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-

Top 20 Horror Novels - #12) Falling Angel by William Hjortsberg (from 1978)

Not only am I ranking my Top 20 Horror Movies for you this October, but I'm doing likewise with the scary books that I hold near and dear.  As with the movies that I'm discussing in that Top 20, I'm not attempting to rank these novels based on their place in pop culture, but rather their place in my heart.  Isn't that sweet?  Seriously, there are some fine books that didn't make the cut here because there just wasn't room, and there are definitely some well-regarded books that didn't make the cut because I don't really like them.  That also means there are some personal favorites of mine on this list that you may not have heard of.  If that's the case, I promise that I'll reward your trust with a gnarly tale if you give one of them a spin.  Finally, I may have shortchanged some of the titans in the genre (hey there, Stephen King) as I didn't want to overload this list with titles by the same author, though Uncle Stevie did manage to score three direct hits on my list.

The list thus far:

#20) Amok by George Fox (from 1980) 
#19) Manstopper by Douglas Borton (from 1988)
#18) Intensity by Dean Koontz (from 1995)
#17) The Terror by Dan Simmons (from 2007) 
#16) The Snake by John Godey (from 1978)
#15) Son of the Endless Night by John Farris (from 1985)
#14) Rockinghorse by William W. Johnstone (from 1986) 
#13) Vampire$ by John Steakley (from 1990)

Top 20 Horror Novels - #12) Falling Angel by William Hjortsberg (from 1978)

Stephen King hit the nail on the head: if Raymond Chandler and William Peter Blatty co-wrote a novel, it would probably be something akin to William Hjortsberg's Falling Angel.  This superb effort pits a hard-boiled private dick against 'Ol Scratch himself.  As ridiculous as that may sound, Hjortsberg's stirring prose, keen wit, and steady pace combine to make this one a real winner.  This is the rare gripping yarn that succeeds at more than one thing, as it is both a quality detective story and a blood-curdling horror novel.  The main character, Harry Angel, is a rugged hero who clearly doesn't know what he's getting into when he takes on a missing persons case that will bring him face to face with ultimate evil.  While there is a potent noir flavor to Falling Angel that aids the title in making it seem as though our weary protagonist is doomed from the start, he's compelling and gutsy enough to ensure that we root for him all the way to the bitter end.  This book was the inspiration for Alan Parker's stunning motion picture of the same name and anyone who gives this wicked tale a try will quickly recognize that it was destined to be translated to film.  The movie is a solid adaptation that stays true to Hjortsberg's book while varying just enough from the text to make it difficult to choose between the two.  They're both awesome, and (most importantly) each property is genuinely frightening.  Anyone who digs the pitch should have a great time with either (I love them both), and Falling Angel is a novel that I positively treasure.  I expected this one to crack my Top 10 when I started working on this list, but Harry Angel will have to settle for #12.  We'll certainly see more of the devil as these rankings progress.

Short Attention Span Review: Manhunter (1986)

Pop quiz, hotshot: what's the best movie with Hannibal Lecter (or is Lecktor?) in it?  If you said Silence of the Lambs, you're in the majority.  If you said Manhunter, you're surely in the minority, but I happen to agree with you.  If you said anything else, you're wrong.  Despite being a little dated (it was the 80s, can you name a good movie from that decade that isn't dated?) and a little rushed at the very end (which is still awesome) Manhunter is a wicked ride.  First off, if it's a Michael Mann movie, it's worthwhile.  This is one of his earlier efforts, but it has the power and charisma of his later work and showcases his unique gift for providing his films with a wealth of atmosphere.  The acting is top-notch, with the gifted William Petersen offering up what is quite possibly his best performance--though his equally compelling work in To Live and Die in L.A. makes that a tough call.  Brian Cox is a fine Hannibal and Dennis Farina is pitch-perfect as Jack Crawford.  Tom Noonan is truly spooky as the conflicted villain, Frances Dollarhyde, a.k.a. "The Tooth Fairy."  Joan Allen makes the most of a smaller part and lends Noonan a major assist in bringing some humanity to a difficult role while a host of other thespians also make worthwhile contributions to the picture.  The pace may be a bit slow for some, but it's all about getting into Will Graham's head as he does his best to get into Dollarhyde's head, all while Hannibal is worming his way deeper into Will's head.  If that makes it all sound overly complex, it's not.  The picture is emotionally charged, easy on the eyes, and very intriguing, all while generating a wealth of suspense and fear.  The frightening aspect of Manhunter is one of its biggest successes, for it does cover some gruesome and scary territory to great effect without ever playing any standard horror genre tricks.  There are no jump scares to release the tension and the music never provides us with any false alarms.  It's frightening because of the subject matter and the powerful direction and performances, not because it benefits from any Hollywood shenanigans.  If you've never seen Manhunter, do yourself a favor and give it a watch--particularly if you're familiar with Hannibal or the books written by Thomas Harris.  You'll have a great time sweating bullets with Will Graham right up until the riveting conclusion, which probably contains the single greatest shot that Michael Mann ever filmed.

Final Grade: A-

William Petersen absolutely slays it as Will Graham.

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.