As far-fetched as the thriller plot might be, King wants to ground it in reality enough so that his readers willingly suspend their disbelief when he needs them to.Įventually, Billy’s plans come to fruition, though not in the way he expects. At various times, readers might wonder why they need another chronicle of a trip to Walmart. King explains everything Billy does to build himself a number of new identities and prepare for the upcoming hit. The more he writes, the better he writes, and soon he finds himself unearthing truths about himself that he had tucked away decades ago.įor a book about a contract killer, “Billy Summers” moves at a decidedly measured pace. With no chance of being published, Billy actually starts to write a novel, disguised as a memoir, one based on his tours of duty in Iraq. So, Billy hunkers down in a small Midwestern town, pretending to be, of all things, a freelance writer working on a novel.Īs Billy waits, he finds himself oddly pleased with his new persona, making friends with his neighbors and becoming part of the community. The idea is to hide in one place and let the target come to him. Even though he knows the dangers in taking one last big job, Billy agrees to the assignment. Two underworld associates offer Billy the biggest payday of his career as a sniper, a cool $2 million that would allow him to retire comfortably from the killing business. This is also true on the road of life, where people veer all over the place and drive the wrong way on the turnpike.” “You don’t use it because you expect to be in a crash, but you never know who you might meet coming over a hill on your side of the road. “It’s like a seatbelt,” he says of his dumb self. In his business, being underestimated often proves safer than being clever. Billy likes to put his “dumb self” on display, leaving those who hire him with the impression that he’s not the sharpest knife in the drawer.
“Billy Summers” opens with the title character awaiting a client while reading Emile Zola’s “Therese Raquin,” switching the novel for an Archie comic book when the potential customers arrive.
Rather, he’s a 44-year-old sure-shot assassin, albeit one who shoots and kills only “bad” people. Billy, however, isn’t an earnest young creative writing student at some community college. King’s new novel, “Billy Summers,” goes all-in in its depiction of a neophyte learning to craft a story. In March’s “Later,” the protagonist’s mother works as a literary agent, her livelihood dependent on the output of a single best-selling author.
This year, King has already delivered one novel with a strong connection to the world of books. Write what you know, right? If only it were that easy.
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