April 20, 2015
Bill Hodges, the retired detective hero of King’s Mr. Mercedes (2014), stars in this taut thriller about the thin line separating fandom from fanaticism. In 1978, Morris Bellamy murders his literary idol, John Rothstein (clearly modeled on J.D. Salinger), and pilfers more than 100 notebooks filled with Rothstein’s unpublished writing. After serving 35 years in the clink for another crime, Bellamy returns to the Midwestern everyville of Northfield to reclaim the stashed notebooks—only to discover that they’ve fallen into the hands of teenage Rothstein fan Pete Saubers, who’s in dire need of Hodges’s protective services when the murder-minded Bellamy comes after him. Bellamy is one of King’s creepiest creations—a literate and intelligent character whom any passionate reader will both identify with and be repelled by. His relentless pursuit of a treasure that his twisted thinking has determined is rightfully his generates the nail-biting suspense that’s the hallmark of King’s best work. A sharp closing twist suggests Hodges will be back. Agent: Chuck Verrill, Darhansoff & Verrill Literary Agents
April 15, 2015
What would you do if you found a buried treasure? Thirteen-year-old Peter Saubers asks himself this very question when he finds an old trunk buried under a tree. His family has fallen on hard times following the economic downturn in 2008. Aside from a relatively small amount of money in the chest, there are over 100 handwritten notebooks. Peter realizes that they were penned by John Rothstein, a renowned novelist who was murdered long before Peter was born. Peter was one of the millions who had been touched by Rothstein's works. Also influenced by the novels is Morris Bellamy, an obsessed fan who killed the author years ago and buried the trunk. He's in prison for a different crime, and about to be paroled. Now the protagonists King introduced in Mr. Mercedes--Bill Hodges, Holly Gibney, and Jerome Robinson--are charged with protecting Peter and his family from Bellamy. VERDICT King's many, many fans will want this, especially those who loved Misery, but the second volume in King's projected trilogy will appeal to anyone who enjoys suspense and action, or anyone who finds enlightenment in reading about the internal struggle between right and wrong. It's not necessary to have read the previous book to enjoy this one. [See Prepub Alert, 11/25/14.]--Elizabeth Masterson, Mecklenburg Cty. Jail Lib., Charlotte, NC
Copyright 2015 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
Starred review from July 27, 2015
It seems only logical that King's new crime novel, which is linked to the Edgar Awardâwinning success of 2014's Mr. Mercedes, should reemploy the talents of that thriller's reader, Patton. Here, the actor's deceptively mellow, vaguely Southern delivery helps spin a thrilling yarn that shuffles two tales separated by 35 years. The earlier sections follow Morris Bellamy, a young sociopath so obsessed by the work of long-silent reclusive novelist John Rothstein that he kills him and steals the author's money, along with notebooks containing at least one unpublished novel. The other sections, set in the Midwest in 2010, focus on Pete Stauber, who finds the cash and notes where Morris hid them before his lengthy incarceration for another crime. Both stories converge when Morris is released from prison and arrives in town expecting to find his cache. Though the novel unfolds in third-person narration, King slants each chapter toward its featured player, and Patton adds an appropriate attitude. For example, he reads the chapters focused on Morris with a sort of grim determination laced with anger. The Pete chapters have a halting quality that reflects the teen's suspicious nature and lack of self-confidence. The chapters devoted to Drew Halliday, a crooked book dealer, are given a smarmy air of extreme self-satisfaction. The bottom line is that King has added another superb novel of suspense to his ever-increasing list, and Patton's inventive interpretations make it a must-hear audio. A Scribner hardcover.