End of Watch

Published: 2016

End of Watch (2016) concludes the Bill Hodges trilogy as the retired detective, now battling pancreatic cancer, discovers that Brady Hartsfield—the Mercedes Killer—has developed telekinetic and mind control abilities after experimental brain treatments following his injuries at the end of Mr. Mercedes. From his hospital room, Brady uses modified handheld gaming devices to influence vulnerable teens toward suicide while planning an elaborate revenge against Hodges and those who thwarted his previous attack. With the help of Holly Gibney and Jerome Robinson, Hodges races against both Brady's plot and his own mortality to prevent a mass suicide event targeting survivors of the original Mercedes massacre. The novel completes the trilogy's progression from straight detective fiction in Mr. Mercedes to supernatural thriller, incorporating King's characteristic paranormal elements that were absent from the series beginning. Critics gave mixed reviews, with some praising the emotional conclusion to Hodges's story while others found the supernatural shift jarring within the established crime series. Nevertheless, the book performed well commercially, completing the trilogy's successful run. The television adaptation incorporated elements from this novel into its third season, though with significant changes to accommodate the series' more grounded approach. King has discussed how the trilogy allowed him to explore genre boundaries, beginning with pure detective fiction before gradually introducing elements more characteristic of his horror work. For readers, End of Watch provides satisfying closure to the Bill Hodges narrative while introducing Holly Gibney as a character who would continue into King's later works, particularly The Outsider and the novella If It Bleeds. The novel's exploration of technology as a vector for evil continues themes from Mr. Mercedes, while Hodges's cancer diagnosis adds poignancy to his final case. The book examines how trauma reverberates through communities years after tragic events—a recurring theme in King's work—while completing character arcs established across the trilogy.

Themes

• Terminal illness
• Mind control
• Technology
• Suicide
• Delayed revenge

Adaptations

• Elements incorporated into the third season of the Mr. Mercedes television series

Collector Notes

Concluding volume of the Bill Hodges trilogy. Shifts from pure detective fiction toward supernatural elements, bridging to King's later novel The Outsider through the continuing character of Holly Gibney.