The Bill Hodges Trilogy by Stephen King

Genre: Suspense

Rating: 4 stars (out of 5)

Reminds me of: (1) The Dark Tower series; (2) The Shawshank Redemption – Is it cheating to say these remind me of other Stephen King books?

I must preface by saying that I am an unabashed, dedicated Stephen King fan.  I have been reading his novels for years now, and The Stand is one of my all-time favorite books.  So, I am inclined to like almost anything the man writes.

I also wanted to say upfront that this trilogy deals with mass murder and suicide.  While I’m sure you expect nothing less than some death and creepiness from a King novel, you may want to steer clear if you’re uncomfortable with that subject matter.

These books feature an excellent cast of characters, who are carefully interwoven through all three books.  Central is the retired police detective, Bill Hodges, who gets pulled into conflict with his nemesis Brady Hartsfield, a clever tech geek and the mastermind of a recent mass murder.  Mr. Mercedes focuses on Hartsfield and his newest destructive plot as Hodges attempts to find and stop him before it’s too late.  Assisting him in this mission are Jerome, a teenager with a big personality and bigger heart, and Holly, an anxious eccentric.  With her many quirks and anxieties, Holly is one of the most lovable, memorable characters I have met for quite a while.

Less integrated than the other two, Finders Keepers tells the story of the murder of a retired author that occurred decades previously as well as the murder’s present-day conclusion.  Of course, our favorite trio of Bill, Jerome, and Holly is once again on the case.  Finders Keepers boasts excellent opening chapters and several gruesome deaths.

Finally, End of Watch is a surprisingly emotional finale, which returns to Brady Hartsfield, the completely unhinged techie.  This book pulls together the entire trilogy and is arguably the best of the three.  I could not help but love each character (apart from Brady Hartsfield) more; I hated to say goodbye when it was over, which I consider a true sign of a great story.  End of Watch might even qualify as a 4.5 rating – I enjoyed it that much.

This trilogy ultimately showcases what King does so well.  He constructs a world that is incredibly realistic.  The characters and the environment they inhabit are believable precisely because he built it to look so much like your own world.  Once you’re fully invested, he slowly drops in hints of the less realistic, the supernatural, perhaps the deranged, but at first, you overlook these bits of the uncanny because you’re already immersed in believing his characters.  Basically, it’s like boiling a frog that doesn’t realize the water is growing too hot until it’s too late.  Since it’s done so gradually, you don’t realize how disturbed the characters are or how supernatural the plot is, until it’s similarly too late to be suspicious.  It’s a brilliant technique that King executes superbly time and again.

I also wanted to note that the Bill Hodges Trilogy is littered with “Easter eggs,” references which may be either internal or external to the King universe.  Within King’s own literature, I picked up references to Cujo, The Dark Tower series, The Shining, and Dr. Sleep.  I’m sure there are others you may find!