Finders Keepers
Published: 2, June 2015
Author: Stephen King
Genre: American, Crime, Fiction, Horror, Literary, Literature, Literature, Mystery, Police Procedurals, Suspense, Thriller
Book 2 of 3: The Bill Hodges Trilogy
Check the summary of this book here:
The Review
Finders Keepers is a fantastic crime thriller written by Stephen King. It is the second chapter in the Bill Hodges Trilogy, which continues after Mr. Mercedes and focuses on Detective Bill Hodges. The novel is a mix of J. D. Salinger, John Updike and Philip Roth and is about the murder of reclusive writer John Rothstein, his lost notebooks, and the release of his assassin from jail after 35 years.
Even though the first two books, Mr. Mercedes and Finders Keepers, did not include any supernatural characters or supernatural beings, it does not make them any less terrifying and leaves us with the impression that there may be some very real monsters that live next door or can be anyone around us and we just don't know about it.
Every aspect of it was enjoyable to me. I listened to the audio versions of these two volumes and have to say that the narration was one of the finest I've ever heard and was well suited to both Stephen King novels. It could only have been improved by having Stephen King narrate them.
These two books are vintage Stephen King, which means they are true page-turners with riveting tension till the very end.
The reason I am talking about the first two books here is that I feel it is better to discuss both of these books here even though they don’t have any story connection except for the characters from the first book and kind of continuation of the first book.
This novel was not what I expected. For one thing, Bill Hodges and his courageous companions, Jerome and Holly, didn't emerge until much later in the novel. But it was Okay, and I think the author made a fair decision not to include them until it was appropriate for them to appear.
Because of several comparable story mechanics, this novel reminded me of Misery, but I'm assuring you, Misery can frighten the living daylights out of readers. It was horrifying and terrible, and it was so skillfully portrayed that it made it much scarier.
The plot revolves around the writings of a great novelist who retired after finishing a well-known and contentious series. One obsessed fan is dissatisfied with the series’ conclusion and follows down the old author with a few of his thug cronies to plunder and pillage, and the plot develops from there.
Bill Hodges and his friends take a back seat to adolescent teen Pete Saubers and villain Morris Bellamy in this second installment of the Bill Hodges Trilogy. Of course, as the tale gets going, Bill Hodges and Holly Gibney, who now manage a company called Finders Keepers, play a key part.
While suicide remains the series' main issue, Finders Keepers is also about literature and how stories can captivate and influence people's brains. This is a compelling novel that serves as a suitable middle to the Bill Hodges trilogy.
Mr. Mercedes isn't the main menace in Finders Keepers, but he's lurking in the shadows.
Finders Keepers is a crime thriller with barely a smidgeon of Stephen King's trademark otherworldly happenings. It's not a mystery, like Mr. Mercedes, with whom it shares several characters, because the villain is revealed right away.
It is about a fan's infatuation with a fictional character, similar to author's earlier work Misery as I mentioned earlier, although it is not quite as spooky and suspenseful as that one.
Mr. Mercedes was an incredible work that I adored, but I believe this is much better for the middle of a trilogy. Without delving into story details, I'd say it's a little constructed, relying on some improbable coincidences but it was all done beautifully and convincingly.
As is customary with the author, the tale moves quickly and keeps the reader involved, and it can be easily remembered and recalled whenever the subject of this novel comes up.
The antagonist in this book is crazy, yet he is not a monster. He performs horrific things because his fuse has gone haywire. What made him terrifying is that, up to the end, he believed he was a hero.
These kinds of personalities and individuals are considerably more frightening and dangerous than any demon or monster.
The author, as always, does an excellent job with his characters. This is especially true with his adolescent characters.
I knew from the beginning of this book that I would read at least one more book in this series, and my instinct proved correct as I reached the conclusion of this book.
Stephen King has stated that he does not write about remarkable individuals dealing with ordinary problems, but rather about ordinary people in extraordinary situations. That nearly sounds like a straight quotation from him.
Final Thoughts
The author provides his readers with a narrative that is full of drama, suspense, and a thriller that will stay with them for the rest of their lives.
Many fans want Stephen King to publish horror stories all of the time. But I believe he is the king of any genre he chooses to write in, and I really enjoy it when he performs in-depth character development and examines ordinary people from many perspectives.
And because that's what he's done in the first two novels of this trilogy, I believe we should refrain from asking him to write what we want and instead allow him to do what he's doing.
Simply told, this is an outstanding series. The characters are well-developed, the plot is full of surprises, and it gets better with each volume.
The author has done an excellent job of constructing a very plausible set of circumstances for the characters to navigate, and the reader is quickly drawn in.
I couldn't wait for the third book, End of Watch, to come out after finishing this one because I wanted to see what type of fresh plot the author would present or whether it would be an all-out war of smarts between the Bill Hodges gang and Mr. Mercedes.
We, the readers, get a glimpse of the muddy, disgusting, sinister side of some of the individuals in these stories, which, to me, is even worse than fictitious creatures.
I wholeheartedly endorse these two volumes and can unequivocally claim that this is one of the greatest Stephen King works he has done in the past few years.
Synopsis
“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).”
Useful Search Related Words & Keywords
Another Great Book, Bill Hodges, Hodges Trilogy, Holly And Jerome, In The Trilogy, Jimmy Gold, John Rothstein, Looking Forward, Morris Bellamy, Read Mr Mercedes, Third Book
Rating: 90/100
Recommended: 90/100 Yes.
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