENTIVE . . .
Block offers up protagonists who are authoritative
and wily, yet flawed . . . Here, Keller’s case of
nerves, along with a snuffed romance, lends his
hard-boiled amorality some poignancy and grace.”
Entertainment Weekly
“COMPELLING . . . HUGELY READABLE . . .
There is something unsettling about rooting
for a paid killer, but hit man John Keller defies
logic . . . Block has a great sense of the whimsical
and bizarre . . . There is no doubt that while its
hero may be morally reprehensible, Hit List
combines substance, style, and wit.”
Orlando Sentinel
“FRESH AND DARING . . .
Long on such qualities as surprise, humor, and
mystery . . . [an] example of Lawrence Block’s
prolific and versatile ways with crime fiction.”
Toronto Star
“LAWRENCE BLOCK IS A MASTER.”
Jonathan Kellerman
“THE YEAR’S MOST EMOTIONALLY UNSETTLING NOVEL . . .
Hit List is an astonishing book;
beautifully written, as deeply enjoyable
as it is fundamentally upsetting.
Block is one of the great technicians of the form.”
London Independent (UK)
“YOU CAN’T HELP BUT LIKE KELLER . . .
The perfect hero for the Oprah age: thoughtful,
sincere, in touch with his feelings—and wholly
self-absorbed and destructive to those around him
. . . Keller’s inadequacies, insecurities, and
pretensions are endearing. You find yourself
rooting for him to off his latest target
and get safely out of town.”
Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel
“GREAT FUN . . .
The phenomenally prolific and accomplished
Block obviously loves playing with the genre and
testing how much he can get away with . . . Keller’s
droll commentary on the passing American scene
accounts for much of his highly unlikely appeal . . .
The talented Block renders Keller engaging,
with the hit man’s crafty intelligence, with his
sympathetic humor about crackpots, with the
killer’s gingerly excursions into his own psychology
. . . and with surprising fits of conscience.”
Washington Post Book World
“BLOCK IS AMONG OUR
MOST DISTINGUISHED MYSTERY WRITERS . . .
He brings to the Keller saga his usual blend of
hard-bitten suspense and whimsical dialogue.”
San Diego Union-Tribune
“BLOCK IS A WONDERFULLY
AGILE WRITER . . .
If crime fans don’t have Keller on their A-list yet,
they’re missing a sure thing.”
Booklist
“IT DOES NOT SEEM POSSIBLE THAT
YOU CAN WRITE A COMIC CRIME
NOVEL ABOUT SUCH A SUBJECT.
BLOCK DOES THE IMPOSSIBLE.”
Houston Chronicle
“BLOCK HAS A WHOLE ROGUES’ GALLERY
OF AMIABLE, BENT CHARACTERS . . .
When he introduced his existential hit man,
John Keller, I thought he had gone too far.
But now I am a believer.”
Toronto Globe and Mail
“BLOCK IS A SUPERB CRAFTSMAN,
one of those increasingly rare writers who
knows how to make every word, every nuance,
meaningful . . . Block keeps us all on the edge
of our chairs, or worse, perhaps scared
to even try to sit down.”
Muncie Star Press
“HILARIOUS . . . AN ENJOYABLE READ . . .
Keller is a likable creation . . . Block’s casual,
meandering approach to telling his story
may jar or entertain, according to taste.”
London Observer (UK)
“ONE OF THE VERY BEST WRITERS
NOW WORKING THE BEAT.”
Wall Street Journal
“A SUPERIOR STORYTELLER . . .
Block has an awareness of the pain
and the pleasure of living. It is a gift
that not all authors have.”
“QUITE ENTERTAINING . . .
Block