Finders Keepers
This book opens with a dissatisfied reader, Morris Bellamy, robbing and killing the author of his favorite books, stealing money and unpublished work. He then goes to prison for another crime after hiding his stash. That is then found by a young boy, Pete Saubers, whose father was injured at the job fair from Mr. Mercedes book.
I enjoyed this story quite a bit, however it felt predictable. I really liked Jimmy Gold and his book series as a character. I was surprised by that. Also, while I loved seeing Bill, Holly, and Jerome, it felt like they were only there to set up the third book. I enjoyed seeing how King looked at readers and ownership. This book is a light thriller that was well written but the addition of the former characters took away from the story and forced us to watch them figure out things we’d seen ages ago, and that just wasn’t as enjoyable.
At one point Bellamy’s mother says that “A good novelist does not lead his characters, he follows them. A good novelist does not create events, he watches them happen and then writes down what he sees.” Having finished this book and seeing where book 3 is heading, I feel like King has kind of missed the mark on following and watching. I also feel like there are potential pitch forks headed my way for that thought.
