Finders Keepers: A Novel

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once one heralded as the voice of a generation, and although the robbers steal plenty of money, it's evident that the unpublished manuscripts - and the way they might change the author's reputation and the fate of his most famous creation - are going to be the key to this whole story.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?

Finders a Keepers is the second book in a planned trilogy that began with Mr. Mercedes. And it reads as though it is a second filler as for me, this novel can best be described as a "filler." Mr. Mercedes, which won the Edgar Award for best crime fiction, won deservedly so. It is an excellent crime thriller displaying the best of Mr. King's talent. What I would have liked To have seen I n Finders Keepers is Mr. King furthering the character developments of his characters that were in Mr. Mercedes. Unfortunately, the characters of Hodges, Holly and Jerome do not appear in well over 200 pages of the book and we learn very little about them from the last 4 years that Mr. Mercedes took place. Instead, Mr. King takes one of the characters from Mr. Mercedes who was injured in the car crash incident and makes his son one of the main characters of the book. The villain this time is a book reader obsessed with an author and what he has done with his main character..... In a similar vain as Misery. As a book collector and avid reader, I did find the story of book collecting and the treatise of authors such as Hemingway, Roth, and Bellow interesting. Mr. King has a keen insight on the reclusive nature of these authors and how they write about their characters. It just was not enough for me to quickly want to turn the pages. The obsession of the villain in obtaining the stolen manuscripts he steals of the authors unpublished novels after he kills him is, in my opinion, a bit overdrawn and too long. As is the father's son( the father introduced in Mr. Mercedes) who becomes the catalyst in the lost manuscripts from the deceased author. I will not explain more as to not spoil the contents of this novel. The last 100 pages are engrossing. Pages turn quickly as the players found in Mr. Mercedes come into play in solving the case. Here, we learn a bit more about them but not enough. I wish Mr. King would have continued in the excellent crime novel format as Mr. Mercedes. With that being said, I would not dream of not reading anything Mr. King writes.... He is a brilliant author. I just hope the third novel in the trilogy goes into more detail on the three main characters in Mr. Mercedes and that he returns to a more conventional crime drama novel. This novel is a worthy read, but I would recommend reading Mr. Mercedes first.

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!

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.

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.

I loved Mr Mercedes and read it in record time. I was excited to read the next book in the series. I am almost 100 pages in and am waiting for something to come together. The story line is so slow that I am not sure if I can finish it. I have been a Stephen King fan since Salems Lot and The Shining. I don't know if he was rushed by his publisher or what, but it's not like his normal page turner. I will try to finish it if I can. I am glad to see similar comments and know it isn't just me. Well I hung in there and it was just a slow start. My apologies to Mr King. If you are feeling the slow start, wait for it! It all came together and ended up being a page turner. I immediately started the next book in the series.

Stephen King is so good that he appears to be immune to the "second in a trilogy" letdown that characterizes the vast majority of the middle of three-piece novels and films. And he has matured so much as a writer and plotter that he no longer needs to have his stories revolve around some supernatural or SF-based McGuffin. FINDERS KEEPERS is a plain old, straight up no-nonsense crime thriller that captivates and gets the pulse pounding as much as the best of his earliest or more recent published novels that are based around SF-horror tropes. Nominally a sequel to MR. MERCEDES, the stars of FINDERS KEEPERS are not Bill Hodges, Holly Gibney or Jerome Robinson, although they do play important roles in the end game. Rather, King introduces two new characters. The first is Pete Saubers, who is not even born when the novel opens but who ages from 13-17 during the "present day" part of the novel. Pete's father was one of those mowed down by the psychopathic Brady Hartsfield in MR. MERCEDES. Tom Saubers was not killed, but was left with crippling injuries and and severe pain as a result. The second is Morris Bellamy, who is in his early 20s in 1978 as the story opens. Morris is a very smart psychopathic criminal who has become obsessed with the writings of a highly acclaimed reclusive author who has not published anything for a decade and a half or so. Rothstein's work includes the "Jimmy Gold" trilogy that has so enraptured Bellamy that when Rothstein left Jimmy in a sell-out position at the end of the third novel in the 1960 sand no more were forthcoming, Bellamy sets out to find Rothstein and steal what he is sure must be more of the unpublished Jimmy Gold story, just so he can find out what happens to Jimmy. Flash forward 30 years to 2009 and the story begins. King's writing is fluid and smooth, after decades of honing. His dialogue has continued to improve, and after reading one of his novels there are snatches of dialogue, both internal and external that run around in my head for days, and that sometimes become part of my lexical encyclopedia that occasionally burst out, without warning, in conversations that have nothing to do with King or any of his works. In contrast to some who lament the loss of "the old Stephen King, back when he was good", I think King's writing has (more or less) steadily improved since I first read CARRIE in the mid-1970s. Sure, there were some clunkers along the way, but he was always an excellent writer, even in his coked out, alcoholic (I think it was, oddly enough, pretty much restricted to beer) days. Staring with MISERY back in 1984, King has published a fair number of novels and short stories that have minimal or no supernatural or SF elements. FINDERS KEEPERS is the latest of those, and it is just as enthralling as any of his previous horror/SF novels (except maybe THE STAND that made such an impression on me in1978 when read it for the first of perhaps 5 times that I have difficulty being unbiased in any comparisons of other works, including King's, to it). Although FINDERS KEEPERS is a sequel to MR. MERCEDES, sharing the latter's main characters, it can be read by itself, since it is a completely different story. However, a re-read of MR. MERCEDES might help reacquaint the reader with those characters and compare what they were like 4 years ago with their state today. Lastly, there is a hint of a twist partway through, and a very explicit foreshadowing of things to come at the very end. for those who remember and lament the loss of "the old Stephen King" a la CARRIE or FIRESTARTER. Very Highly Recommended. JM Tepper

Book is brand new, looks great

fait partie d'une très bonne mini-série de 3 livres, qui peuvent se lire séparément. Mais c'est toujours mieux dans l'ordre : mr Mercedes, finders keepers, End of Watch.

字が小さいのが不便だが、内容は期待を裏切らない。

Having recently read Mr. Mercedes (which I thoroughly enjoyed) and given that my own name is a combination of two of its characters names: ‘Bill Hodges’ & ‘Brady Hartsfield’ I just had to read this sequel; book 2 of the Hodges/Gibney trilogy. I really enjoyed this; and much more that its predecessor Mr. Mercedes. In part because it deals with book lovers - both authors and readers and that thread runs throughout. It begins with the murder of the great reclusive American novelist John Rothstein and the robbery of his multitudinous unpublished notebooks of his character: ‘Jimmy Gold’; together with a significant sum of unbanked money. Enter Morris Bellamy; a man obsessed with with Rothsteins’s work and in particular his character Jimmy Gold. Its 1978 when the story begins with the murder and robbery of Rothstein by Bellamy and his two cohorts; both of whom are mercilessly disposed of by Bellamy in the early aftermath. Morris is not a nice guy… Fast forward to 2009 and meet the Sauber family: Tom & Linda and their two children Peter & Tina. In 2009 the world economy is in serious decline as a result of the recession; and the breadwinner of the family: Tom becomes one of the victims of the Mr. Mercedes murderous rampage suffering serious, and long lasting, injury to his legs. As a consequence of all this there are frequent rows/disagreements between the parents given their straitened means! These arguments are overheard by the the children who are, unintentionally, caused some distress. Pete/Peter will, unbeknownst to him ,become central to the story that unfolds… In the thirty plus year difference between 1978 and the 2000’s many events occur in the lives of both Morris Bellamy & Pete Sauber and their lives collide: the home of the Sauber family was once the home of Bellamy! Bellamy had hidden his ill-gotten gains close to his then home all those years ago. As chance would have it serendipity intervenes and those ill-gotten gains of Bellamy are discovered by Pete Sauber; for whom they are as Manna from Heaven… Anther coincidence is that both Bellamy & Pete are book lovers, and admirers, of John Rothstein and his character Jimmy Gold… I’m sure you get the picture: Bellamy, given his his character ends up imprisoned for life and Pete rescues his family from penury by gradually doling out his ‘found’ money to his parents over some years. They don’t know from whence it has come, but ‘needs must’… But, given that ‘nothing stays the same’ Bellamy is unexpectedly released from prison and comes looking for his ‘buried treasure’… Enter Hodges & Gibney! As a director would call: ‘Action’! A great read; compelling from start to finish; I look forward to the third in the trilogy ‘End Of Watch’. Highly recommended. Bill Brady

Llegó completamente nuevo.