End of Watch

Research the concept of telepathy and how it is has been presented in popular culture. What established notions about telepathy does King draw on? Does he introduce any original ideas about telepathy? Reference textual evidence in your response.

How does King present technology in the novel? Choose two examples of technology from the text and discuss whether they are shown to have positive or negative influences.

Analyze Holly’s characterization. What are her strengths and weakness? What is her outlook at the end of the novel?

Research the previous two books in the trilogy—Mr. Mercedes and Finders Keepers. Does End of Watch share any thematic concerns with the earlier novels? How are the books similar, and how are they different?

Holly is the character most open to accepting the improbable when the impossible has been eliminated. Isabelle is the least open character. Analyze how Holly, Hodges, Pete, and Isabelle approach the possibility of the unknown; which of their approaches would be the most practical in real-world investigation?

Examine and discuss the way the author uses scene breaks, time jumps, and changes of point-of-view. How do they influence flow, tempo of the narrative and rising suspense? Do they detract from or enhance the story?

The author makes inferences about the interaction of race, identity (both individual and cultural), and prejudice. Examine how those inferences contribute to a cultural conversation about race. Does a King’s identity as a white male author contribute to or detract from this conversation?

Hodges can’t or won’t abandon the investigation into the suicides even when his own life is threatened. Explore whether the novel presents Hodges’s self-sacrifice as a moral action.