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makenah27's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Made me very uncomfortable at points but was still an okay read. Had to take lots of breaks because of the content and subject.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Rape
ktdakotareads's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Murder, and Violence
Minor: Kidnapping
nytephoenyx's review against another edition
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
For a book that promised me buried treasure, Finders Keepers was extremely disappointing.
One of the things that made Mr. Mercedes so interesting was the villain. While I was never keen on Bill Hodges, Brady Hartsfield was twisted and interesting. A strong King villain. Morris Bellamy... is... not. His motive was weak and tired. And while our young POV Pete Saubers had potential to be interesting, I found King's other young protagonists (Jake Chambers!) to be much more compelling.
Basically, Finders Keepers is tired. The story offers nothing that other King novels don't already do better. There's a little The Body (Stand By Me, for movie fans) and a lot of Misery in the plot, but without the suspense or intrigue of either. Bill Hodges, our series lead, doesn't even appear until at least 70% of the way through the book, and even then, he's just another one of King's nondescript cantankerous old white men characters without anything to make him appeal to the reader. King's written better villains and better protagonists.
What's more, for a seasoned writer, it's disappointing how apparent the second-book-blues are in Finders Keepers. This book feels very much like a bridge between Mr. Mercedes and End of Watch. For me, Mr. Mercedes was an average-to-interesting book... and the sheer boredom of Finders Keepers really has me in a place where even Brady Hartsfield's return in End of Watch can't tempt me back to finish the series.
The pacing is really rough. This is a common attribute of King's books. We spend the first third of the book getting to know Morris and Pete's individual histories. At about 50%, the plot starts moving forward. A little. At 70% we have Bill, Holly, and Jerome enter. All the real action happens in the last 15% of the book, pushed through quickly and tied up in a not particularly satisfying way. I'm left with a feeling that everyone suffered - myself and the characters alike - for no real purpose here.
And yet, somehow, this is one of King's short novels.
I suppose King fans should check this one out, and those who really enjoy crime novels. Personally, I can think of a dozen better recommendations if you're looking to pick up a Stephen King novel. And while I don't read a lot of crime thrillers, I'm sure there are more compelling recommendations out there for those as well. Finders Keepers is a hard pass.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Gun violence, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Gore, Kidnapping, Physical abuse, and Violence
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Misogyny, and Vomit
caidyn's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This time, it's a solid four stars.
Holy shitballs this was better than the first. All the awkward setting up of character relationships was over. I knew who everyone was and the relationships between them. No corny love story going on in the background that annoyed the shit out of me. Just blissful storytelling that was very good.
I think the thing I liked best was how much set up there was to the actual story. Like, seriously, about 60% of the book was set up, and I loved it. I got to know Peter and his life story, not to mention how it all connected back to Brady one way or another. The Morris was gold as well; he was fucked up but not in a complete psychopathic way like Brady was. Not a repeat of [b:Mr. Mercedes|18775247|Mr. Mercedes (Bill Hodges Trilogy, #1)|Stephen King|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1403347795s/18775247.jpg|26680281] in the least.
Plus, this story focuses around an author and some books. That's it at the heart of it. Not some revenge scheme or one-upping game that was played. I could almost relate to Morris. Almost. At least with the enthusiasm of trying to get something from your author and feeling betrayed. I think most serious readers invested in a series have felt that at one time or another. James Patterson
For those who didn't like Hodges at all in the first book, he wasn't the focus of the book. Until about 70-80% in, he was a minor character and wasn't very much in it. Only towards the real end was he a major player. Since I myself wasn't too big on Hodges in [b:Mr. Mercedes|18775247|Mr. Mercedes (Bill Hodges Trilogy, #1)|Stephen King|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1403347795s/18775247.jpg|26680281], I was pretty thrilled. Other characters got the time to shine in this one.
I did miss Brady, though. He was what made [b:Mr. Mercedes|18775247|Mr. Mercedes (Bill Hodges Trilogy, #1)|Stephen King|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1403347795s/18775247.jpg|26680281] interesting for me. A sick, twisted son of a bitch. Morris definitely wasn't that, but Brady was the reason I was drawn into reading this in the first place. But that ending with Brady maybe faking being basically braindead? Fuck me!
Holy shitballs this was better than the first. All the awkward setting up of character relationships was over. I knew who everyone was and the relationships between them. No corny love story going on in the background that annoyed the shit out of me. Just blissful storytelling that was very good.
I think the thing I liked best was how much set up there was to the actual story. Like, seriously, about 60% of the book was set up, and I loved it. I got to know Peter and his life story, not to mention how it all connected back to Brady one way or another. The Morris was gold as well; he was fucked up but not in a complete psychopathic way like Brady was. Not a repeat of [b:Mr. Mercedes|18775247|Mr. Mercedes (Bill Hodges Trilogy, #1)|Stephen King|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1403347795s/18775247.jpg|26680281] in the least.
Plus, this story focuses around an author and some books. That's it at the heart of it. Not some revenge scheme or one-upping game that was played. I could almost relate to Morris. Almost. At least with the enthusiasm of trying to get something from your author and feeling betrayed. I think most serious readers invested in a series have felt that at one time or another. James Patterson
For those who didn't like Hodges at all in the first book, he wasn't the focus of the book. Until about 70-80% in, he was a minor character and wasn't very much in it. Only towards the real end was he a major player. Since I myself wasn't too big on Hodges in [b:Mr. Mercedes|18775247|Mr. Mercedes (Bill Hodges Trilogy, #1)|Stephen King|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1403347795s/18775247.jpg|26680281], I was pretty thrilled. Other characters got the time to shine in this one.
I did miss Brady, though. He was what made [b:Mr. Mercedes|18775247|Mr. Mercedes (Bill Hodges Trilogy, #1)|Stephen King|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1403347795s/18775247.jpg|26680281] interesting for me. A sick, twisted son of a bitch. Morris definitely wasn't that, but Brady was the reason I was drawn into reading this in the first place. But that ending with Brady maybe faking being basically braindead? Fuck me!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Death, and Rape
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