"The idea -- no, the conceit -- that he only kills bad people will stretch just so far. There are good people sleeping in the houses on this very street. He's not going to kill any of them, but he supposes he'll kill something inside them when they find out why he was really here.
"Is that too poetic? Too romantic? Billy thinks not. A stranger came, and he turned into a neighbor, but here's the punchline, he turned out to be a stranger all along."
At times, "Billy Summers" feels like a Frankenstein of stitched-together short stories, and while the wisdom of that approach hangs in the balance through much of the novel, the end result is another Stephen King winner.
There are issues with chronology and how procedural the story gets in spots, but the tension and frantic pacing carry the day as a hired killer tries to navigate his extrication from the game.
" ... That's why I'm walking today and Johnny isn't. Simple as that. God doesn't have a plan, He throws up pickup sticks."
King plays with a tender melancholy as he builds Billy's relationships with wildcards in the wake of a traumatic childhood and origin story.
"He talks about thousands of cars with their windshields shining in the sun. He says they were smashed beauty. He is unpacking his life in the back seat of this stolen car and her heart breaks."
The entrance of Alice into the story dramatically alters the tone and thrust. Her presence introduces elements of the 1994 movie "The Professional," starring Natalie Portman, and the Billy-Alice relationship propels the denouement and conclusion.
"He gave her the mountains and the stars, not to own but at least to look at, and that means a lot."
In a playful mood, the author can't resist nods to other King masterpieces, and the ending plot twist is beautifully rendered. Some readers may wish he had stuck to a consistent throughline, but the amalgamation works for this long-time fan, creating a multifaceted book that speaks to several audiences.
"She stands looking across the gulf of cold air between this side and that, hands in her pockets, thinking she could create worlds. Billy gave her that chance. She is here. She is found."
