Finders Keepers

Finders Keepers is the second novel in the Bill Hodges trilogy by Stephen King. The novel suffers somewhat from the late introduction to the story of Hodges and the other two main characters of Holly and Jerome from the first novel. This novel opens with an introduction to the J D Salinger-esque character of John Rothstein, a reclusive author, and the antagonist of the story, Morris Bellamy. Bellamy murders Rothstein and sets the novel in motion with a plot involving lost manuscripts to a series of popular novels by Rothstein.

As with most Stephen King novels he has a way with a story and characters that draws you in. I was engaged with the story throughout the book. The characters of Hodges, Holly, and Jerome are three dimensional and the book comes to life when they are on the page. I enjoyed this novel less than Mr Mercedes though as the antagonist in Bellamy seemed to be a bit of a caricature, especially towards the end of the novel. King has written previously about writers so the material did not seem as fresh as the first novel either. Still, a fairly engaging read and worthwhile if you enjoyed the characters from Mr Mercedes.