Falling in love with Stephen King again: Billy Summers review

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Book details/Content warnings:
Title: Billy Summers | Author: Stephen King | Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton | Pages: 448 | Publication date: 3rd August 2021 | ISBN: 9781529365702 | Source: Purchased
Content Warnings: rape, child abuse, child death
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[@stephennootens916]

I feel King has been spreading his wings the older he gets. He still does a solid horror story here and there but he has been trying new things. He has even wrote a few books that have nothing to do with Maine

[@CriminOllyBlog]

LOL at the Maine comment!

[@kevsplitterskull3209]

Well, he also has a place in Florida these days hahaha

[@LittleKikuyu]

There’s even the odd book now where the main character isn’t a writer 😂

[@CriminOllyBlog]

@@LittleKikuyu 😂

[@goddessofgore]

I did enjoy Billy Summers and really enjoyed the Easter eggs. The painting in the cabin was kinda creepy, but it was a good hitman thriller 🖤

[@CriminOllyBlog]

Yeah I thought it was really solid

[@bartboon3432]

I loved the relationship between Alice and Billy the most.. I appreciate your take on the book!

[@CriminOllyBlog]

Yeah it was great

[@books-on-a-wire]

I just finished this today and agree with you on so much. Some of my favorites of his have actually steered away from horror - 11/22/63 and Bag of Bones had some similar elements to this.

[@CriminOllyBlog]

Yeah I really liked 11/22/63 as well

[@MaryRose86]

11/22/63 is my faveorite

[@adriennelee26]

I haven't read this one yet but as someone who also started reading King a long time ago and wasn't finding his new stuff as enjoyable, I recently had the same experience when I read Revival. That is the King I know and love, and you are right, the small town life and sentimentality are a big part of that enjoyment for me.

[@CriminOllyBlog]

Yeah I really liked Revival too

[@francissookraj3202]

I loved Billy Summers really great thriller- very different from other Stephen King's books. I suppose he's trying going in to crime genre like Elmore Leonard, but he does it well. Great story, very well drawn out characters. I like the part with The Shining references. I read JJ. Abraham is going to make a TV series of it. Good review ,Olli I look forward your next video reading all the Stephen King books. I'm also a big fan I be reading his books since I was 13 with Carrie. I won't be reading Fairy Tale can't stand reading fantasy not my bag.

[@jackthereader]

I loved this one when I read it last year. Easily the best King in years. It felt really refreshing to read a good revenge/noir thriller, albeit with a lot of King’s idiosyncratic touches. The commentary on reading as both an escape and elevation was great too. I’ve tended to avoid new crime novels of late because a lot of them are just police procedurals and celebrity cosies, neither of which especially appeal.

[@tonyhillier5619]

Remember reading this on holiday in Croatia and thinking it was the best thing he's done for years. Glad you enjoyed it too.

[@oliviatheresa]

I have a copy of this book I bought for a dollar soon after it was released but I never had the push to pick it up lol. I was even thinking of donating it to my local thrift store but I think you convinced me to give it a shot! Great review and thanks for always making me give books a chance I wouldn't usually read.😊👌🏽

[@theldun1]

King has always been hit or miss with me. Some were absolutely unreadable like "Tommy Knocker's" Others I couldn't put down like "Night Shift"

[@CriminOllyBlog]

Yeah he is definitely inconsistent quality wise

[@stevenhines5550]

I loved Tommyknockers. Y'know how he always puts a comedic departure chapter in the middle of the most suspenseful part of the novel? I found that chapter in Tommyknockers to be hilarious. But the premise and ending were poor...in fact I can't even remember how it ended

The man farts out a book every 9 months, he has a very good batting average

[@SweetNigeyB]

I had a mixed experience with this one. I found the first half dragged but finished the second half in a day or so. This was the opposite to Fairy Tale where I flew through the first half and struggled with the rest.

[@CriminOllyBlog]

The first half definitely had a slower pace

[@CliffsDarkGems]

I have read maybe 40 works by Stephen King, and some of his later works are favorites. 11/22/63 and Joyland were exceptional and really touched me, and I actually really enjoyed The Institute. Billy Summers sounds wonderful but Fairy Tale is next on my list. Regarding Trump, King does seem to get too political in his books and that is one criticism I have of 11/22/63.

[@richardgill1309]

Read Billy Summers last year on holiday in Norwich. Rented a 18th century house next door to the disused church ( St Peter Hungate on Princes street). The living room overlooked the churchyard with very sinister gargoyles peering in through the windows. Probably the spookiest place I have read a book . My review of Billy Summers would probably be similar to yours .

[@paulflint6254]

cool

[@bookssongsandothermagic]

I really enjoyed hearing you praise this book and rediscover him although I know you liked Later and Colarado Kid which weren't that many years ago. I personally really enjoyed The Institute but haven't read Elevation yet. I have Billy Summers to read but I was going to read the Finders Keepers trilogy first. Looking forward to the follow up video.

[@lesliepowell-mccarty7067]

I started reading Stephen King when I was 9 (Salem's Lot). I am now 57 and have read all of his books but the Dark Tower series and From A Buick 8. I have really enjoyed everything except for The Tommyknockers. If you haven't already read Duma Key and Revival, I am excited to hear your review of each!!

[@CriminOllyBlog]

Wow 9 is young lol

[@lesliepowell-mccarty7067]

@@CriminOllyBlog I grew up in a house full of teachers. I was reading on a 12th grade level by the 2nd grade. We were never allowed to say we we were bored and books were abundant. I am grateful for my childhood.

[@themiddleplace]

Thanks for the recommendation I've been looking for a new king to read. I love the Mr Mercedes trilogy and I read every short story collection novella quartet he puts out but apart from that I'm pretty clueless with the new stuff...

[@sherreads1081]

I've not been a Stephen King reader because of the horror. Your review led me to read a sample chapter, which I liked so will read on.🙂

[@CriminOllyBlog]

Ah great! Hope you enjoy

[@seanraines5871]

He writes more things than horror. I wish more people knew this. But yes, hope you enjoy and happy reading

[@DarkVioletDreams]

This sounds fun! I need to check this out soon!

[@tyler2610]

I just finished this book and I really liked it. It was a bit slow the first quarter or so but then the action started to kick in and then the relationship between the two main characters starts. Definitely not a typical King book but it was really well done! You really care what happens to the characters and want them to pull through and have a happy ending. It was also interesting how King tied it to The Shining in a minor way.

[@Zoebakerolive]

Christine is my favourite book by king i would love you to do a review on that for nostalgia purposes x

[@baxtersmom279]

I got “Billy Summers” from my son for Christmas. It is on TBR for 2023.

[@CriminOllyBlog]

Hope you enjoy it!

[@Tim_with_Tomes_and_Tales]

Engagement comment for the algorithm 😁 Thanks for the review and the honesty. I recently read King's Hard Case Crime novel Joyland and was wondering what your thoughts are on it. I really enjoyed that one but thought it could've been better without the time jumps.

[@KarrasVanHelsing]

Agree with the review, although I quite liked the Overlook Easter eggs and enjoy him being self referential up to a point (writing himself into the Dark Tower was a bit bonkers though). It rekindled my affection for King, unfortunately Fairytale unkindled it…

[@CriminOllyBlog]

I have Fairy Tale to read soon :(

[@25nomind]

Writers you read for a lifetime could make a cool topic or tag. I don't think there'd be that many for people since you'd have had to start reading them in your teens or 20s and they'd have had to written enough to be spread out over a lifetime. Stephen King would be one of my for sure. I read my first(the stand) in 6th grade and still read a book or two by him most years. Like you I haven't read much of his most recent work, almost letting it build so I have more King to read going forward. Billy Summers sounds good. Might have to give it a go for my next King book.

[@CriminOllyBlog]

Yeah that might be a fun video!

The Shining stuff was awesome

[@martinelanglois3158]

Read it when it came out and I too found there were too many instances where he mentioned Trump. I read Stephen King to escape and that kept me from doing so to a certain point. But I loved the book.

[@muhammadaulia5298]

I imagine old Billy "William" Summer like your face sir

[@emmiewilliams7546]

I've fallen back in love with King also his late 2000s books are much better than his late 90.s and early 2000,s. A glaring mistake was LATER and LISEY"s STORY

[@CriminOllyBlog]

Later I really didn't enjoy, but I loved the Bill Hodges books

[@MichaelRomeoTalksBooks]

Billy Summers is one of King's best. I loved it.

[@CriminOllyBlog]

Yeah it was entertaining for sure

[@barry1578]

One of his BEST? How many of his books have you read?

[@MichaelRomeoTalksBooks]

@@barry1578 Most

[@keithaustin1535]

I think publishers are too scared to edit King. Interested to see what you think of Fairy Tale...

[@CriminOllyBlog]

Yeah agree

[@LittleKikuyu]

@keithaustin1535 That’s what I feel too. They let him go rampant. I personally think, since he has this nimbus of the superstar writer no one seems to have the guts to tell him his output just isn’t great anymore. Instead many people give his books 5 stars before reading them 🤦🏻‍♀️Whenever I read or hear glowing reviews of his recent work, I feel like I’m in an episode of the Twilight Zone: a twisted reality where everyone’s newest King is a different book from mine 🙈😂 (that’s why I watch review videos: I just want to understaaaaand) 😆

[@keithaustin1535]

@@LittleKikuyu wait till you get a load of Fairy Tale... vintage King and then BAM, falls off a very high cliff!!

[@matawhite2287]

The only thing I don't enjoy about Stephen King's books - they end! I really enjoyed reading this one, highly recommend it 🤩

[@diamondslashranch]

I love Stephen Kings work but his editors and publisher etc. know they can sell millions of copies of his grocery list. I don’t think anyone has told him no in a very long time. 😂

[@baxtersmom279]

Agreed! I like some of the first books he ever wrote… back when his editors kept him check a bit.

[@LittleKikuyu]

Finally, someone else says it! 🙌 I am happy for people who still get enjoyment out of reading their latest King every year, but by god, if his name wasn’t on the covers, these books would TANK HARD. 💣 Most of his books are completely derivative now, the characters to me are one-dimensional, the „modern“ cultural references are from the last century, etc. After the abominably bad Fairy Tale I have decided not to buy anymore of his new books. And that’s coming from someone who’s read King all their life and absolutely loves some of his older books! I guess the halo effect really is a thing… 🙈

[@kevsplitterskull3209]

After The Institute, which was okay but way too drawn out, I was in no rush for this one. You may have changed my mind. It sounds almost like a lower-stakes 11/22/63 the way you describe it. I'll check for it next time I'm at the library!

[@CriminOllyBlog]

Yeah it's got a somewhat similar vibe to that or the Bill Hodges books - definitely better than The Institute

[@kevsplitterskull3209]

If you enjoyed the Hodges trilogy, have you read The Outsider? It's a Holly Gibney book, and there is a sequel in If It Bleeds.

[@CriminOllyBlog]

@@kevsplitterskull3209 yes have read both! I liked The Outsider more

[@stargazerAPRL]

I am thinking about reading a horror book please recommend some must read horror books … i already have “ the haunting of derek stone the ghost road “ by tony abbot , has anyone read this book ? Any more recommendations?

[@rein2889]

If you’d like a little speculative fiction or SciFi with your horror I highly recommend - The Genocides, Thomas Disch - Blindsight, Peter Watts

[@stargazerAPRL]

@@rein2889thanks

[@katsnoveladventures1863]

Enjoyed your review of Billy Summers. I would like to read it in August for #BigBookSummer. I’m currently reading Fairy Tale, and loving it so far. King is my favorite. ❤ He writes characters really well and is a wonderful storyteller. Have you read Fairy Tale, yet?

[@audradriscoll503]

This was my favorite SK book probably since 11/22/63. The character development is first rate! Also not a fan of the Anti-Trump rhetoric but not enough to ruin the book for me.

[@CriminOllyBlog]

Yeah I thought it all hung together very well

[@TGBahr]

I have to agree with you on the political messaging, especially done in this stereotypical vengeful way, which in my opinion is a great stain on an otherwise great peace of divine art. I felt a bit anti climactic after knowing that the book would go on for a while after the initial climax of the raid on the estate, but it worked out so incredibly well in the end I felt. One of my favourites of his, no doubt.

[@eriebeverly]

I'm glad you enjoyed the book. I haven't read it but was waiting for your overly long observation. And I'm no fan of Trump but King's reaction makes me think he's been a lot angrier all along than I would have ever guessed in terms of his books.

[@DDB168]

Sounds interesting but he's an author I cant trust. His books are always longer than they should be, although as you said at 430 pages, this is quite short for him. Hmmm, maybe, hmmm.

[@CriminOllyBlog]

It feels more like a book of his you'd enjoy than many of them

[@SwizzleTheNerd]

This might be my least favorite King book I've ever read. The cartoonish protrayal of the mobsters. The dudes disguises. The random rape victim that just happens to be thrown on his doorstep and he uses her to set up a pedophile. Talk about trauma upon trauma. Also him playing dumb when he's not dumb. A lot of silly plot lines that did not work for me. I wanted to like it.

[@CriminOllyBlog]

I can definitely see all of those as valid criticisms!

[@BobbyHall-eu1xv]

I did enjoy this one. I agree with you on the Trump stuff but this isn't the only recent novel where King has let his politics bleed through the pages - I think maybe he needs a new Editor!

[@CriminOllyBlog]

Sometimes I think he need an editor period

[@BobbyHall-eu1xv]

@@CriminOllyBlog yes maybe that is the problem.

[@bearpowers]

I quit it after the "plot twist". it really got me grumpy. I am an old SK fan but this is a no-go for me. I have to disagree with you Ollie, sorry ❤

[@CriminOllyBlog]

If we all liked the same books it would be boring to chat about them!

[@Jesterdoggie]

I've all but given up on King. Too much padding, way too much padding.