Finders Keepers & End of Watch

Finders Keepers by Stephen King
Narrator: Will Patton
Series: Bill Hodges #2
Published by Scribner, Simon and Schuster Audio on June 2, 2015
Genres: Fiction / Thrillers / Suspense
Length: 13 hours 4 minutes
Pages: 448
Format: Audiobook
Source: Library
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The second book in Stephen King’s Bill Hodges trilogy (Mr. Mercedes, Finders Keepers, End of Watch)—now an AT&T Audience Original Series!

“Stephen King’s superb stay-up-all-night thriller is a sly tale of literary obsession that recalls the themes of his classic 1987 novel Misery” (The Washington Post)—the #1 New York Times bestseller about the power of storytelling, starring the same trio of unlikely and winning heroes Stephen King introduced in Mr. Mercedes.

“Wake up, genius.” So announces deranged fan Morris Bellamy to iconic author John Rothstein, who once created the famous character Jimmy Gold and hasn’t released anything since. Morris is livid, not just because his favorite writer has stopped publishing, but because Jimmy Gold ended up as a sellout. Morris kills his idol and empties his safe of cash, but the real haul is a collection of notebooks containing John Rothstein’s unpublished work...including at least one more Jimmy Gold novel. Morris hides everything away—the money and the manuscripts no one but Gold ever saw—before being locked up for another horrific crime. But upon Morris’s release thirty-five years later, he’s about to discover that teenager Pete Saubers has already found the stolen treasure—and no one but former police detective Bill Hodges, along with his trusted associates Holly Gibney and Jerome Robinson, stands in the way of his vengeance...

Not since Misery has Stephen King played with the notion of a reader and murderous obsession, filled with “nail biting suspense that’s the hallmark of [his] best work” (Publishers Weekly).

I thought that this book was really good! After enjoying the first book in the Bill Hodges trilogy, I was excited to dive into this second installment. I was a little surprised by just how long it took for this book to tie into the first book in the series but I did like the story from the very beginning. I found this to be a very exciting story that kept me entertained from beginning to end.

The story opens with Morris, a criminal, robbing and killing a well-known and loved author named John Rothstein. He not only takes the man’s money but also notebooks containing unreleased novels. He buries the loot planning to get to it later but his plans go wrong when he goes to jail for a completely unrelated crime. A young man named Pete finds the treasure many years later and puts it to good use. Things get a little crazy when Morris is released from prison wanting his loot back.

I really liked Pete and loved that he used the funds to help his family (even though he should have told his parents about what he found right away). The story really picked up the pace once Bill, Holly, and Jerome got involved and there were some pretty intense scenes. I thought that the way that this story tied to the previous book was really interesting.

I listened to the audiobook and thought that Will Patton did a great job with the story. I thought that he did a great job of bringing this large cast of characters to life and I really enjoyed the various voices he used to portray the characters. I found his voice to be very pleasant and I do believe that his performance added to my overall enjoyment of the story.

I would recommend this book to others. While King may be best known for his horror novels, I think that he really did a wonderful job with this mystery thriller. I cannot wait to read the final book of this trilogy.

End of Watch by Stephen King
Narrator: Will Patton
Series: Bill Hodges #3
Published by Scribner, Simon and Schuster Audio on June 7, 2016
Genres: Fiction / Thrillers / Suspense
Length: 12 hours 52 minutes
Pages: 448
Format: Audiobook
Source: Library
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#1 New York Times Bestseller and New York Times Notable Book
Now an AT&T Audience Original Series

The spectacular finale to the New York Times bestselling trilogy that began with Mr. Mercedes (winner of the Edgar Award) and Finders Keepers—In End of Watch, the diabolical “Mercedes Killer” drives his enemies to suicide, and if Bill Hodges and Holly Gibney don’t figure out a way to stop him, they’ll be victims themselves.

In Room 217 of the Lakes Region Traumatic Brain Injury Clinic, something has awakened. Something evil. Brady Hartsfield, perpetrator of the Mercedes Massacre, where eight people were killed and many more were badly injured, has been in the clinic for five years, in a vegetative state. According to his doctors, anything approaching a complete recovery is unlikely. But behind the drool and stare, Brady is awake, and in possession of deadly new powers that allow him to wreak unimaginable havoc without ever leaving his hospital room.

Retired police detective Bill Hodges, the unlikely hero of Mr. Mercedes and Finders Keepers, now runs an investigation agency with his partner, Holly Gibney—the woman who delivered the blow to Hartsfield’s head that put him on the brain injury ward. When Bill and Holly are called to a suicide scene with ties to the Mercedes Massacre, they find themselves pulled into their most dangerous case yet, one that will put their lives at risk, as well as those of Bill’s heroic young friend Jerome Robinson and his teenage sister, Barbara. Brady Hartsfield is back, and planning revenge not just on Hodges and his friends, but on an entire city.

In End of Watch, Stephen King brings the Hodges trilogy to a sublimely terrifying conclusion, combining the detective fiction of Mr. Mercedes and Finders Keepers with the heart-pounding, supernatural suspense that has been his bestselling trademark. The result is an unnerving look at human vulnerability and chilling suspense. No one does it better than King.

I thought that this was a fantastic end to the Bill Hodges trilogy! I was pleased to find that Bill and Holly were in this book from the very beginning. I was hooked by this story from the start and couldn’t wait to see how things would work out. This installment didn’t fit quite as nicely into just one genre blending a bit of science fiction. I was a little sad to see this trilogy come to an end.

Brady Hartsfield, Mr. Mercedes, has been in a vegetative state since the events of the first book. When a suspected murder-suicide involving a victim from one of his crimes leaves Holly and Bill asking questions, I knew that we were going to be in for quite the story. As the number of suicides grows, they find that each of the victims has a handheld device called a Zappit that seems to put them into a trance if they watch a certain demo screen for too long. They are soon asking if Brady could be behind it and if so, how could he have done it.

Will Patton did such an amazing job with this trilogy. I loved the voices that he used for the characters which really helped to bring the story to life. I feel like he added just the right amount of emotion to his voice which made for a very pleasant listening experience. I am certain that his narration only added to my enjoyment of this book.

I would recommend this book to others. I have really enjoyed my journey with Bill and feel like this book bought everything to a satisfying conclusion. I can’t wait to read more of King’s work very soon.

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