You want something funny? I read this book earlier than "Mr. Mercedes," and they turn out to be related. So, I've caught a spoiler for the entire Bill Hodges trilogy.
This book is the first modern (well, like) Stephen King book that I've read.
In the story, the police arrest Terry Maitland for the brutal murder of a six-year-old boy. It would seem that all the evidence points to him, but there is one catch. Terry was out of town at the time of the murder. Probably someone wants to frame him, or something.
The book can be divided into two halves. In the first, the main characters of the police are trying to prove the guilt of Terry Maitland, in the second, all the main characters are already trying to catch the real culprit. Both halves are made exciting. In the first, the reader already knows that Terry is innocent, which makes it tense to watch what is happening. The second one is a regular monster hunt, where we learn more about the main villain. But I didn't like the ending. It seemed somehow anti-climax, as if this was not the end of the book, but a preparation for it.
About the characters briefly.
They evoke the emotions that the author intended. From regret to disgust. Even when a character behaves irritatingly, you understand why, because you, the reader, know much more than he does (especially the first half).
The villain here is interesting, a kind of Pennywise, only for the place of fear, he feeds on despair (that's why his murders are so cruel, and the victims are children). Quite creepy and with an interesting method of transformation,
The writing style is good. This is Stephen King, who again throws off tons of information that is easy to read.
In the end, I liked the book. It's a good open-ended detective story, albeit with a disappointing ending.
by mystery5009
1 Comment
I enjoyed it, but found it a bit uneven. I liked the first half of the book much more than the second.