King reigns supreme…..  *****

Do not read this book if you have not read Mr. Mercedes, you will not enjoy it as much.  It would be like spaghetti sauce without oregano, it tastes good but you know something is missing.  Having said that, the book does stand on its own. There are enough references to Mr. Mercedes to give the reader a good background to that novel. It is just that it is much more enjoyable if you have the full story.

Weaving characters through seemingly random events, through various time periods, King masterfully brings them all together in a style all his own,  The pace does not slow down and I found myself not wanting to put it down until it was finished.

The driving force of the novel is the writings of an author named Rothstein, who is a combination of John Updike (Rabbit Run et al) and J. D. Salinger (who also shied away from the public eye). His undiscovered notebooks are the thread that ties the story together.

This is Stephen King at his best. It is good to see after novels like Revival and Under The Dome. His use of movie, television, and book references always makes me pause to remember seeing or reading each one, especially the Godfather quotes.

While this is book two of a three part series, the ending is satisfying and sets up the next story very well.  Now we just have to wait.

One flaw in this book is when the character Morris Bellamy is searching “his mother’s medicine cabinet for aspirin or Advil..”.  The year is 1978, Advil came on the market in 1984.

This a great read and I am glad to give it five stars!