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Billy Summers
- Author
- Stephen King
- Narrator
- Paul Sparks
- Publisher
- Hodder & Stoughton
- Publish Date
- 3 August 2021
- Run Time
- 16 hours 58 minutes
- Format
- Audiobook
- Rating
- 4.4 (5 reviews)
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What to expect
From legendary storyteller and No. 1 bestseller Stephen King, whose 'restless imagination is a power that cannot be contained' (The New York Times Book Review), comes a thrilling new novel about a good guy in a bad job.
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.
This spectacular can't-put-it-down novel is part war story, part love letter to small town America and the people who live there, and it features one of the most compelling and surprising duos in King fiction, who set out to avenge the crimes of an extraordinarily evil man. It's about love, luck, fate, and a complex hero with one last shot at redemption.
You won't put this story down, and you won't forget Billy.
(P)2021 Simon & Schuster Audio
Critics Review
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A dazzlingly shapeshifting novel that, like its antihero, only pretends to be easy to pigeonhole. Disciplined but adventurous, equally good at action scenes and in-depth psychology
The Sunday Times
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A thriller with a surprisingly heartfelt and redemptive ending, Billy Summers is a compelling and engrossing read
Sunday Express
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King's killer instinct hits the mark again... Without abandoning his blood-chilling propensities, he has transformed himself into one of the most adroit and accomplished crime writers in the US. King has negotiated the shifting of gears with the kind of panache that befits the "ultimate storyteller" (for once, publisher hyperbole is justified).
The I
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His best book in years . . . He may always be considered a horror novelist, but King is doing the best work of his later career when the ghosts are packed away and the monsters are all too human
Guardian
See more reviews See fewer reviews
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Storytelling genius
Telegraph
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Adventurously shape-shifting yet always disciplined, it's a dazzling return to form
The Sunday Times
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Devoured it ... it's such a page-turner
Radio Times
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It's a novel with a heart-stopping, heartfelt conclusion
Daily Express, Books of the Year
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Stephen King is primarily known as a master of horror, but at heart he is a hardcore thriller writer
Irish Independent, Books of the Year
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A cracking noir
RTE Guide, Books of the Year
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A brilliantly enjoyable novel with a thrilling conclusion
Irish Times, Books of the Year
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Stephen King combines a story of corruption in high places with a lyrical portrait of small-town life and a bittersweet love story
Daily Mail
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Disciplined but adventurous, equally good at action scenes and psychology, King shows with this novel that, at 74, he's . . . at the top of his game
The Sunday Times
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[An] excellent crime caper
Irish Times
User Reviews
Book 4.4
Narration 4.6
-
5.0 5.0
Wow! Fantastic story. Gripped me to the very last. I really enjoyed listening to it.
RobB70 2022-06-15 -
4.0 4.0
Absolutely loved the writing and the way King creates a world with rich and darkly comic characters. Although the plot was relatively simple, I found many moments thought provoking and insightful. The narration was fantastic, a great accompaniment to a long drive.
megchaplin 2022-03-05 -
4.0 4.0
As King mentions several times in the book, this isn't the most original of stories but it romps along in 3 parts and was a great long-journey listen.
Paul Spark's narration is close-mic'd and just a notch back from a growly mumble and gives a real feel for them tough world of Billy.
Good fun but would recommend 1.30x speed as it's quite a long one!mark (xigxag staff) -
4.0 5.0
Great book, fantastic narration
Laurie 🐱
Details
- Author
- Stephen King
- Narrator
- Paul Sparks
- Duration
- 16 hours 58 minutes
- Release Date
- 3 August 2021
- ISBN
- 9781529365672
- Format
- Audiobook
- Publisher
- Hodder & Stoughton
- Genre
- Thriller / suspense fiction
- Rating
- 4.4(5 reviews)
- Narration
- 4.6(5 reviews)
Synopsis
BILLY SUMMERS is Stephen King's gripping and compelling novel about a contract killer, an ex-marine, with one last payday to earn before he retires. Once again King sets his storytelling talent on a new path with this epic new thriller.From legendary storyteller and No. 1 bestseller Stephen King, whose 'restless imagination is a power that cannot be contained' (The New York Times Book Review), comes a thrilling new novel about a good guy in a bad job.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.This spectacular can't-put-it-down novel is part war story, part love letter to small town America and the people who live there, and it features one of the most compelling and surprising duos in King fiction, who set out to avenge the crimes of an extraordinarily evil man. It's about love, luck, fate, and a complex hero with one last shot at redemption. You won't put this story down, and you won't forget Billy.(P)2021 Simon & Schuster Audio
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