Title: Billy Summers
Author: Stephen King
Year Published: 2021
Category: Adult fiction (thriller)
Pages: 528
Rating: 4.5 out of 5
Location (my 2021 Google Reading map): USA (CO, NV, NY)
Summary (from Amazon): Billy Summers is a man in a room with a gun. He’s a killer for hire and the best in the business. But he’ll do the job only if the target is a truly bad guy. And now Billy wants out. But first there is one last hit. Billy is among the best snipers in the world, a decorated Iraq war vet, a Houdini when it comes to vanishing after the job is done. So what could possibly go wrong?
How about everything.
Review: I don't often read Stephen King novels because they are too scary for me. And the clowns. Can't do it. But, the two that I have read, Mr. Mercedes and Outsider were both excellent. I heard that this novel is more like them than his horror novels so here I am.
Ah, Stephen, a job very well done. Billy Summers is a guy we shouldn't like. He's a contract killer, for goodness sakes, but I felt invested in him and wanted him to do well. And the kill that is the main premise of the book is over about half way through (what?!) and the entire second half is an added bonus to the story.
I really don't want to give anything away; I enjoyed this book because I didn't know more than the brief summary. Needless to say, 528 pages flew by and I was completely absorbed in the characters, their mission, their relationships, and I wanted good things for them. Killing bad guys? Go for it, they deserved it. That's what King does. He creates sketchy questionable characters that we can root for and puts them in settings we can feel.
If you're a King fan, I am sure you'll enjoy this one.
Challenges for which this counts:
- Cloak and Dagger
- RIP XVI
- Literary Escapes--Nevada
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