Finished Keller’s Adjustment by Lawrence Block. It’s a novella in the mystery anthology Transgressions, edited by Ed McBain.

Keller is a hit man character that Block writes. In this novella, it’s just after Sept. 11, 2001, and Keller is reevaluating his life in wake of the tragedy. But work calls, and Keller heads off to Arizona to take out his next target. He meets some interesting characters in the course of his job and comes to terms with his own life.

I read the first book in this series a couple of years ago (I believe it’s called Hit Man), and I’d forgotten how good Block’s writing is. Very noirish. Block does a good job at portraying Keller’s feelings about his chosen profession and how he’s getting tired of what he does. I also really enjoyed the scenes with his handler, Dot, a no-nonsense woman.

So, thumbs up.

Up next: Walking Around Money by Donald Westlake, also from the Trangressions anthology.