Anatomy of a Killer

by Peter Rabe

"There's three kinds of killers. There's the nuts, there's the dumb ones, and the ones who are special. We never use the dumb ones, and we leave out the nuts 'cause their trigger fingers get itchy. The special ones come high but they're worth it..."

Sam Jordan was a special one. He'd grown up in a rough school––back lots, bowling alleys, running petty errands for crooks––and he'd learned his trade well. He'd honed his nerves down to a fine taut edge and turned himself into a ruthless precision machine for killing––a cold-blooded automaton who dealt out controlled violence. Until one day he was sent out on a job he knew was wrong from the beginning. But by then it was too late.

Peter Rabe has written a classic tale of criminal violence that takes the hardboiled thriller one step beyond Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler, and gives it new shape and direction.

Genres: Fiction, Crime, Hard Boiled

Paperback

First published January 1, 1960

About the author

Peter Rabe aka Peter Rabinowitsch, was a German American writer who also used the nom de plumes Marco Malaponte and J.T. MacCargo (though not all of the latter's books were by him). Rabe was the author of over 30 books, mostly of crime fiction, published between 1955 and 1975.

Reviews

[Dave · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anatomy of a Killer (1960) is the story of a mob hitman, but a story twisted Rabe-style. Long before the world heard the stories of such hitmen as Collins’ Quarry or Block’s Keller, Rabe gave us Sam Jordan, a cool, collected, machine-like efficient killer.

But Jordan isn’t your typical wise guy hitman. He is a skinny, unimposing, awkward guy who doesn’t fit in anywhere, who doesn’t know the right way to act, who doesn’t know the right thing to say. And, who gets spooked when things don’t go according to plan. He doesn’t dish out beatings. He takes beatings, to a point until he can seize a tiny advantage.

Our story takes us to a time when Jordan is given an urgent job because someone has decided someone else has to be taken off the board right now. There’s no time to send an advance man out to case the situation. Jordan will have to do it all alone. And the information he is given is crap.

Jordan is the story here and his odd reactions to situations. What Rabe does so beautifully here is he gets the reader inside Jordan’s mind – sometimes. But, other times Jordan’s so far off the beaten track that even the reader doesn’t know what he will do next. And that goes double for all the syndicate guys he has to work with.

[Tim · Rating 5 out of 5]

ANATOMY OF A KILLER was a pleasant surprise, and as the title suggests it is a complete exploration into the thoughts and actions of a hit man as his career progresses with each completed job taking a toll on him. Highly recommended for fans of Lawrence Block's "Hit Man"series for a different take on a hit man by the name of Jordan (AKA Sam Smith) who doesn't take up stamp collecting; rather he falls for a girl and becomes vulnerable and confused by difficulties experienced in the execution of his assignments that had once been done with ease, and without loose ends.
I'll be reading other books by Peter Rabe in the hopes that I find others as good as this one.

[Josh · Rating 2 out of 5]

Kill or be killed. That's the dangerous and violent world Jordan lives in. The same one where blood flows just as easy as water in the seas; his life, a never ending carousel of murder.

In Anatomy of a Killer, Jordan aka Sammy Smith, a renowned hitman for the mob, bounces from one quarry to the next without time to catch a breath. First there's a beautifully set up no-name murder, then the more ambitious and plot-driving hit of a retired mob guy who is making moves to get back into the business - a guy called Kemp. It's on this job Jordan's hard demeanor turns soft, and it's all because of a dame.

I really enjoyed the story. The writing on the other hand not so much. Author Peter Rabe developed a great plot with some nice turns and plot devises which all paid off. Unfortunately the dialogue left a lot to be desired and Jordan's introspective thought bubble did nothing for the story.

My rating: 2.5 - readable by virtue of a nice opening stanza and a plot which was well executed. Shame about the writing. I've read other books by Peter Rabe, Benny Muscles In being one which I gave 5 stars. This one though, skim it if you're going to read it.

[Vultural · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rabe, Peter - Anatomy Of A Killer

Cold, remote story of professional hit that goes slightly askew.
The killer, perhaps too long in the game, has grown obsessive about procedures and habits.
When preliminary groundwork isn’t quite perfect his nerves start to jangle.
His employers, the Mob, Rabe shows as little more than sketches.
No descriptions, just dialogue, as they realize their man has grown unpredictable, and perhaps a danger to the organization.

[Victor Whitman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another excellent Rabe novel. I wasn't really looking forward to another portrait of a psychopath. This tale of a hitman on his last job is different, however, as most books by Rabe are. Worth a look.