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End of Watch (2016)

A woman is looking at her cell phone

Before reading: I am so excited. This is the final book in the Bill Hodges trilogy. I'm expecting good things plus this one delves into the supernatural so I'm excited to see how that ties inn. Let's go!

After reading: I felt like that was a great end to this trilogy and a great beginning to Holly's story. I don't have too much to say about it and I definitely don't have much to complain about. This was a super solid trilogy. I gave each book four stars. I thought each one was really great and had its own unique story while keeping everything tied together really well. We don't get many trilogies (or even sequels) from King so this is a bit of a treat.

I thought the story was very well done and captivating. It kept the original stories going while not just being a copy of them. It dipped its toe into the supernatural in a way that kept the serious tone but opened up doors for Holly's upcoming adventures. The ending was expecting but I thought it did what it needed to do. 

The issues I had with the previous books were less in this one, making it my favorite. It still had some problematic language but...less? I was even going to say that there wasn't any cringey racist characterizations but I'll be damned if it didn't show up in the last couple pages. So close. 

For the Dark Tower fans out there, there weren't any direct references but we got a whole lot of nineteens and even a 217 (The Shining, anyone). Other than that, this trilogy is very much a standalone. If you haven't read anything else by King and if you were looking for a good crime thriller series, I'd definitely recommend. It is interesting that this leads into one of King's bigger world building connections with Holly, but so far there aren't any other connections. I don't believe (I could be wrong) that they even say exactly where they are? It isn't set in Maine but we know that Holly ends up there later on. All that to say, this is a great standalone series and we don't get a lot of that with King, either. 

Overall, very enjoyable. Super easy to read and a fun little change of pace from King. 

Speaking of not getting many trilogies, next up is the first book in a trilogy, Gwendy's Button Box.


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