Hit Parade Audiobook By Lawrence Block cover art

Hit Parade

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Hit Parade

By: Lawrence Block
Narrated by: Lawrence Block
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The New York Times best-selling author and master of the modern mystery returns with a fierce and poignant new novel featuring his acclaimed killer-for-hire, Keller. John Keller is everyone's favorite hit man. He's cool. Reliable. A real pro: the hit man's hit man. The inconvenient wife, the business partner, the retiree with a substantial legacy. He's taken care of them all, quietly and efficiently.

Keller's got a code of honor, though he'd never call it that. And he keeps the job strictly business. But while Keller might be a pragmatic and crack assassin, he's also prone to doubts and loneliness just like everybody else. And though he's got Dot, his wisecracking contact and sometimes confidante, these days, it doesn't seem to be enough.

Keller's been at this business a long while. Just maybe it's time to pack it in. Only problem is, retirement takes money. And to get money, he's got to go to work....

Hit Parade, the third novel featuring the fascinating Keller, displays the hallmarks that distinguish Lawrence Block's award-winning fiction: the intelligence, the clever plotting, the humor, the tricky twist and ironic turns, the darkness and emotional complexity, and, above all else, the humanity.

©2006 Lawrence Block (P)2006 HarperCollinsPublishers Mystery Suspense Thriller & Suspense Fiction Witty

Critic reviews

"Well-crafted....With dry wit." (Publishers Weekly)
"Block's legion of fans will savor his subtle wit, his consummate narrative skills, and his idiosyncratic method of celebrating the lives of working folks in America." (Booklist)

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I love Lawrence Block as a writer. Not so much as a narrator. In this case, his voice doesn't do his writing justice. This should have been narrated by Robert Forster (the original Hit Man voice and the bail bondsman in Jackie Brown).

Needs to be read by Forster

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Def. not the best. Really dislike the author narrating, each character sounds the exact same and it takes a lot of effort to figure out what character is talking.

Story was okay. Not as entertaining and engaging as prior novels. Love Keller and the series as a whole, this book just falls short.

Do not like L. Block narration

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Keller remains the hard to hate hitman, but Lawrence Block's performance is awful. The series third book is better than the second, but still slower paced than the first.

Exhibit 1 for why authors should not perform their own books.

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Back when I put in a review for "Burglar on the Prowl" I'd said I was going to avoid audiobooks Mr. Block had read himself due to the issues I had understanding him in that work.

Accidents happen, and I ended up with this one in my library and paid for before I realized who was reading it. The good news is, between 04 and 06, he improved in terms of cadence. It was easier to understand what was being said, and thus less of an issue to pick up the story without distracting from my driving.

Improved as a Voice Performer

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Excellent; Block is a terrific storyteller, and listening to him tell the story made Keller and Dot come alive. I laughed aloud several times during their conversations. The unexpected revelation of part of Keller's background provided poignant insight into the shaping of his life.

Keller and Dot at their best

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Lawrence Block is a monster talent as writer. That made my disappointment all the greater when I began to listen to him read. After 10 minutes, I gave up. Maybe it's because Robert Forster did such a great job narrating Hit Man. But I really think Mr. Block shows that story telling and narration are two different arts.

I rated the book four stars simply out of guilt for being critical of Mr. Block and because "all fields are required."

A writer is not always a reader

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The first Keller book "Hit List" is my favorite audiobook of all time. This book is every bit as good BUT I will have to concede that I do like Robert Forster's reading better than the author's. That said, Mr. Block's reading is not that bad. It is just different.
I really like all the characters in these books. Keller and Dot are always saying funny things and making wisecracks and philosophical remarks, and Keller goes out, asseses the situation, makes a judgment and, well, does what he does best. There is violence in these books but it isn't the comic book type. Keller is truly a morally abiguous character. He murders people for money, yet he is thoughtful, he worries about the ramifications of what he does, and somehow he isn't a monster. He is clever. And so is Lawrence Block for making each one of these stories really come alive.
He doesn't have the best voice, that's true, but if you can get past that, you can enjoy some of the smartest storytelling you will ever find.

Another great installment

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Read with all of the humor, sarcasm, and irony with which it was written. Bravo!!!

BEST of KELLER

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Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes, still good even if not the best reader.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Keller. Just neat.

What did you like about the performance? What did you dislike?

Not the greatest

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

A movie about job security.

Any additional comments?

None

Love Lawrence's writing but not his reading.

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This is a fabulously funny book in so many ways and yet it's also deadly serious. I disagree completely not only with people who object to the author's voice (it's perfect for Keller) but to those who wanted more splatter. This is a character study, not a thriller. One of the reasons Keller DOESN'T dwell on the gory particulars is because a) killing is his job, not his thrill and b) he's emotionally incapable of it. The author does a great job of bringing Keller, slowly, into the realm of human experience by giving him things and people to begin to care about. I've never heard the other books in the series, but I do intend to listen. I'm not sure that *I* will be able to shake Block's voice; he's a perfect Keller.

Dry sense of humor

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