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Billy Summers - Stephen King

 


Billy Summers has been sat on my bookshelf since last Christmas and whilst I knew I was going to love it - I'd been putting it off as I didn't think it was going to fall into my preferred King genre. 


Let me explain. I've read a few King novels (only about 10 or so of the his back catalogue) and have noticed that whilst his incredible writing is of course prevalent throughout - the main plot styles vary. You've got your Supernatural (Pet Semetary, Carrie), your End of Civilisation style (Sleeping Beauties, The Stand), your Suspense Thrillers (Misery, 11.22.63) and your horror (IT - though I've never read this one).


Billy Summers is about a hit man - but he only takes jobs that go after the Bad men. Forgive me Feminists for I will sin with this next statement - the description screamed Bloke Book to me. 


That being said - I am committed to working my way through all of his books so, as I've hit my reading goal I can afford to risk a couple of DNF's so decided to go for it. 


I stand by that this is a Bloke Book, but I enjoyed it alot. It took me a while to get into it but I think that was because I needed to get used to reading his style of writing again. After working my way through a lot of romances and fantasy this year - Kings direct and quick-fire style took some getting used to but once I was in - HOOKED!


The story - by all accounts, is believable. Stephen Kings personal anti-Trump views came through clearly without being preachy and there was (as always) nods to other stories in the universe (The Overlook Hotel played a specific role towards the end). 


If you're more of a thriller reader - I'd definitely give this a go. Don't be put off by the fact that King is typically a Horror writer.


Also - check the TW for this book. He handles these plot lines masterfully in my opinion however, check them out before you dive in. 

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