Billy Summers

Title: Billy Summers

Author: Stephen King

Published in: 2021

Date read: 19th December 2021

Score: 5/5

Genre: Thriller, Mystery, Crime

Plot: (Warning, may contain spoilers):
"Billy Summers" by Stephen King is a crime novel with elements of psychological thriller and a poignant exploration of morality and identity.

The story centres on Billy Summers, a former Marine sniper who is now a highly effective and sought-after hitman. However, Billy has a strict moral code: he only accepts jobs targeting truly bad people. He's decided this next job will be his last, hoping to retire from his violent profession.

His final assignment is to assassinate Nick Majarian, a hitman for a crime family, who is about to go on trial for a brutal triple murder. The plan is meticulously crafted: Billy will pose as a struggling writer in a small town in upstate New York, setting up a seemingly innocuous cover to await Majarian's transportation to court. He rents an office with a perfect vantage point and truly dedicates himself to the "writer" persona, even starting to write his own life story.

During his long wait, Billy experiences a shift in his carefully constructed identity. He reflects on his past, his time as a sniper in Iraq, and the reasons he became a killer. The quiet, ordinary life he's simulating begins to feel more real than the one he's lived.

However, the seemingly straightforward hit unravels. The target is moved, delaying the operation and putting Billy in a precarious position. The plot then takes an unexpected turn when Billy encounters Alice Maxwell, a young woman who has been brutally assaulted and left for dead. Against his better judgment and risking everything, Billy intervenes, rescuing and caring for Alice.

Their unlikely bond forms the emotional core of the novel. Alice, traumatized and seeking justice, becomes a catalyst for Billy's final act of redemption. As they embark on a dangerous road trip, they uncover a much larger and more sinister conspiracy connected to Nick Majarian's powerful employers. Billy decides to use his unique skills for true justice, not just contract killing, leading to a violent and meticulously planned confrontation with the powerful figures behind the conspiracy. The novel explores themes of fate, redemption, the nature of evil, and the possibility of finding humanity in the most unlikely circumstances.

Comments:
Well, I was not expecting this for King's next book. I like it when he occasionally throws in something different and he certainly did with this one. I thoroughly enjoyed it all through and I did enjoy the way he played with his "constant readers" with the ending.

Books that we've read by Stephen King (68):
Carrie (1974), 'Salem's Lot (1975), The Shining (The Shining, #1) (1977), The Stand (1978), Night Shift (1978), The Dead Zone (1979), Firestarter (1980), Cujo (1981), The Gunslinger (The Dark Tower, #1) (1982), Different Seasons (1982), Christine (1983), Cycle of the Werewolf (1983), Pet Sematary (1983), The Talisman (The Talisman, #1) (1984), Skeleton Crew (1985), It (1986), The Drawing of the Three (The Dark Tower, #2) (1987), The Eyes of the Dragon (1987), The Tommyknockers (1987), Misery (1987), The Dark Half (1989), Four Past Midnight (1990), The Waste Lands (The Dark Tower, #3) (1991), Needful Things (1991), Dolores Claiborne (1992), Gerald's Game (1992), Nightmares and Dreamscapes (1993), Insomnia (1994), Rose Madder (1995), The Green Mile (1996), Desperation (1996), Wizard and Glass (The Dark Tower, #4) (1997), Bag of Bones (1998), The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon (1999), Hearts in Atlantis (1999), On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft (2000), Black House (The Talisman, #2) (2001), Dreamcatcher (2001), Everything's Eventual (2002), From a Buick 8 (2002), Wolves of the Calla (The Dark Tower, #5) (2003), Song of Susannah (The Dark Tower, #6) (2004), The Dark Tower (The Dark Tower, #7) (2004), The Colorado Kid (2005), Cell (2006), Lisey's Story (2006), Duma Key (2008), Just After Sunset (2008), Under the Dome (2009), 11/22/63 (2011), Full Dark, No Stars (2011), The Wind Through the Keyhole (The Dark Tower, #4.5) (2012), Dr. Sleep (The Shining, #2) (2013), Joyland (2013), Mr. Mercedes (Bill Hodges Trilogy, #1) (2014), Revival (2014), The Bazaar of Bad Dreams (2015), Finders Keepers (Bill Hodges Trilogy, #2) (2015), End of Watch (Bill Hodges Trilogy, #3) (2016), Elevation (2018), The Outsider (2018), The Institute (2019), If It Bleeds (2020), Billy Summers (2021), Later (2021), Fairy Tale (2022), Holly (2023), You Like It Darker (2024)