We all hate it when our favorite series or trilogy comes to an end, but I'm sure that we hate it even more when the last book didn't live up to one's We all hate it when our favorite series or trilogy comes to an end, but I'm sure that we hate it even more when the last book didn't live up to one's expectations.
I had very high hopes for this because I really liked the first two books. I even rated the first one a 5 star rating. I thought that after reading this I might reread the trilogy again in the future, but I didn't like this book that much. It was cliche, and the characters weren't as good as they were before. It was a huge slap to the face that the ending ruined the whole series. Predictable and unsatisfactory at best.
The characters themselves weren't as they were before. Despite the fact that I've read the second book more than a year ago, I still remember most of what happened to them, and also what I liked about them. In this novel everyone was dull and a bit stupid. Everything didn't make sense, and it felt a bit like the two authors didn't write this.
Let me add in that the there was minimal action in this third novel. That means the useless ramblings were more prominent. This reason probably contributed to my disliking of the characters. They all just kept complaining about a lot of shit. The action didn't happen till around 80% of the novel. That's a huge amount of useless shit going on.
It took me 10 days to read this. Honestly my busy schedule should be the one to blame, but this was too short to reach 10 days, even with my busy schedule. I wasn't turning the pages because i was really enjoying myself, but rather to get things over with. At 50% I knew I wasn't going to like this very much, so I had to push myself to finish it and move on.
I read the first two novels way too long ago, and it was a time wherein I still enjoyed Dan Brown, Rollins, and the likes. It could be a huge possibility that I outgrown the genre itself. This book made me feel like I was reading Dan Brown, and not Rollins. Heavy on the cliche, predictable and stupid ending? I'm sick of reading the same thing. If i remember correctly though, the first two novels didn't possess these awful traits. I liked them because both were original and the writing was good. Could it be that Cantrell wrote this, or vice versa?
2.5/5 stars. I rounded up out of respect of the first two books. The whole series itself probably deserves a 4 or a 3.5, but this novel alone was awful. Bad writing, predictable plot, and dull characters. I might still reread the trilogy in the future, and hopefully by then I'd have a better reading experience of this novel. I'm still highly recommending the whole series, but watch out for this particular novel....more
I wasn't expecting to be completely amazed by this. Yes, King is my favorite author, but I know his stHere's my review of the first book: Mr. Mercedes
I wasn't expecting to be completely amazed by this. Yes, King is my favorite author, but I know his strong point is Horror, and not Crime. The most important thing that I learned after reading this latest novel of his was that Stephen King can write anything he fucking wants. While I was satisfied with Mr. Mercedes, it's a different game when it comes to Finders Keepers. FK exceeded my expectations. This is an amazing novel, add that to the list of great novels King has written over the years.
Bill, Holly, and Jerome are back. The amazing trio we learned to love in Mr. Mercedes, but they're not the only stars in this novel. We have the honor student, the ever so curious Pete Saubers. Everything stared to go wrong the moment we get that flashback of the Mercedes incident, where Brady killed and injured a lot of people. Brady injured Pete's father, Tom. That accident started all the commotion in Pete's life. Then all of a sudden another antagonist named Morris Bellamy contributed to more chaos. Morris, the obsessed reader of Rothstein's novels decided to kill him and steal all of the things inside the author's safe. What happens next made this novel the piece of treasure that it is today.
This is a crime novel, and not a horror one. This is not a typical King novel in terms of the genre, but it's still King in terms of the greatness. He delivered what a crime novel should, and that's suspense. The last few chapters contained nothing but heart racing scenes. King doesn't hold back with his vivid portrayals of scenes, and FK was no different. When he wants to write something violent, he will. In terms of plot alone I could already give this a 5. I didn't see some of the things that happened in the end, but some were predictable.
The characters were incredible. That is King's talent, his characters. I liked everyone of them. Even the father, because the the flashback chapters in the beginning were great. Perfect way to build momentum. Then after all the flashbacks, King handed out chapter after chapter of suspense. The trio were still fun to read here. They had the same humor as the last novel. King didn't focus much on them though, all the attention was given to the Saubers. Pete and his family were also very well developed characters. I couldn't stand not knowing what would happen to them next. This novel should be the perfect example of a page turner.
I would've finished this in one sitting but I got a bit sick. I read 70 pages and decided to sleep first. The next day, cured from all illnesses, I finished the rest in one sitting. If that's not a page turner then I don't know what is. I'm not sure if this novel's really shorter than his other works or maybe it's because of the font and it being a hardback? It felt shorter, or maybe I was enjoying myself too much to notice the number of pages left. Rarely happens, only with some King books, not even all of his works. This is one of my favorite King books to date.
5/5 stars. If you're looking for horror from King, then don't expect it here. This is a straight out crime-thriller, and if you manage your expectations right, then you'll most probably enjoy this. I can't wait to read the third novel. That last paragraph was a huge cliffhanger. One more dreadful year of waiting. Write faster, King....more
Update 2015: I heard they're developing this into a "limited" TV Series! Can't wait to watch it! Here's the link
A psycho-madman with a Mercedes ran ovUpdate 2015: I heard they're developing this into a "limited" TV Series! Can't wait to watch it! Here's the link
A psycho-madman with a Mercedes ran over a crowd of unemployed people resulting to 8 deaths and 15 injuries. He escapes. Months later, Bill Hodges, the lead detective, is still having nightmares about the crime incident. He contemplates suicide, and watches a lot of TV shows with his gun on his lap. Out of the blue, he receives a letter from the psycho-madman, and then the story of cat and mouse chase begins.
I think I can say that I wasn't biased with the rating. I'm not ashamed to say that Stephen King is my favorite author of all time, but I disregarded that thought while deciding the rating. Not his best work, but still satisfactory overall.
We all know that King is the king of horror, but I think this is his first genuine crime novel. A lot of people were bewaffled and curious of how the outcome would be. I'm one of the few who didn't really doubt the King, but I'll be completely honest and say that I'm not entirely impressed with the novel.
The premise is actually really interesting. Someone running over people, with no sense of regrets, that's something interesting to read about. I was expecting a lot more gruesome things to happen in the novel, because the beginning was good. I bought the book without even reading the summary at the back though, but it's a King novel, why would you need to do that.
The characters were really great, just like most of King's characters. Unforgettable? Not really. I didn't like Bill Hodges as much as I wanted to. He's a 64-year old retired cop who acts like he's in his 40s. He was unnaturally strong for his age. He's my least favorite of the main characters, but not to an extent of disliking him. Jerome and Brady are my two favorites in this novel. Jerome just brought out the humor this novel kind of needed. His natural wittiness and attitude brought the novel alive. Brady is probably the weakest main villain King has written (of his books I've read), but he was still really enjoyable. I like those psychologically damaged characters who are funny because of their craziness. Brady was funny in this novel, but a mastermind criminal? Nope. His emotional issues interfered with his psychological craziness capabilities. But like I said, he was great and humor filled in this novel.
My main problem with this novel would be the outcome of the plot. The ending was terrible. It was so cliche that I kinda got annoyed. With endless possibilities of what Brady could do, King chose to write a bit of a cliche. I get that most crime novels are cliche, but he chose one of the bad cliches. That's the reason why I rated this with a 4, and not a 5. The novel was filled with more drama than action. I don't necessarily mind that, but an explosive good ending would've made up for that. I like character driven novels as much as the next guy, but I also need that major plot twist that would leave my mouth hanging open for a few seconds. His other novels managed to do that, but this one is a little bit lacking.
His usual alternating chapters never fails to impress me, and this is not an exception. I really find it entertaining, reading about what the hero wants to do, while the villain plans on his next master plan. Great technique by King that I enjoy a lot.
Aside from the bad ending and not so thrilling plot, I still found this enjoyable. His characters were filled with humor and were really likeable for me. Not his strongest novel, but still worth checking out. 4/5 stars, and now on to the next King novel. ...more
I've been a huge fan of James Bond ever since Casino Royale(2006) was shown in theatres. I remember watching it with my family and my dream then was tI've been a huge fan of James Bond ever since Casino Royale(2006) was shown in theatres. I remember watching it with my family and my dream then was to become just like James Bond. I watched all the Bond movies that Daniel Craig starred in ever since that Royale movie. I haven't seen the older ones though, and I heard that this novel is similar to the older movies, and thankfully I haven't seen those.
There's this scene in this novel wherein the villain tortured Bond by repeatedly striking his manhood, and I'm 100% sure that that scene is present in either Casino Royale or Quantum of Solace (more or less Royale). While reading the novel, I imagined Bond as Craig, and I don't think I can ever imagine him as someone else.
The novel itself is very short, but substance filled. Is that a thing? Substance filled. I really enjoyed it, and it brought back a lot of memories. Not that much action I guess, but this is Bond, and I'm pretty biased about him. Deep inside, I'm sure I'd still want to be a spy if given the chance. I almost forgot, this novel explained why Bond got the 007 status, been wondering my whole life. Not sure if they told it in the movies, but I was 8 years old when I watched it, so I can't really remember much.
Before I conclude, let me just say that the movies were not particular about Bond's vices/habits(?). He likes to smoke 70 cigarettes a day, take cold baths, and collect cool cars. I'm a huge car enthusiast, I hate cold baths, and I don't smoke, but one day, I still believe that I'll be just like James Bond.
I'm a huge crime-mystery-thriller fan, and I'm a huge Bond fan, so this novel was quite enjoyable for me. I've been deciding between 4 or 5 stars, but I believe I didn't find any flaws that bothered me that much. Like I said though, I'm really biased when it comes to Bond. 5/5 stars, and I can't seem to not add this to my favorites list. Read this if you want a short but satisfying crime novel. ...more
Peter Grant dreams of becoming a detective in London’s Metropolitan Police. Being granted the dreadful assignment of Case Progression Unit, Grant did Peter Grant dreams of becoming a detective in London’s Metropolitan Police. Being granted the dreadful assignment of Case Progression Unit, Grant did everything he could so that he may be promoted to detective. His uncanny ability of seeing ghosts was his ticket to his dream. Brutal murders lurk in the city and the gods apparently meddles too.
Peter Grant was really likeable, but only during the first half of the novel. I got bored after about 50% because nothing grand was happening. Nothing gruesome, or big enough to capture my attention. The murders were mediocre and the other characters were also mediocre. Nightingale was a delight to read, but aside from Grant and Nightingale, there were no other good characters. The setting was great, but it really lacked action. This first novel felt more like an introduction to the characters and the setting, so hopefully the sequel would be a lot better than this.
3.5/5 stars. I honestly liked the Dresden Files more, but I heard that this series improves along the way. This was not bad, don’t get me wrong, but it could’ve been way better. ...more
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