Finders Keepers: A Novel (2) (The Bill Hodges Trilogy)

King writing about writing, what's not to love? I don't know if I've ever read an author that I've enjoyed more when it comes hearing street-slang, or whatever it's called. King has such a wonderful ear for picking up the latest, and coolest way with dialogue makes his writing, at least for me pure pleasure. King's plotting is good, and has plenty of suspense, but it's really the dialogue that makes his books sing for me. He really knows how to bring a character to life showing all of the dark places that a person can go, sometimes finding redemption, and sometimes just sinking all the way to the bottom.

I haven't read Mr. Mercedes so I found myself playing catch-up with the characters in a few places. I would recommend reading that book first, though Finders Keepers was plenty enjoyable by itself. What made this novel particularly pleasurable, was that it was about a writer. Think Catcher In The Rye, and you have the series The Runner, which is at the heart of Finder's Keepers.

Morris, a young man, raised by a domineering-intellectual monster of a mother, falls in love with the series The Runner and decides to rob the elderly writer for two reasons. First, is because Morris believes that Rothstein might have written more than the three books that are published, and second because he's so disappointed at how the series hero, Jimmy, sold out. Because it's a Stephen King book, things go wrong for Morris from the first page and we watch as his frustration is honed to a razor's edge until Morris is a ticking time-bomb waiting to take out the innocents of the novel.

King has his characters bump into each other in synchronistic ways that made me want to weep for the poor Peter, the young boy who only wants to help the family that he loves. King uses a high school english teacher to comment on what makes a novel a classic, which is fascinating to me. King is giving us insight into his views on other writers, and his own psyche. It's obvious that King is tapping into his fears about how crazy fans can get when obsessing over characters who aren't even real. I really appreciate how honest King is as a writer, which is probably what gives his characters such depth which makes us care for them, which of course is at the heart of a great suspense novel. If we didn't care about the characters, we wouldn't care if they were eaten by the monster.

As much as I enjoyed Mr. Mercedes - and I did, quite a bit - I still wasn't entirely sure about the fact that King wanted to write a trilogy about detective Bill Hodges. Part of the appeal to Mr. Mercedes was the treat of seeing King take on something new for him; between the fear of being a retread and the way Mercedes's cliffhanger suggested the sequel would go, I just wasn't all that excited about the idea of two more books. But Finders Keepers allays those fears and then some, finding King moving to a very different kind of crime novel while still using all of his various strengths to tell a great story with some compelling undercurrents. Finders Keepers kicks off with a 1970's-set home invasion at the home of a reclusive author who once one heralded as the voice of a generation, and although the robbers steal plenty of money, it's evident that the unpublished manuscripts - and the way they might change the author's reputation and the fate of his most famous creation - are going to be the key to this whole story. How Hodges fits into it doesn't come until much later, by which point King has a half-dozen plates spinning, somehow keeping them all afloat without dropping a one. And when, to mix a metaphor, he starts pulling all of these plot threads together, Finders Keepers takes off like a rocket without ever slowing down again. From a plot perspective, Finders Keepers is pretty straightforward; while Mr. Mercedes was a psychological duel between two men, Finders Keepers is a more streamlined crime novel about a heist, the loot, and everyone who wants it for themselves. The fact, though, that the loot may be less financial and more intellectual is one of the things that makes Finders Keepers so engaging, especially for any book lover who might find themselves identifying more than they'd like to admit with the book's villain. It's a really richly satisfying and truly exciting read, one that sinks its hooks in quickly and then drags you along without ever really giving you a chance to catch your breath - and that's part of what makes it such a good read. Apart from that, there's King's usual knack for character work (particularly with regard to the Saubers family in general, and Pete specifically, without whom the book wouldn't work at all), his engaging prose, and that thematic richness as he explores the idea of who books and characters really belong to. Yes, the book's final pages give me pause as I start to get an idea where the third book in the trilogy will go (and the reported title seems to confirm those suspicions)...and yet, I can't deny that Bill Hodges seems to have lit a fire with King, delivering a pair of great reads. So why worry too much about the third just yet - especially when there's as great of a read as Finders Keepers to enjoy first?

I personally feel that Finders Keepers by Stephen King is better than Mr. Mercedes. I found myself totally engrossed within the novel after just the first few pages. This book is definitely a keeper!

As many of you already know, the story deals with Morris Bellamy who murdered his favorite author, John Rothstein, because the writer took the character in his trilogy, Jimmy Gold, in a slightly different direction from what was expected. Bellamy felt the author had sold out and punished him for it. The young man also stole a lot of money and dozens of personal notebooks from the author’s safe and then killed his two accomplices. A few weeks later, Morris has buried his treasure, had a fight with a young man whom he thought would help him sell the notebooks, and ends up in prison for life after having raped a woman while angry and drunk.

Move ahead in time.

Teenager, Pete Saubers, and his family now live in the house where Morris and his family used to reside. His dad was one of the people injured in the Mr. Mercedes crimes and has been out of work for several years. One day, while taking a back path through the nearby woods, Pete finds the trunk with the hidden treasures. Once he's sure nobody is looking for the trunk, he uses the money to help his family out of debt and then keeps the notebooks for himself, quickly becoming a fan of the “Jimmy Gold” novels, as well as the unpublished ones.

Jump ahead a few more years.

Morris Bellamy has finally gotten out of prison and wants his money and notebooks. Thinking about them was the only thing that kept him sane while in the slammer. He soon discovers that the young man he had a fight with over the selling the notebooks, is now preparing to buy them from Pete. The hidden money has run out, and Pete needs funds to send his younger sister to a private school. The notebooks have to go even though he hates giving them up. What he isn’t prepared to do is fight Morris to the death for them.

But, that’s exactly what he'll have to do. After thirty-five years in prison, Morris is old, but no pussycat. He killed three times, and now he’s ready to do it again.

Of course, the team of Bill Hodges, Holly Gibney, and Jerome Robinson are back from Mr. Mercedes and quickly find themselves immersed in the situation to keep Pete alive and to put Morris back in prison.

Nothing, however, turns out the way they expect or hoped.

Like other of King’s books, this novel was a pleasure to read and had a more than satisfactory ending. In fact, since the author plans on doing a trilogy, the ending leads directly into the third upcoming book.

One of the many things that Stephen King does to absolute perfection is create believable children and teenagers in his novels. He has a particular magic for this and succeeds tremendously with Finders Keepers.

Another thing is that the author always manages to pace his novels with suspense, allowing the reader to take the dark journey with him from beginning to end. The reader is seldom permitted to be bored, though some claim that many of his books are simply too long.

Finders Keepers is certainly a winner in my book, though not quite as fantastic as 11/22/63 or The Green Mile or It or some of his first published novels. Still, you won’t be disappointed in giving this novel a try, especially in preparation for the third book that's to come in 2016.

Good story line, about a man Morris who is absolutely obsessed with John Rothstein novels- especially his Jimmy Gold trilogy!! But Morris absolutely HATES the way he ended the trilogy…. With Jimmy selling out!

This author has since retired and lives with his wife, writing in his journals.. But in these journals are actually sequels to this trilogy, unpublished and for HIS eyes only! What would have been books 4 and 5 of the series, along with about $20,000 cash is stolen from Mr. Rothstein in a home burglary, which turns deadly for him. Who killed him? you guessed it, Morris! So now he has his money, but that $20,000 is nothing compared to what these hidden journals are worth (to the right man willing to buy them on the black market). A friend of his, Andy, tells him that when things die down after this man’s death, then he surely can find someone to purchase these gems!! Only problem is, Morris is now going away for many years, due to convicted rape! So now he must hide his trunk full of journals (and cash ) under a near dead tree behind his old house! Hoping that it’s still there when he gets out…

Enter Peter Saubers, teenager in high school, main character of the story. He moves into Morrises old house, and guess what he stumbled upon? You guessed it, The trunk! And he has actually heard of Rothstein, is a huge fan of his work, and happened to love the trilogy! But when he reads these last 2 books, he’s even more amazed ! He now realizes what literal GOLD he has on his hands! Also during all of this his parents are having financial (even some marital) problems, and so Pete starts anonymously sending random letters to his house addressed to his father, with mystery money in it, and does so for almost 2 years… until, one day…… it runs out and he sends his last envelope! Well it certainly did help his parents get back on their feet, and almost certainly saved their marriage! Which is good, but what kind of sucks, is now Morris is out of prison, and will be looking for all his things, but Peter doesn’t know this…… yet..

Now he is looking for more money (not so much for his parents now) but for his younger sister he wants to be able to help put her into this nice school, but it’s a bit expensive. So he decides to do the unthinkable- part with some of his journals- and he KNOWS what he has, could potentially be looking at a million dollars!

So he goes to the shadiest Rare Books Dealer in town, Andy Halliday! (Yep, Morrises old pal from right after the heist, who most certainly knows people who can afford so buy these VERY RARE finds). Peter knows he cannot go to just anyone- most people who knows what he has is Stolen property from a murder case, and will think Peter had something to do with it! So no police! So it’s Andy, or nobody!

Except Andy was wandering where these journals went after Morris went into prison, and now he knows where they are! He attempts to blackmail Pete into either lowballing him EXTREMELY, or getting the police on the phone!

But before he can continue with his plan, Morris comes in to save the day- and KILL Andy. Hey, what are friends for, right? So now all Morris has to do is rid himself of Peter, but not a second before he knows where these journals are ! Will he eventually come back into possession of these last 2 Jimmy Gold Novels? Or will he die trying?

Tune in next week, for the conclusion of : FINDERS KEEPERS!

…he dies…. Peter burns the books while Morris stands aflame burning together with his one true love: Jimmy Gold at last !

Great storyline, a bit of a jump from the Brady Hartsfield from the First book, but Brady certainly doesn’t disappoint in the third! 9.5/10 stars for me!

[Copied from my Goodreads account]

However, Stephen King does some of what he does best in the first 160 pages before bringing in characters we already know—great character work with two new leads.

First, we're introduced to Morris Bellamy who's in the middle of an armed robbery of reclusive, retired author, John Rothstein in 1978. Rothstein feels like King's version of Jack Kerouac, except his Holden Caulfield (Jimmy Gold) stars in a trilogy of novels of teen angst, instead of just one. Further, the third novel has Gold turning into a Don Draper-like ad man—completely selling out all of his young rebellious ideals.

Bellamy attacks Rothstein for this betrayal of Jimmy's character & asks if there were more novels bringing back the character he loved from the first two novels (there are rumors he never stopped writing). Bellamy ends up killing Rothstein in an argument over the notebooks (and thousands of dollars) hidden away in his safe. Bellamy obsesses over the dozens (hundreds?!) of notebooks hidden away, so much so that he kills his partners (who wouldn't appreciate the talent inside them) & ends up heading home to avoid the heat around Rothstein's murder. He hides the notebooks and cash away until he can find time to read them (and maybe find a buyer for them) but gets drunk, rapes a woman, and gets sent to jail for life.

In present day, we meet Pete Saubers, the oldest child of Tom & Linda and older brother to Tina. In 2009, Tom Saubers becomes a victim of Mr. Mercedes and the family begins to break down financially and emotionally... During one of many fights between Tom & Linda, Pete escapes to some undeveloped land behind his house and stumbles onto the trunk Bellamy hid away over three decades earlier. He anonymously sends the money to his parents to help them out and reads the notebooks, falling in love with Jimmy Gold himself.

When Bellamy is granted parole (after his victim finally gives her blessing) the two characters are destined to meet. Bellamy has spent years agonizing over what he missed out in those books, and Pete struggles with figuring out a way to sell his treasures notebooks to help his family more.

Enter Hodges & Holly, who run a business (called Finders Keepers) tracking down bail-jumpers and repossessing property. Young Tina happens to be friends with Barbara Robinson (who was almost killed at the boy band concert in Book #1). Tina starts to worry after her brother starts acting strangely & Barbara brings her to Mr Hodges.

The two get on the case (and Jerome, luckily, is home from college to join them) and everything eventually leads up to some exciting final moments.

The novel is kind of a struggle through the first 3/4. While the first part has some interesting characters, it felt like such a weird sequel. There were nods to the previous novel but I feel like they would have been less meaningful had I not just read the first one. Who knows what will happen when I eventually read End of Watch later this year...

There's a lot of great writing (and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't interested in reading the Jimmy Gold novels myself) but this didn't have the same page-turning quality of the first (until I got about 75% of the way through). I doubt it's a coincidence that this is also the same part of the novel where our three main characters (Hodges, Pete, and Bellamy) finally meet. The last quarter is an adventure (again with the series' main three barreling through town in the big Mercedes) that kept me glued to the page.

Overall, it's an interesting continuation of Hodges's story. There are a few mentions of Brady and I'm curious if Book #3 will enter the supernatural territory King often deals in.

After finishing Mr. Mercedes I could not wait to jump into Finders Keepers and man this one did not disappoint. I was excited to see where the great Stephen King would take this series and what he did with Finders Keepers was outstanding.

Finders Keepers: A Thrilling Continuation of the Bill Hodges StoryThe genius is John Rothstein, an iconic author who created a famous character, Jimmy Gold, but who hasn’t published a book for decades. Morris Bellamy is livid, not just because Rothstein has stopped providing books, but because the nonconformist Jimmy Gold has sold out for a career in advertising. Morris kills Rothstein and empties his safe of cash, yes, but the real treasure is a trove of notebooks containing at least one more Gold novel.

Morris hides the money and the notebooks, and then he is locked away for another crime. Decades later, a boy named Pete Saubers finds the treasure, and now it is Pete and his family that Bill Hodges, Holly Gibney, and Jerome Robinson must rescue from the ever-more deranged and vengeful Morris when he’s released from prison after thirty-five years.

Stephen King is best known for his horror stories, Finders Keepers showcases his prowess in crafting intricate mysteries that keep us guessing. The tension builds steadily throughout the story, culminating in a heart-pounding climax. Finders Keepers takes readers on a rollercoaster ride of suspense, mystery, and literary exploration that push boundaries and challenge traditional genres.

King expertly weaves together themes of obsession, literature, and revenge in Finders Keepers. He delves into how literature can shape our lives in profound ways and explores the consequences when that influence turns dark. The characters are richly developed, each with their own motivations and secrets that add depth to the story.

Finders Keepers seamlessly ties it into Mr. Mercedes while also setting up the next installment in the Bill Hodges Trilogy. This interconnectedness adds layers to the narrative and keeps readers engaged as they uncover new connections between characters and events. However, it also allows us as the reader to focus on the novel in hand instead of the previous or future installments.

Finders Keepers is a thrilling installment in the Bill Hodges storyline. Stephen King combines elements of mystery, suspense, and literary exploration to create a truly immersive reading experience. King once again reminds us why is considered one of the greatest storytellers of our time with this gripping tale that left me eagerly awaiting the next installment in the series.

Please don't be swayed by the reviews raving about this is a "tense thriller" and "Stephen King at his finest." There's really nothing thrilling about this book at all. Much like Mr. Mercedes, you know from the first chapter who the 'bad guy' is and what he's done. There's even less mystery in this book than in Mr Mercedes, if possible.

Stephen King is a great writer, so no matter what he writes about, his prose is so entertaining/creepy/amusing/whatever, that you enjoy reading it. His characters are usually very unique and enjoyable (or detestable, whichever way Mr. King wants you to feel about them).

So really, it's more about your expectations going into it.

Mr. Mercedes was the perfect King novel to me. There was no supernatural elements to it. (Also, no animals died, which is a big plus for me personally.) Just a really sick and twisted baddie that you enjoyed reading, due to his delicious evilness. And then some good guys that had enough flaws to make them human and likable. The plot was exciting. There were some great plot twists throughout the book, enough to let you know early on that you needn't bother trying to outguess the author.

So, that was all great. Plus the very end set things up to continue on in the same exact vein in the next book, Finders Keepers. I couldn't wait to get into that book and see how things continued to play out.

Only, Finders Keepers is really dissimilar to Mr. Mercedes in almost every way.

One thing they have in common (as previously stated), is that the book begins with the main bad guy being bad, murdering and stealing, as you can read in the book blurb way up at the top of the page. However... after that, the book goes through a major lull.

I mean, it's INTERESTING to read, it's a well-written book. But if you're expecting a suspenseful thriller featuring a psychopathic monster, you will be disappointed.

The new characters in this book are bland and forgettable, in addition to being difficult to relate to--I am guessing due to somewhat shallow characterizations (sorry, SK, I still love ya). The villain is kind of meh, and almost pathetic. Sure, he is quick to kill, and has no regrets about doing so. But anyone could write a villain like that. Towards the end of the book, he is built up to be a lot smarter, and a lot 'badder' because he says mean things to a teenage girl. I don't know... I just expect more out of a Stephen King villain.

The book lags until about 70%, when some action finally starts to occur. The characters from Mr. Mercedes reappear, but in a surprisingly (for SK) implausible and cheaply concocted way. They follow a series of thinly believable "clues" and hunches that of course turn out to be right, even though no one in reality would probably make the logic jumps and assumptions that they make. (For example, the major catalyst that leads the trio of Hodges/Holly/Jerome down the right path is that a few years ago, a teenager was seen reading a type of notebook that would probably be too expensive for him to have bought at a whopping $10. Seriously? Sometimes people who love to read and write will treat themselves to a nice journal, and no one in the real world would think it a reason for suspicion.) It would do an episode of CSI: Miami proud.

Also, I found the ending to be kind of anti-climactic. The climax of Mr. Mercedes led to an even bigger crime than was committed at the start of the book. But this book pretty much ends... exactly as you would expect it to end. I kept checking my progress, hoping there would be time for a plot twist and something BIGGER to happen. But it never did.

I'm a little sad too, because as different as this book was to Mr. Mercedes, Stephen King is setting the third book up to be completely different than the first TWO, and I'm not sure how I feel about it.

So, if you're still reading, I just wanted to inject a voice of reason into these crazily glowing praises, talking about this book doesn't suffer from middle book/movie syndrome. It 100% does, trust me. It's totally forgettable, if a very well-written book. If you go in expecting just a regular drama, with a bit of murder intrigue thrown in, I think you will have a better enjoyment of the book.