#29 – Billy Summers

Plot

Billy Summers is a man in a room with a gun. He’s a killer for hire and the best in the business. But he’ll do the job only if the target is a truly bad guy. And now Billy wants out. But first there is one last hit. Billy is among the best snipers in the world, a decorated Iraq war vet, a Houdini when it comes to vanishing after the job is done. So, what could possibly go wrong?

Review

Stephen King’s writing has gotten crisper and more concise as he’s gotten older.  His more recent novels – while not all outstanding – benefit from King honing his craft over the last four decades.  Billy Summers has outstanding dialogue sequences, tight plot details and builds memorable characters.  It was an absolute delight to read.  

Billy Summers does not delve into the paranormal but centers around a hitman performing his “one last job.”  While this is not a unique concept, King is able to generate plenty of compelling plot lines which makes Billy Summers into a page-turner.    

One interesting detail involves Billy Summers (the protagonist) pretending to be dumber than he really is to the mobsters who hire him.  Obviously, the goal of this facade is to have a built-in advantage when push inevitably comes to shove.  We’ve seen this several times from our antagonists, but it worked even better when it came from the good guys.  

Details

Pages: 515

Dates Read: August 4 – August 14, 2021

Quote: “You can’t help how you feel. Feelings are like breathing. They come in and go out.”

Best Part: The immediate aftermath of Billy’s assassination attempt on Joel.

Hint for #28: This novel unrelatedly shares its name with a movie starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Pena as Los Angeles police officers.

 

Until next time, peace be the journey.