Finders Keepers

"Wake up, genius" - the opening line of Stephen King's newest book - Finders Keepers - gave me shivers.  As part of my overactive imagination, I occasionally wake from a sound sleep thinking I've heard someone say something in my ear.  It can be scary, but is never real.

In the case of John Rothstein, however, the voice that wakes him belongs to Morris Bellamy.  Morris and his co-conspirators have broken in with the intent to rob Rothstein's safe.  They are in it for the money, yes, but in Morrie's case he is more interested in the notebooks full of unpublished Rothstein material. 

And he has a bone to pick with Rothstein. John Rothstein's "Runner" trilogy has left main character Jimmy Gold a sell-out, fading into a world of suburbia and taking a job in advertising.  Morris is furious that Rothstein has done this to his fictional idol, and exacts revenge. 

Some unforseen circumstances wind Morris back in jail, but not before he has a chance to bury a trunk full of the cash and notebooks.

Meanwhile, Pete Saubers and his family are struggling.  His dad was injured by a lunatic who drove a car into a crowd of people lined up for a job fair.  The very same lunatic who was captured by Bill Hodges and friends in Mr. Mercedes.  They are struggling, that is, until Pete discovers the trunk. Everything is great until the money runs out and Pete decides to attempt to sell the notebooks to a shady seller of rare books.

Because Morris is finally, after decades of rotting in prison, out on parole.  The only thing on his mind is digging up the trunk and reading the notebooks.  He cares less about the money and more about whether the notebooks contain additional Jimmy Gold novels.  He is beyond furious when he digs up an empty trunk.

Enter Bill Hodges, Holly Gibney, and Jerome Robinson - the heroes of Mr. Mercedes.  Now running a "recovery" firm, they are approached by Pete's sister Tina, who is concerned that Pete has a dangerous secret and quickly become embroiled in a rescue mission.  Throughout, it begins to appear that Bill is still borderline obsessed with Brady Hartsfield - Mr. Mercedes himself.

The second book in the Bill Hodges series, Finders Keepers is a good follow up to Mr. Mercedes.  Of the two, I liked Mr. Mercedes better, but that generally is the case in a series.  It's the first book that makes me want to read the second.  But Finders Keepers certainly holds its own.  The ongoing story of Morris and Pete kept me hanging on through the very end. 

I have very rarely met a Stephen King book that I didn't like. I'm happy to say that Finders Keepers did not disappoint.