Lawrence Block dials up moral complexity

It would be fair to wonder if Lawrence Block had run out of things to say about his fictional hit man Keller. In the last book to feature the antihero, 2008's “Hit and Run,” Keller's entire life had been upended in ways both positive and negative. It seemed possible that he might retire from the dangerous business of killing folks for hire.

But the man has a stamp collecting habit to support. So Keller is back in action in “Hit Me” (Mulholland Books, 339 pages, $26.99), the fifth entry in the series.

The book has much in common with its predecessors. I once again found myself feeling a bit uncomfortable about my affection for Keller, a man with plenty of scruples - except about taking money to knock people off. The book, like others in the series, is episodic, which results in some repetition from section to section, but this is only a minor annoyance once you decide to think of the book as a short story cycle rather than a straight up novel. And as has become the rule, the book is rife with philatelic detail as well as witty banter.

What sets “Hit Me” apart, however, is Julia, Keller's wife. For the first time, she accompanies her man on a job in an episode entitled “Keller at Sea.” Julia is a fascinating character who doesn't seem bothered by Keller's profession (truth to tell, she finds it rather stimulating to hear about), but who finds she has a different reaction when she's part of the scheme.

It's to Block's credit that he's found a way to add a layer of moral complexity to what was already a morally textured series. The latest adventures of his hit man are another a hit.