Hit Parade is really a series of short stories that are linked together involving Keller. Who is John Keller you ask?

If you happened to meet John Keller he would seem just like any other normal person. You might see him at a baseball game or a race track and he might tell you about his stamp collection. However, there is one thing that is not normal about Keller's occupation. He is a "hit man".

What else is different about Keller? A person named Dot assigns the murder targets to Keller. Keller has his own way of carrying out the killings but he does start to question his line of duty. He always manages to conclude that the killings do have to be carried out - something he decides by what he calls problem solving.

Keller would like to retire one day and find a house in the desert but he has to make money first in order to be able to follow his dream.

Hit Parade is Lawrence Block at his best. The reader will be cheering for Keller. How could that be? Why would you want to cheer for a killer? You will find out once you start reading this book. The author does an excellent job of keeping the reader in suspense. You wouldn't think a novel about a hit man would be a fun read but Lawrence Block does a masterful job of adding some dry humor that will make it so for the reader. Keller shows us once again that he is such a cool character. Even though Keller would like to retire, let's hope that Lawrence Block does not send him to that home in the desert any time soon! We would like for him to stay around a little longer. This is a book you will thoroughly enjoy.

REVIEWED BY NANCY EATON