End of Watch by Stephen King

End of Watch by Stephen King

With End of Watch, King brings the Bill Hodges trilogy he started back in 2014 with Mr. Mercedes to a most satisfying conclusion.  While Mr. Mercedes and Finders Keepers (the second book in the series, released in 2015) were straight thrillers, End of Watch brings some supernatural menace to the forefront and ramps up the tension.  In doing so, it allows King (who is no stranger to drama and suspense) to play to his greatest strengths.  The end result is a gripping yarn that will have readers flipping pages as quickly as they can on their way to one of the author's most riveting climaxes.  Light on blood-curdling terror, but heavy on violence and gore, this thrilling book is surprisingly heartfelt at times.  Those who have come to love Hodges and his cohorts, the quirky Holly Gibney and the well-rounded Jerome Robinson, may need to break out the Kleenex as this saga winds to a close.  I doubt that any fan of the series will find End of Watch to be anything other than a most fulfilling bookend to a really cool trilogy courtesy of the master.  This series started as an ode to pulpy detective fiction rooted in noir, made room for some modern thrills, and closes out shop with a horrific conclusion that wraps up every loose thread in sight.  The saga as a whole was entertaining and thoughtful, if briskly-paced and far simpler than many of King's masterpieces.  I think that the final chapter in this trilogy, the aptly-titled End of Watch, is the strongest and most entertaining piece of the pie.

Final Grade: A-

Finders Keepers by Stephen King (2015)

The latest from Stephen King is the second entry in a new trilogy.  It boasts the unlikely trio of heroes who saved the day in the slick and entertaining thriller Mr. Mercedes, though they don't show up here until the second act is well underway.  This novel is really more about a teenage boy who bites off more than he can chew and a sadistic lunatic whose love for prose is only rivaled by his penchant for dishing out brutality with a total lack of remorse.  Oh, he also has a knack for blaming his mother and an old friend for every sick mistake that he makes in a life that is filled with such mistakes.  This book is tied to its predecessor in more ways than one and a creepy subplot serves as an intriguing bridge to the next chapter in this blood-curdling saga.  I liked Finders Keepers a lot; it's a genuine page-turner and the good guys from Mr. Mercedes are some of the most interesting heroes that King has provided us with in a while.  Yet I wasn't as keen on young Peter Saubers, the gutsy hero of Finders Keepers, though the villainous Morris Bellamy was equal parts compelling and utterly repulsive.  Peter was a bright lad who was capable of fine moments that clearly displayed the presence of grit and intelligence, but there were a few too many times when he made incredibly stupid decisions for my liking.  Sometimes panic or stress were to blame, but some of these miscues seemed necessary to advance the plot.  Of course, Peter was young and maybe I expected too much from him.  Additionally, I should note that even the best fiction is often reliant upon plot devices to a certain extent.  Regardless, Finders Keepers is a gripping read with a wealth of tension, some truly abhorrent moments, and several well-defined characters at its disposal.  It's not top-shelf Stephen King, but a good book from this titan trumps a great book from most authors.

Final Grade: B

Mr. Mercedes by Stephen King

It's not often that King writes a straight up thriller, but like everything else, it's something that he excels at.  Mr. Mercedes is a nifty ride with a nice mix of intriguing characters, startling violence, and mystery, and it all comes together in a satisfying climax.  Often, when King offers up such a book, it's a little darker than most similar offerings.  While there are some gruesome bits and some explicit material in Mr. Mercedes, I thought it was gentler than much of King's work.  Having said that, it still has bite, and anyone who picks it up will be turning pages in a frenzy as they get closer and closer to the finale.