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A review by emily_m_green
End of Watch by Stephen King
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
In Stephen King’s The End of Watch, Bill Hodges isn’t doing too great—he’s in some pain and he does not really want to see the doctor and find out what’s going on. Besides, some strange things are happening, which seem to be somehow related to the terrorist acts of Brady Hartsfield. Bill decides that he will get to the bottom of the strange goings on and his partner, Holly, signs on, too.
End of Watch is the third book in the Finders Keepers trilogy, more often called the Bill Hodges trilogy, named for the main character of Mr. Mercedes, the first book in the series. Bill is a retired police officer who becomes a private investigator. I may be the only one who prefers to call it the Finders Keepers trilogy, but I am a big fan of Holly Gibney, co-owner of the private investigator business, as well as Jerome Robinson, the neighbor boy who also joins their team. To call it the Bill Hodges trilogy leaves out two such important partners. However, if called the Finders Keepers trilogy, the trilogy part would be factually untrue, as the series continues after End of Watch with The Outsider and Holly as well as a novella entitled If It Bleeds. So, perhaps I would call it the Finders Keepers series.
Of all of the books in the series, End of Watch is not my favorite. While it is an interesting read, there was a certain point at which the plot became hard to swallow, even for a Stephen King book, which tend to hang on the audience’s willing suspension of disbelief. I just felt like, really? This is where you’re going with this?
Would I teach this book? Most likely not. It is not the best King book out there, nor is it the best in the series. As stated earlier, I find parts of the plot a little silly, and the slide from mostly realistic to what borders on the supernatural feels strange and unnecessary. Even supposing that I wanted to teach a class on book series, and even if I included this series, I would probably skip this book.
End of Watch is the third book in the Finders Keepers trilogy, more often called the Bill Hodges trilogy, named for the main character of Mr. Mercedes, the first book in the series. Bill is a retired police officer who becomes a private investigator. I may be the only one who prefers to call it the Finders Keepers trilogy, but I am a big fan of Holly Gibney, co-owner of the private investigator business, as well as Jerome Robinson, the neighbor boy who also joins their team. To call it the Bill Hodges trilogy leaves out two such important partners. However, if called the Finders Keepers trilogy, the trilogy part would be factually untrue, as the series continues after End of Watch with The Outsider and Holly as well as a novella entitled If It Bleeds. So, perhaps I would call it the Finders Keepers series.
Of all of the books in the series, End of Watch is not my favorite. While it is an interesting read, there was a certain point at which the plot became hard to swallow, even for a Stephen King book, which tend to hang on the audience’s willing suspension of disbelief. I just felt like, really? This is where you’re going with this?
Would I teach this book? Most likely not. It is not the best King book out there, nor is it the best in the series. As stated earlier, I find parts of the plot a little silly, and the slide from mostly realistic to what borders on the supernatural feels strange and unnecessary. Even supposing that I wanted to teach a class on book series, and even if I included this series, I would probably skip this book.