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Assassin With A Heart? Billy Summers by Stephen King

  • clsimpson430
  • May 8, 2023
  • 2 min read



My Rating: 3.5 Stars


I've only got one thing to say about Billy Summers...

it's...

a vibe.


This is a hard book to review. Did I love it? No. But did I read all 500 pages without being miserable? Yes. Will I remember the story vividly for months to come? Probably.


I am not a fan of organized crime or war stories. Which is a lot of what this book is. But what saves this book and gives it heart is the characters. King gives so many details about the characters' thoughts, their backgrounds, and the setting that it paints a very clear picture of who the characters are and also creates a whole ~vibe~.


The story isn't super intriguing. I wasn't on the edge of my seat dying to know what was going to happen next. But I liked Billy and just wanted to follow him in everything he did. I didn't actually cry or anything, but the ending of the book did make me emotional.


Now, something very intense and unpredictable happens in the middle of the book. I'm going to try very hard to not give spoilers...but if you read this book, you'll know what I'm talking about:

I didn't appreciate the graphic descriptions or the reaction of the person it happened to. I thought it glazed over a BIG event and 1000% belittled the emotions someone would feel after said event.


Small rant:

Some of Stephen Kings' descriptions just make me mad. We all know King has a reputation for writing sexist and racist comments and given the fact that he was 73 when he wrote this, I feel like I got the old and neutered version of his writing. But it still made me mad? Describing the fatal chest injuries of a little girl by saying "her crushed chest where breasts would never grow"? Really? That's what's sad about it? The fact that society won't get to see another pair of breasts?? VERY annoying. And making your title character out to be a saint for not sleeping with someone he shouldn't have been interested in in the first place? Wow, you're so nuanced, King. Lol.


Ok...I know I sound like I hate the book, but I really didn't! Besides those things, I enjoyed getting to live as an assassin for a couple of weeks while reading this!!! I liked Billy and had fun getting to watch/vicariously live through his vigilante pursuits.


But I did totally predict the ending. Sorry, King.


In Conclusion: A fun read for vigilante road trip vibes. Probably super good if you're into organized crime stories. A little annoying to read if you're a female.


Synopsis:


Billy Summers is a man in a room with a gun. He’s a killer for hire and the best in the business. But he’ll do the job only if the target is a truly bad guy. And now Billy wants out. But first there is one last hit. Billy is among the best snipers in the world, a decorated Iraq war vet, a Houdini when it comes to vanishing after the job is done. So what could possibly go wrong?


How about everything...

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