Bad Monkeys by Matt Ruff

Bad Monkeys is a slightly confusing headtrip through the mind of a (possible) serial killer. Jane Charlotte, recently arrested for murder, is dealing with a court-appointed psychologist to discuss her crimes. She reveals she works for a secret agency, one of "Them", called the Bad Monkeys. They're a covert group who travel the world killing irredeemably evil people. They do this through the use of secret government technology that makes the killing look like a natural death.

The problems arise when Jane Charlotte discovers the Mandrills, a rival group bent on causing chaos. It becomes a race against time as Jane struggles to find her long lost brother and escape the clutches of the Mandrills.

Ruff begins the novel rather deftly, but by the middle of the novel has gone from stacking plot twists to dumping and dogpiling them. There are double-crosses, triple-crosses, double agents, fake double agents, fake towns, fake organizations that later turn out to be real before they're revealed to be part of a different fake organization, etc. The ending, while providing an interesting twist, didn't do much to clear up the chaos that preceded.

Needful Things by Stephen King

Much like the Dark Tower, Needful Things reaches tendrils into many of King's past works, drawing together characters and events of the past into a small-town thriller about the Devil coming to town. Leland Gaunt has set up shop in Castle Rock, Maine, a little store called Needful Things. It seems to be open whenever customers need it to be, and sells...dreams. Gaunt discovers what his customers desire more than anything else, and then bargains with them, letting the items go for a lower (monetary) price than the buyer can believe. But, as with any good bargain, there's always a hidden catch to the agreement.

Gaunt has come to cause chaos, pitting friend against friend, neighbor against neighbor, Catholic against Protestant. He wants the town to erupt into hate, he slowly stacks the deck against all of the townspeople, leading to one catastrophic night when the town goes to war with itself. Caught in the middle is Sheriff Alan Pangborn, the one force Gaunt seems to fear. Pangborn is haunted by demons in his past, the death of his wife and son. Inside of him lies the secret to save the town as he slowly realizes he'll have to stand face to face with the Devil to do his job.

King doesn't pull any punches in this novel, and where many authors would shy away, King digs deeper. He examines child psychology, sexual desire, suicide, and the seven deadly sins. I was a little let down by the ending, as it seemed a little too easy, with no deep explanation of Pangborns final confrontation with Leland Gaunt. It's a hefty read, but like any King novel, will hook you in from the start.