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robi_locksley's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Mental illness, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Rape
_mad_reads_'s review against another edition
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Sexual assault and Vomit
joyride's review against another edition
2.75
[The Good] Finders Keepers has some of the strongest, likeable characters I've ever read in a King novel. Holly Gibney is a delightful, intelligent and resilient woman. King has mentioned he has a lot of affection for her, and it really comes through. While one big negative is his clumsy description of her as neurodivergent ("obsessive compulsive", etc), at the end of the day she is still a competent and kind nerd. And of course, as an autistic man I relate to her a lot which deepens my <3 for her. I also really liked Bill Hodges. I will always have a bit of a soft spot for the character archetype of "mild-mannered, intelligent and all around Upstanding and Good middle aged white guy". He supports and really loves Holly too, and always struck me as a kind uncle type to her. I will miss him. And can we talk about Morris Bellamy? The way he was written -initially, anyway- makes a powerful case study in the ways prison can destroy a man. He didn't need punishment, he needed help and support. Prison only makes his problems worse, and he emerges from it a painfully broken and defeated man. I found him very sympathetic. In the hands of a more competent and contemporary author, he could have been so much more than what he was in this book.
The first 2/3 of the book is also written and paced very well. The beginning is a fascinating slow burn that lays the foundation of the rest of the book. It is quite cleverly, and I enjoyed Peter's pov. The slow convergence of Morris, Hodges and Peter was also done very well, and I will admit I stayed up till 5 AM to get through that section. It was intriguing, it was fast, it was well-written.
[The Bad] Yeah, Morris Bellamy's end was shit. King seemingly ran out of ideas by the end of this novel, choosing not to explore any of Bellamy's complicated and compelling traits + motivations he himself laid out. He chose a lazy cop-out of "he's craaaazy and out for revenge!" Come on. The ending in general was disappointing, to be honest. It fizzled out rather than going out with a bang. The fact that the last scene was Peter in a photoshoot and Bill giving him some trite advice makes me scoff.
[The Ugly] King's books seem to get more bigoted the more he writes. It is nauseating how many outdated, nasty and archaic tropes he continues to use. "Predatory and fat and greedy gay man" sounds like a character he would have written in the 70s, not in fucking 2015. And it is not a passing mention, either. King seems to delight at every chance to describe in detail how disgusting and fat and gay he is. Jerome is also a bizarre character, further proof that King has never bothered to learn how to write Black people; he falls into a bizarre 'massa' voice from time to time, which is supposed to be Jerome making a joke. In what world does that make any sense..lol? The only other Black character is Bellamy's parole officer, who is also fat and sinister and taunting. Not any better.
The first 2/3 of the book is also written and paced very well. The beginning is a fascinating slow burn that lays the foundation of the rest of the book. It is quite cleverly, and I enjoyed Peter's pov. The slow convergence of Morris, Hodges and Peter was also done very well, and I will admit I stayed up till 5 AM to get through that section. It was intriguing, it was fast, it was well-written.
[The Bad] Yeah, Morris Bellamy's end was shit. King seemingly ran out of ideas by the end of this novel, choosing not to explore any of Bellamy's complicated and compelling traits + motivations he himself laid out. He chose a lazy cop-out of "he's craaaazy and out for revenge!" Come on. The ending in general was disappointing, to be honest. It fizzled out rather than going out with a bang. The fact that the last scene was Peter in a photoshoot and Bill giving him some trite advice makes me scoff.
[The Ugly] King's books seem to get more bigoted the more he writes. It is nauseating how many outdated, nasty and archaic tropes he continues to use. "Predatory and fat and greedy gay man" sounds like a character he would have written in the 70s, not in fucking 2015. And it is not a passing mention, either. King seems to delight at every chance to describe in detail how disgusting and fat and gay he is. Jerome is also a bizarre character, further proof that King has never bothered to learn how to write Black people; he falls into a bizarre 'massa' voice from time to time, which is supposed to be Jerome making a joke. In what world does that make any sense..lol? The only other Black character is Bellamy's parole officer, who is also fat and sinister and taunting. Not any better.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore and Murder
Moderate: Fatphobia, Gun violence, and Homophobia
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: Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Violence, Blood, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, and Vomit