Leisure Reading

Killer Thriller

Billy Summers

by Stephen King

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. *

Reviewed by Jordan Lanagan - Cataloger & Database Specialist

We all know the action movie trope of “the last job” where a character who is really good at what they do takes on what they say will be their last job before they retire from being a hitman, but something inevitably goes wrong. Billy Summers is Stephen King’s take on “the last job” trope, and he manages to make it feel really new and refreshing.

I found the main character, Billy, to be really compelling as he is clearly a well-seasoned hitman who knows what he is doing. He toes that line of being a good guy who does bad things, but you can’t really help but like him. Billy’s last job causes him to go undercover as a writer for several months in a friendly little neighborhood that he quickly finds himself becoming accustomed to. To play his undercover role of being a writer, Billy begins writing what is essentially his autobiography. The flashback chapters of his life will make you like Billy even more as you follow him from when he is a child, to him being a young man in the military.

Along with Billy, there are many other characters along the way that are just as well written and keep you invested in what happens to them. The plot went in a direction I was not expecting, but was still very enjoyable, and kept me wanting to turn the page.

I think fans of action and military movies will really enjoy this one. But also, if you just enjoy a good thrilling story, this book will keep you invested.

Trigger Warnings for descriptions of violence and sexual assault.

Faculty, staff, and students of UT can check out Siri, Who Am I? from the Pendergrass leisure reading collection. Place a request for it through the Libraries’ OneSearch system. Check it out and let us know what you think of the book! Make sure to tag your responses on social media with #utksharedshelf so we can see what you think! 

* Book Description and image provided by Goodreads