The Outsider

I was hooked from the get go - this wasn't King's standard horror fare, it was more thriller/mystery with a touch of supernatural to it. I also LOVED that is tied in a little with the Bill Hodges trilogy! Holly, one of Hodges amateur detectives at Finders Keepers assists with this puzzling case. The Outsider opens with a beloved family man and little league coach getting arrested in front of his family and fans at a baseball game. He is charged with kidnapping, murdering, and raping a little boy. But he swears innocence. He swears he was hours away at the time of the murder; but if that was true he would have to be lying. But... maybe he's telling the truth and really was in two places at once. What if there is more than meets the eye? Filled with amazing characters (King is THE BEST at creating real, average, believable characters), a fast paced story line, and an interesting puzzle. Another great book from the master of horror!

End of Watch

A satisfying and inventive conclusion to the Bill Hodges trilogy. Brady Hartsfield (our villain from the first in the series, Mr. Mercedes) isn't completely braindead. Thanks to some highly illegal drugs provided by an overzealous doctor, Brady is coming to. His body will remain broken but he's discovered telekinesis and the ability to enter into other people's minds. Over the years he has been honing his talents in order to exact vengeance on Bill Hodges for thwarting his master plan. Brady finds a way to manipulate a hand held game to make it a hypnotic entrance into unsuspecting minds. His sinister pleasure is convincing them to kill themselves. No one could ever believe what he is capable of, perhaps not even Bill Hodges; it's an evil so deep that it almost escapes detection, almost. A sad, but believable ending. Stephen King at his best!