End of Watch

(2 valoraciones de clientes)

$9.99


End of Watch by Stephen King
End of Watch by Stephen King

Stephen King’s End of Watch, the final installment in the Bill Hodges trilogy, delivers a chilling blend of detective fiction and supernatural horror. Critics have praised the novel for its intense suspense and seamless fusion of genres. The story centers on Brady Hartsfield, the notorious «Mercedes Killer,» who, despite being in a vegetative state for years, has developed sinister psychic powers. From his hospital bed, he manipulates others into committing suicide, setting off a deadly chain of events.

Retired detective Bill Hodges and his partner, Holly Gibney, return to confront this unprecedented threat. As the stakes escalate, they must race against time to stop Hartsfield’s revenge, which threatens not only their lives but also the entire city.

Critics commend King for delivering a satisfying and nerve-wracking conclusion to the trilogy, highlighting his mastery of psychological tension and character development. End of Watch has been described as a gripping exploration of vulnerability, resilience, and the enduring battle between good and evil.

Description

End of Watch by Stephen King serves as the climactic conclusion to the Bill Hodges trilogy, which began with Mr. Mercedes and continued with Finders Keepers. The novel merges the gritty realism of detective fiction with King’s signature supernatural elements, creating a story that is both deeply unsettling and emotionally resonant.

Plot overview

The story begins years after the events of the Mercedes Massacre, where Brady Hartsfield drove a stolen Mercedes into a crowd, killing eight and injuring many more. Brady has been in a vegetative state at the Lakes Region Traumatic Brain Injury Clinic since his confrontation with Holly Gibney. However, unknown to the world, Brady’s condition is far from what it seems. Through experimental medication and his latent psychic abilities, Brady regains consciousness and develops new powers, including telekinesis and the ability to control others’ minds. These abilities allow him to manipulate technology and people from afar, setting the stage for a new wave of terror.

Retired detective Bill Hodges, now running a private investigative agency called Finders Keepers with Holly, is drawn back into Brady’s orbit when a string of apparent suicides is linked to the survivors of the Mercedes Massacre. Brady’s ultimate plan involves using a video game device to push people, especially vulnerable teenagers, to take their own lives, amplifying his reach and chaos.

Key characters

  • Bill Hodges: The retired detective, now grappling with his mortality due to a terminal illness, embodies the theme of resilience. Despite his failing health, he is determined to stop Brady one last time.
  • Holly Gibney: Quirky and resourceful, Holly steps up as a central figure, showcasing her growth from a socially awkward character to a formidable investigator.
  • Brady Hartsfield: The antagonist is more terrifying than ever. His newfound powers elevate him from a deranged killer to a nearly unstoppable force of evil.
  • Jerome Robinson and Barbara Robinson: Jerome, Bill’s loyal young ally, and his sister Barbara become vital players in the fight against Brady’s insidious plan.

Themes

  • Mortality and Legacy: Bill’s battle with terminal illness adds emotional depth, as he confronts his own mortality while striving to leave the world safer for others.
  • Human Vulnerability: Brady’s exploitation of technology and mental health issues highlights the fragility of the human psyche in the face of external manipulation.
  • Good vs. Evil: A recurring theme in King’s work, the novel pits human ingenuity and courage against a nearly omnipotent adversary.

Tone & style

King expertly shifts between the tense, grounded realism of a detective story and the eerie, otherworldly terror that defines his supernatural works. The pacing is relentless, with moments of reflection that allow the characters’ humanity to shine through.

Critical reception

Critics have lauded End of Watch for providing a satisfying conclusion to the trilogy. The novel’s exploration of psychological horror, blended with real-world concerns about technology and mental health, resonates deeply. Holly Gibney’s development as a character and Bill’s poignant journey have been particularly praised.

Conclusion

End of Watch is a gripping and haunting finale to the trilogy, combining elements of detective noir and supernatural horror to deliver a story that is as emotionally impactful as it is terrifying. It underscores Stephen King’s ability to weave complex characters into high-stakes narratives, leaving readers with a tale that lingers long after the final page.

Book Details

ISBN

9781838853440

Published

2016

Format

eBook

Page Count

511

Language

English

Author

Stephen King

Publisher

Charles Scribner's Sons

Collections

The Bill Hodges Trilogy

Series

Series 3

Reviews

2 reviews for End of Watch

There are no reviews yet.

Be the first to review “End of Watch”

Tu dirección de correo electrónico no será publicada. Los campos obligatorios están marcados con *

Editorial Review

An Amazon Best Book of June 2016: It has been seven years since the Mercedes Killer, Brady Hartsfield, was knocked on the head and put into a catatonic state. But now he's awake, even if people haven't quite been clued into that fact, and he's got a score to settle. His ultimate quarry is the detective Bill Hodges, and as Brady gains his faculties—as well as some new paranormal skills (telekinesis anyone?)—people start committing suicide at a mysterious and alarming rate. King hits his sweet spot in this final episode of the Bill Hodges Trilogy, introducing his talent for horror into a storyline that already has featured some great detective writing. The result is a book that mixes revenge, crime, and otherworldly powers, bringing the trilogy to a thrilling, satisfying close. --Chris Schluep, The Amazon Book Review
Críticas
Praise for Finders Keepers

“Stephen King’s superb new stay-up-all-night thriller, Finders Keepers, is a sly,often poignant tale of literary obsession that recalls the themes of his classic 1987 novel Misery…a love letter to the joys of reading and to American literature… wonderful, scary, moving.” (Elizabeth Hand, The Washington Post)

“As in Misery and TheShining, King swan dives into the looniness lurking at both ends of thewriter-reader transaction…the narrative hums and roars along like ahigh-performance vehicle…a rip-snortingentertainment; one that also works as a sneaky-smart satire of literarycriticism and how even the most attentive readers can often miss the wholepoint.” (Kirkus Reviews, starred review)

"The new book is so good, being at least mildly obsessed with it is understandable. The finest thing about it, however, is that the author has another story to tell before the finale of this excellent series.” (USA Today)

Praise for Mr. Mercedes

"Classic Stephen King. Creepy, yet realistic characters that get under your skin and stay there, a compelling story that twists and turns at breakneck speed, and delightful prose that, once again, proves that one of America’s greatest natural storytellers is also one of its finest writers." (Associated Press)

“Think of Mr. Mercedes as an AC/DC song: uncluttered, chugging with momentum, and a lot harder to pull off than it looks. . . . King has written a hot rod of a novel,perfect for a few summer days at the pool. Mercedes-Benz commands drivers to demand ‘the best or nothing.’ In pop-fiction terms, that motto still applies to Stephen King, too. With apologies to AC/DC, the highway to hell never felt so fun.” (Christian Science Monitor)

“A taut, suspenseful race-against-time book . . . [King is] in reliably fine form.” (The New York Times)

“No one can create a villain quite like King. . . . [A]ll the elements come together in a very public, potentially explosive finale (with a surprising post script). King fans may find themselves furiously turning pages long into the night.” (Seattle Times)

Praise for End of Watch

“King has dealt before with this novel’s different themes—endowment with dangerous supernatural powers, the zombifying effect of modern consumer electronics—but he finds fresh approaches to them and inventive ways to introduce them in the lives of his recurring cast of sympathetic characters, whose pains and triumphs the reader feels. King’s legion of fans will find this splice of mystery and horror a fitting finale to his Bill Hodges trilogy.” (Publishers Weekly, STARRED review)

“[A] tense, thrilling conclusion to King’s Bill Hodges trilogy…One would assume that a writer like King, who has been at the top of his game for decades, would eventually run out of ideas. Instead, he serves up one of the most original crime thrillers to come along in years…A spectacular, pulse-pounding, read-in-one-sitting wrap-up that will more than satisfy King’s Constant Readers.” (Library Journal, STARRED review)

“Few of King's myriad terrors feel as visceral and close to home as the sense of human mortality that looms over his new book, End of Watch… an undeniable page-turner… Throughout his tale, King nimbly pulls together numerous plot threads and characters…and for good measure throws in a final nail-biting chase through a blizzard. One finishes this novel feeling great empathy for its resolute protagonist, and even greater trepidation about that next round of Candy Crush.” (Elizabeth Hand, The Washington Post)

“A deliciously savory conclusion to King’s phenomenal hard-boiled Mr. Mercedes trilogy…gripping… as strong a King series as The Dark Tower in terms of characterization and pure storytelling. When it comes to the gumshoe genre, though, fingers crossed King’s not yet closed for business.” (Brian Truitt, USA Today)

“King works his customary storytelling magic, unspooling the plot threads almost as quickly as readers can turn the pages… If you're wrapping up the trilogy, enjoy. If you're just getting started, you're in for a thrilling ride.” (Rob Merrill, The Associated Press)

“Keeps readers on edge... King stitches together threads from these events to weave a taut conclusion to the tale of Brady Hartsfield. But — and with King you never know — he does leave open the chance that some of the characters will be back. Because in Stephen King’s world, is anyone ever really gone for good?” (Amanda St. Amand, The St. Louis Post-Dispatch)

“Stephen King’s Bill Hodges Trilogy has proved to be a welcome change of pace for the best-selling Maine author… The wintery, blood-soaked climax of the novel provides a fitting resolution not only to the action at hand but to the trilogy as a whole. King will always be best known for his tales of supernatural horror, but it’s great fun to watch him experiment with form, genre and subject matter. He has more than his fair share of laurels, but he never seems to rest on them. Here’s hoping King can maintain the creative momentum of the Bill Hodges Trilogy as he heads into the next uncharted literary territory.” (Michael Berry, The Portland Press Herald )

“A satisfying conclusion to this crackerjack detective series… As the book’s title suggests, there is finality and loss in the final pages. Readers may find themselves wiping away a few tears as this well-written, involving series comes to an end.” (Doug Knoop, The Seattle Times)

“Outstanding… ‘End of Watch’ gives us King at the height of his powers. Masterfully plotted, the novel is propelled toward its page-blurring conclusion by two deadly forces: Hodges’ advancing disease and Brady’s relentless murderous impulse.” (John Wilwol, Newsday)

“The book leaves a surprisingly deep, melancholy mark, crystallizing the themes that have become prevalent in King’s recent work...’End of Watch’ hurtles toward a conclusion you anticipate and dread in equal measure — that wonderful, terrible anxiety King’s constant readers have been relishing for more than four decades now. ‘He’s not done with you yet,’ reads an ominous message Hodges receives on his computer in End of Watch. We’re lucky. King isn’t done with us either.” (Rene Rodriguez, The Miami Herald)

You may also like…

¡Oferta!
Añadir al carrito

Maje Ke depan

¡Oferta! El precio original era: $120.00.El precio actual es: $20.00.

What would you do if you suddenly found yourself twenty-five years in the past? For the nine billion people living in the year 2042 it’s no longer a question…it’s a reality.

When a seemingly simple experiment goes disastrously wrong, James Baston finds himself stranded in the past alongside the rest of mankind. Here the old are young once more, the dead live again, and civilization is in chaos.

Añadir al carrito
Quick View
Añadir al carrito

Kursi Taman

$63.00

«Only a writer as gifted as Peter Ho Davies could capture the full weight of a century’s history with such an extraordinary lightness of touch. In his deft hands the dust falls away from a collection of hoary images—the building of the transcontinental railroad, the steaming laundry in Chinatown, the Dragon Lady flickering onscreen—revealing Chinese-American lives and desires in all their freshness, intensity, contradictoriness, and depth. Buoyant yet profound, unsentimental yet affecting, and above all beautifully written, The Fortunes reimagines in thrilling ways what the multi-generational immigrant novel can be.» – Sarah Shun-lien Bynum, author of Madeleine Is Sleeping and Ms. Hempel Chronicles

Añadir al carrito
Quick View
Añadir al carrito

Blood Repair

$50.00

The Dursleys were so mean and hideous that summer that all Harry Potter wanted was to get back to the Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry. But just as he’s packing his bags, Harry receives a warning from a strange, impish creature named Dobby who says that if Harry Potter returns to Hogwarts, disaster will strike.

Añadir al carrito
Quick View