Review: Guilty Pleasure (And know that if you have Hit List, then you have this story already)
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 03 9, 2013
Contract killer John Keller ("call me Keller") is always a good read and this Kindle short story is no exception. Interwoven with a couple of stories where Keller takes care of a his normal assignments (hits), he goes to an astrologer to have his fortune told. This is the result of his girlfriend telling him that he has a "murderers thumb", which starts him thinking about whether or not his destiny was always to be a hit man and continues to bother him throughout the story. His visits to the astrologer are an entertaining aside to the story, much as his stamp collecting hobby will become in the later books (see full list of Keller stories below).If you have read Lawrence Block's book-length Keller collections, then you have already read this story. It appears in Hit List, chapters 8-12. The ending has been very slightly modified in this version, but as far as I know that is the only difference. You will also know that the astrologer makes a later appearance that is not included in this short story, but I won't spoil the surprise if you haven't read that yourself yet.The book length Keller collections are:Keller #1:Hit ManKeller #2:Hit ListKeller #3:Hit ParadeKeller #4:Hit and RunKeller #5:Hit MeAlso available on Amazon:Kindle short story:Keller's Therapy--  (also appears in the book Hit Man)Kindle short story:Keller on the Spot--  (also appears in the book Hit Man)Kindle short story:Keller's Horoscope--  (also appears in the book Hit List)Kindle short story:Keller's Adjustment--  (also appears in the book Hit Parade)Kindle short story:Keller in Dallas--  (also appears in the book Hit Me)All are enjoyable light reading from one of the master storytellers, Lawrence Block.(p.s. I did download and read this on my Kindle. Since I didn't purchase it but instead I used my Prime membership to "borrow" it for free, there is no "Amazon Verified Purchase" noted on this review. When I first saw it in the Kindle store, I wasn't sure if I had read it already or not. I did read it again because it has been a while since I read Hit List, and these stories are always enjoyable to read, even for a second time).