In the spirit of full disclosure, I have to admit to being a life-long Stephen King fan. I picked up Carrie in 1977, followed soon after by the mysteriously-covered Salem's Lot (plain black cover with a single drop of red blood) and never looked back. He's one of the few authors whose books I pickup in hardback on the day of publication. Mid-way through his career, King seemed to feel his books should be BIG - long and detailed, and for me, this was a mistake. Many of his books, I think) could lose 100+ pages and still be excellent. In fact, I think most of his best work is in his short stories. But at 400 pages, Billy Summers is a comfortable read, and is an example of his new horror-free Noir style. And it's good. Billy is a former soldier, turned hitman, although he only kills bad people. And this is his last job. The story is one of two halves - pre-shooting and post-shooting, with a third strand that is the book of his life that Billy starts at write to establish his cover as an author-in-the-making. And for me, the first half is the best, as Billy establishes his cover by moving into a suburban house, and getting to know his neighbours and discovering he likes this way of life. He further complicates his situation by setting up yet another identity in another neighbourhood. The writing here is pure King - observational, inward-looking and emotional in turns, as Billy revisits his youth and the events that led up to his current situation. Small things like his pride at turning the worn-out grass at his new house, into a plush, green lawn add depth to the character. At the same time, his habit of appearing to outsiders as a slow-witted, plodding soul, when in fact he is nothing of the sort, makes his methodical planning all the more fascinating. The people he meets along the way, both good and bad are well-rounded, I was fully invested in their fates, good and bad. Fans of Kings's horror fiction will not immediately take to this book, but those of us who have travelled his way, and enjoyed his new Noir thriller voice will be entirely happy. Perhaps not everyone will agree with the ending (I thought it fitting), but then, that's King for you. Oh, and BTW, there's a nice nod to an early and well know King horror book. Thoroughly recommended.

This book just goes to show what a great story teller Stephen King really is, other than the odd reference to one of his previous books there isn’t any horror or sci-fi or unexplainable things going on, just a story about a man called Billy Summers, how he became a hired gun but only kills bad people.

Stephen King master of the horror story writes one of the best thrillers I’ve read in a long time from chapter one till the last page you live with the two main characters being right there in the storyline

I absolutely love Stephen King and I have to say this is his best book in years. It’s got everything from suspense to sadness. I couldn’t put it down. But I have to say the ending broke me. Truly a masterpiece. Thank you Stephen King for writing this book.

I've been reading a lot of King's books lately and this one has trumped (pardon the pun) them all so far. I thought it was exceptional from start to finish with engaging characters and a plot that will leave even thick-skinned individuals weak with emotion. Could not have been improved in my opinion.