20 Books of Summer | Book Chatter

Bloodless
By Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child
Grand Central Publishing, 9781538736708, August 17. 2021, 400pp.

The Short of It:

Didn’t disappoint. Loved visiting with Agent Pendergast again.

The Rest of It:

Agent Pendergast faces his most unexpected challenge yet when bloodless bodies begin to appear in Savannah, GA.

This was a fun story to read right before the big trip to Missouri. Bloodless bodies begin to appear. The first body is torn apart. The second is almost entirely intact, the only mark left is the exit wound where the blood was removed from the body. Is it the work of a vampire? Someone thinking he’s a vampire? Agent Pendergast is called and when he arrives to investigate the evidence left behind, he is reunited with some people from his past. Some, have their own secrets to hide.

The setting for this one made the book for me. Savannah, GA with all its old school charm, marred by these horrible killings. I have to tell you though, it has a little bit of “woo woo” in the story if you know what I mean and a tiny bit of time traveling. Kind of. But Pendergast is Pendergast with all the mannerisms that we readers have grown to love. This the perfect book to entertain you as we head into Fall. Would be good for the R.I.P Challenge too. I have not read every book in the Pendergast series and yet, they all read like stand alones to me so I think you can still enjoy this one without reading the others.

Recommend.

Source: Review copy provided by the publisher.
Disclosure: This post contains Indiebound affiliate links.

Billy Summers
By Stephen King
Scribner, 9781982173616, August 3, 2021, 528pp.

The Short of It:

Billy Summers will steal your heart but be prepared, it’s a little different and surprised me in a lot of ways.

The Rest of It:

Billy Summers is a hired assassin. Most assassins are pretty bad guys but this is where it gets complicated. Billy, is an assassin who only kills bad guys. Legit, bad guys who have no business breathing the air we all breathe.

The story opens with Billy accepting a job. This hit requires a bit of prep beforehand. Billy has to establish multiple aliases, secure an office space which puts him in the prime position for the hit, and although the man he has been assigned to kill is a very bad guy, Billy has decided that this will be his last hit. As with most things, as soon as you say this is the “last time” for something, things pop-up unexpectedly.

Without giving anything away. A “someone” pops up which complicates Billy’s entire plan. This was the most wild addition. I was surprised at how the story played out from there. Surprised in the most pleasant way. It’s so different and yet, so King. In feel, it reminded me a lot of the relationships King created in the Mr. Mercedes series. So, if you enjoyed those characters, you will also enjoy this book too.

Much of the story is the setup of the hit. The actual planning. But then the story becomes something else entirely and this is where I really found myself loving these characters. You should know going in, that I am including a trigger warning for rape. It actually plays a very large role in the story and provides the motivation for some of things that happen.

What you need to know is that I loved it. I didn’t want the story to end. It’s somewhat long at over 500 pages but I never felt its length. I was thoroughly taken with this story and highly recommend it. It’s about second chances, making things right, and loyal friendships.

Source: Borrowed
Disclosure: This post contains Indiebound affiliate links.

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