End of Watch: A crime thriller from the No. 1 bestseller (The Bill Hodges Trilogy)

I don't usually pre-order books, especially hardcovers, but I had to find out what happened to Hodges, Holly, Jerome, Brady, and the rest. I've had some pretty disappointing finales to my favorite series this year but thankfully this one was great. Plot: The plot sounds ridiculous but somehow Stephen King just makes it work. It kept me hooked, intrigued, and at parts, somewhat creeped out. I love the supernatural element in this final book and how suicide, something the bad guy seemed obsessed with in the first book, played its part in this final installment. While it did take about a week to read this, I would have finished it a lot faster if I hadn't had other things to do. At parts it was very difficult to put down. It also was unpredictable, which is one of Stephen King's specialties. No character is safe. Overall, the plot was intriguing and difficult to stop reading. Setting: Same setting as in the previous books. I liked that a good part of it was set in the hospital, though. Characters: While I enjoyed Hodges in the previous books, he shows a vulnerability in this one, and his determination to shield others from it melted my heart. While I did enjoy Peter Subers from the last book a lot, it was nice to be back with Bill for a while. He is an easy character to root for because despite his faults, deep down he is genuinely good and wants evil to be put in it's place. I adore Holly, especially in this book. Her character seemed to thrive much more and she is also vulnerable in other ways. She's also seen as "weird" because she has anxiety, especially when it comes to other people, and I feel like King did a great job showing how it affects her life and relationship with others. I especially like how the people closest to her like Hodges and Jerome, are respectful of that. There isn't much Jerome in this one, but he is far from important. He plays a big role in this one, as well as his younger sister, Barbara. I never thought too much of his sister before this book, but the short scene from her POV definitely made me like her and want to root for her. Brady is back and while he is a monster, he is so psychotic that I can't help but enjoy his character and quirks. I'd say he is one of King's creepiest. And while I didn't really care much for Freddi before, I did feel bad for her in this one. It was nice seeing her character explored further. Relationships: Like the last book, there isn't really any romance, which I find a good thing because it wouldn't have fit in this book. There is a kiss though and while it's unexpected, it's not exactly romantic, either--just incredibly sweet. Hodges and Holly are definitely my favorite relationship, though. They make a good team, friends, and also have that "old married couple" vibe going on. I love how they both know one another so well and will adjust themselves to make the other more comfortable--especially when it comes to Holly's anxiety. Brady and Hodges also make an interesting villain vs hero. I also felt that Brady had some interesting interactions with his victims, especially the main two (Z-Boy & Dr. Z). Writing/Voice: I'm a SK fan so I enjoy his writing. I loved the combination of horror and supernatural in this one. The last book was more of a crime/thriller sprinkled with horror but this one was more like the first, which is exactly what the last book needed. Ending: While I would have liked to see the climax with Brady last a little longer, the ending for that was satisfying (and also great irony). The actual ending was sad but realistic, and I love that there is closure. Overall, it was a satisfying ending for the series. I still consider the first to be my favorite but this one would definitely be second. I can't wait to see what SK will write next!

Good series, somewhat different from what I normally read but would recommend this book/ series to others. This is a good read.

First of all just wanted to say I loved the book, as I've loved the entire trilogy and almost everything Mr. King has put out. I think I've read it all except Danse Macabre (someday). Lifelong Constant Reader of his since I was about 12 in the 80s (Losers Club 4 Life!). Very suspenseful and well written trilogy and I loved the suicide/mind control plot device as well as Brady the villain. Also loved the quirky, awkward, introverted, troubled Holly character. Probably related to her the most, even though I'm a 40 year old white male, but I'm just weird like that - sue me :P And Bill, our protagonist, is likeable enough. However, maybe its just me, but does anyone find the Jerome character unrealistic? He seems like a male version of the "Mary Sue" trope (whatever the name for that is for guys - Gary Stu?). A little too perfect. I don't think one flaw in him was revealed in the whole trilogy. I don't know about you, but that can be very off-putting for me and make it hard for me to root for a character, since I always prefer flawed characters (like Holly) as that makes them more human and relateable to me. And I don't want to accuse Mr. King of "white guilt" as some of my fellow liberals are guilty of, overcompensating by making Jerome (an African American) a perfect character, since I don't think that's the case. Some of his white male protagonists in recent books have been the same way. A little too perfect and "alpha" for my liking. Where everything seems to go their way and they do everything effortlessly. Just seems unrealistic to me, but maybe that's just me, since I haven't seen anyone else point it out, so who knows? ::shrug:: I'd just hate to see him go the way of Dean Koontz, who I used to like almost as much as Steve (grew up with his books as well), but I had to give him up around 2011 because his characters and stories became too unrealistic for me - and I LIKE quirky stuff (love the 1st Odd Thomas book) :) So that's saying something. So hopefully Steve curbs it with the "male Mary Sues/Gary Stus" in future books. If characters are too perfect, why would I root for them? They don't need my help lol Regardless, I remain a lifelong Constant Reader. If you agree with my review at all, you can mostly find me these days at twitter dot com/ShyLivesMatter Peace :)

Even better than the first 2 books in the trilogy Highly recommend

Billy Hodges und Holly Gibney sind wieder da. Ihre Angentur „Finders Keepers“ ist weiterhin erfolg-reich, doch Hodges fühlt sich zunehmend unwohl. Der mittlerweile nahezu 70 Jahre alte Polizist im Ruhestand hat Verdauungsprobleme und fürchterliche Leibschmerzen, die seine Partnerin dazu gebracht haben, ihn mit strengen Worten zum Arzt zu schicken. Und dort wartet er auf eine Diagnose, als ihn ein Anruf seines Expartners bei der Polizei erreicht. Eines der Opfer des sogenannten Mercedes-Killers, das seit dem Ereignis gelähmt gewesen ist, ist von der sie pflegenden Mutter umgebracht worden, kurz bevor diese sich im Bad selbst umgebracht hat. Irgendetwas verstört Hodges‘ Expartner an dieser Sache, weswegen er gegen den Wunsch seiner neuen Partnerin Hodges zu Hilfe gerufen hat, damit dieser sich die Sache einmal ansieht. Tatsächlich kommt Hodges das ganze Tableau eher seltsam vor – und ganz besonders die Anwesenheit eines Ladegeräts an einer Steckdose über die der Buchstabe Z an die Wand geschrieben ist und zu dem ein entsprechendes Endgerät fehlt. Aber Izzy, die karriere-orientierte neue Partnerin von Hodges Expartner Pete will den Fall als Mord-Selbstmordkombination so schnell wie möglich abschließen – besonders, da dieser durch die Anwesenheit der von ihrer Mutter Ermordeten unangenehm viel Presseecho erzeugen kann. Der Architekt der Behinderung und etlicher weiterer Verletzungen und vieler grausamer Tode liegt zur gleichen Zeit scheinbar unansprechbar in Raum 217 der Lakes Region Traumatic Brain Injury Cli-nic, nachdem ihm zwei heftige Schläge auf den Hinterkopf nicht nur daran gehindert haben, einen Konzertsaal voller Jugendlicher und ihrer Eltern in die Luft zu jagen, sondern auch sein Gehirn nach-haltig geschädigt hat. Doch er ist nicht wirklich ohne Wahrnehmung und tatsächlich ist er durch eine Verknüpfung verschiedener Umstände in der Lage, aus seiner Stummheit und seiner Bewegungslosigkeit heraus in die Welt hinein zu greifen – und das auf überaus ungewöhnliche Art und Weise. Der Mann, der sich selbst mal als den „Selbstmordprinzen“ bezeichnet hat, wegen seiner Fähigkeit, andere Menschen in den Selbstmord zu reden, hat eine Möglichkeit gefunden, Menschen in seinem näheren Umfeld direkt zu manipulieren und über diese Manipulation auch über die Grenzen von Raum 217 hinaus zu agieren. Und dies tut er mit unglaublicher Zielstrebigkeit in seinem Wunsch sich nicht nur an Holly und Hodges, sondern auch an der ganzen Stadt zu rächen, die ihm seiner Meinung nach unsägliches Unrecht zugefügt haben. Und so muss Hodges nicht nur gegen einen unerbittlichen inneren Feind antreten, sondern auch gegen einen Gegner, der geradezu gottähnliche Macht zu entwickeln scheint, die zunächst erst einmal die Menschen in seinem näheren Umfeld bedroht, die aber letztendlich auf die breite Masse gerichtet ist. Dieser dritte Teil der Krimireihe, die mit „Mr. Mercedes“ ihren Anfang genommen hat, ist voller phantastischer Element in Bezug auf Brady „Mercedes“ Hartsfield neue Fähigkeiten, aber die Ent-wicklung der Bedrohung, die er hier auf zwei Angriffslinien aufbaut ist sowohl vom technischen wie auch vom soziologischen mehr als real. Selbstmord spielt in diesem Roman eine sehr große Rolle und auch die Art, wie Selbstmord in bestimmten Populationen zu einer Art Epidemie werden kann – was eine der Grundlagen von Hartsfields Plan darstellt. Besonders, da das Internet die Wirkung eines „viruellen“ Selbstmords noch verstärken kann – was darüber nachdenken lassen sollte, wieviel Internetzugang man seinen Kindern – besonders über schwer zu kontrollierende Smartphones – gewähren sollte. Ein interessanter Abschluss der Trilogie, der wieder ein wenig „klassischen“ King durchscheinen lässt.

Avoir le dernier Stephen King livré à domicile, en version originale, et bon marché ( moins de 10 €) avant même sa parution en France, est un privilège que j'ai bien apprécié. Merci Amazon ! Livré rapidement dans un bon emballage, j'ai pu commencer la lecture deux ou trois jours après la commande. Seul petit reproche : les caractères sont un peu petits et moins confortables que la version brochée française 3 fois plus chère.

Very powerfully written. Vintage King. Can't wait for his next book. Pity he ended this series as a trilogy - would have loved to read more of the same

I needed to read this book to fulfill a duty. It was with scintillating pleasure, I read! Death seems to win always. Luckily the grace of some good people keep up.