Finders Keepers by Stephen King

by:  Stephen King
published by:  Scribner
publish date:  June 2, 2015

“Wake up, genius.” So begins King’s instantly riveting story about a vengeful reader. The genius is John Rothstein, an iconic author who created a famous character, Jimmy Gold, but who hasn’t published a book for decades. Morris Bellamy is livid, not just because Rothstein has stopped providing books, but because the nonconformist Jimmy Gold has sold out for a career in advertising. Morris kills Rothstein and empties his safe of cash, yes, but the real treasure is a trove of notebooks containing at least one more Gold novel.

Morris hides the money and the notebooks, and then he is locked away for another crime. Decades later, a boy named Pete Saubers finds the treasure, and now it is Pete and his family that Bill Hodges, Holly Gibney, and Jerome Robinson must rescue from the ever-more deranged and vengeful Morris when he’s released from prison after thirty-five years.

This is the second book in the "Bill Hodges" trilogy.  We were introduced to Bill Hodges in Mr. Mercedes.  I really enjoyed that book, it was a great blending on King's horror and a police procedural.  Finders Keepers was highly anticipated, but it wasn't exactly what I expected.  The story was really much more about Morris Bellamy and Pete Saubers, and less about the crime fighting trio of Bill, Holly and Jerome.

The story opens with Morris killing the famous author John Rothstein.  On the surface, it seems like the home invasion is about theft of money, but it's really about Morris wanting to steal John's notebooks because he's convinced there are more Jimmy Gold novels hidden in his notebooks.  Before he has time to read them, he gets sent away to prison on a rape charge for many decades.  In that time, Pete Saubers discovers the notebooks, discovers a love of John Rothstein and realizes what a goldmine they are and how they can help his struggling family if he can sell them.  However, things do not go as planned because Bellamy gets release from prison and is looking for his notebooks.  That's when Pete needs to be rescued by Bill, Holly and Jerome.

I really like the characters in these books.  This is an excellent series and I can't wait to read the conclusion.  Will Patton has done a fantastic job with the audiobooks as usual!