Blaze by Richard Bachman/Stephen King

I wasn't sure which author to credit since they're one and the same and they both appear on the cover! I'm also not sure how I'd classify Blaze. It's definitely fiction but it's not horror. I wouldn't call it a psychological thriller. I'm dithering because this is Stephen King and I'm so accustomed to his books of the macabre and terror.

King himself mentions Of Mice and Men in his foreward so I guess it's okay for me to do that too. His main character has a certain kind of charm. He's a brain-damaged con man with a heart of gold, how's that? His name is Clayton Blaisdell, Jr. but everyone calls him Blaze. Blaze was horribly injured by his alcoholic, abusive father when he was just a boy. Now he can't function on his own and needs the help of best buddy and fellow con, George. Or does he?

George and Blaze long planned a caper that would let them retire rich. It seems so simple and all the details have been worked out.

I guess that's as far as I'll go with that. In between, details about Blaze's sad childhood come out and all I could think was, gee, poor guy, what tough breaks he's had all his life. Still, I knew he was not making good choices by going with a life of crime.

Is the caper pulled off? Does Blaze retire rich or from the criminal world? I'm not telling!

This is Stephen King. It may not be his best work but it's still very engaging and moves very fast.

Blaze fits these challenges: