Billy Summers – Stephen King
100-Word (or Less) Synopsis: Billy Summers is ready for one last hit job with one big payday, but almost immediately his plans go astray, and his calm demeanor and perfect track record are both at risk.
Expectation: A supernatural thriller centered on a new Stephen King classic character.
Reality: A crime mystery that goes down several rabbit holes, it’s an overall rewarding return to form for King.
Recommended For: Constant Readers, naturally, but also fans of mystery thrillers.
Why I Read It: FOMO.
My Take:
2021 was going to be the first year in nearly a decade where I consciously didn’t seek out a Stephen King read, instead favoring some fresher voices in the thriller and horror genre. Then everyone could not stop talking about “Billy Summers,” and my reading FOMO got the best of me.
Thankfully, “Summers” was a return to form for King, with a story that is ambitious but still intimate, making it the close cousin to “11/22/63.” King is an author I’ll read on name alone, so I had zero knowledge of the plot, which aided to a fair amount of my enjoyment.
King has always been a master of blending genres, and he tackles about all the major ones here – crime thriller, suspense, supernatural (very light), romance (more platonic), mystery and even a little historical fiction.
While that sounds scattershot, with our author in MVP mode, it means you’re in for a story that will keep you guessing. I tore this this 500-page book (slim by King standards) in a matter of days, because I simply had to know what was going to happen next.
Not everything worked for me — honestly, I was expecting more of a horror story — but it’s clearly styled for the masses and it’s easy to see why Constant Readers and casual fans have both been singing its praises.
What I Liked [minor spoilers]:
Billy — He gets the full 360-degree experience, which invested me in his journey. When I realized the plot centered around a hitman with a heart of gold, I rolled my eyes, but King made him sympathetic without sainthood. Some of his background is a bit trite for this type of character, but there was enough originality and internal moral reckoning to keep me with him. I particularly enjoyed how he constantly viewed himself as an outsider while clearly fitting in. King cleverly played that to his advantage and disadvantage throughout.
The modern-day revenge fantasy — What starts as a cut and dried hired gun narrative, shifts about halfway through to a #MeToo revenge fantasy with shades of Jeffrey Epstein and “John Wick” thrown in. Unlike some episodes of “Law & Order: SVU” that come across as rushed, attention seeking vessels, this was more organic.
The core relationship — I didn’t like how Alice is portrayed (more on that later), but I did like that King kept he relationship in father/daughter territory.
The flashbacks — the construct of Billy writing his memoir while undercover was rather genius as it allowed us to fully grasp the moments that made him. There were some truly gut-wrenching Iraq War memories shared, and that’s honestly not a genre I expected to see King step into.
Easter Eggs — it wouldn’t be a King novel without a few Easter Eggs. While “Summers” is rooted in our reality (he references COVID-19 as a few months off), The Overlook Hotel provides a few goosebumps in an otherwise supernatural-free experience.
What I Disliked [minor spoilers]:
Alice — Not as a character and her role in the story, but King used her as a vessel for saviorism and left her rather undeveloped. While he tried to explain away her quick dismissal of the only life she’s ever known, I still didn’t buy it. It’s another example of King only being able to fully develop one character per story.
The stereotypes — Similar to how a few of his Billy/Alice interactions veered into 1950s cultural norms, one of these days he’ll learn how to write an LGBTQIA+ character that isn’t a caricature.
The job — The whole setup felt overly complicated once we get to the end. Like, all that for this? A little fat trimming in the first half could’ve gone a long way.
The audiobook is narrated by Paul Sparks, who did a solid if somewhat phoned in performance. He helped keep the momentum going, but he shined in the Billy flashbacks more than anywhere else in the story. Still, if a 500-page books makes your palms sweat, audio is a good format here.
Rating (story): 4/5 stars
Rating (narration): 3.5/5 stars
Formats: Audiobook (library loan)
Dates read: November 27 – December 3, 2021
Multi-tasking: Good to go. I mostly exercised and did house chores while listening.
