Duma Key

I took a long time reading Duma Key -- mostly because it's not what you'd call a portable book. Clocking in at over 600 pages, it's not as if you can tuck it into the sleeve of your laptop bag for travel, or whip it out while in line at the post office.

That's probably a good thing, as it's not really a story that you can read in an offhand way. There are baskets full of important details to note and remember along the way. In fact, there are so many pieces of the puzzle, you wonder if they're all going to fit back in the right places. And they do, in the end, in a very satisfying way.

Duma Key is not as violent or gory as previous Stephen King novels; it sticks more rigorously to exploring issues like frustration and loss... but it does get downright frightening toward the end. On the whole, I wouldn't advise reading the last few sections of the book at 2:00 a.m. on an island where gale-force winds howl through your broken-down barn while your husband is out of town.

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