Roadwork by Stephen King

The novel starts with a “man on the street” interview in which Dawes, currently unknown, gives his acidic opinion of the extension to the highway. Seemingly unaware of his own actions, he then begins to procure means to defend himself, starting with a visit to a gun shop. As the book progresses, it is revealed that his son had succumbed to an inoperable brain tumor, and that Dawes is unable (or unwilling) to sever the emotional tie between the memory of his son and the house that he grew up in. His wife is aware of the order to demolish their house and cannot understand why he is unwilling to finalize the sale, and eventually leaves him. He quits his job after sabotaging the purchase of a new facility for the laundry business he works for, which will be displaced by the construction. He begins a working relationship with a used-car dealer who has ties to the Mob, and through him purchases explosives and the use of his services to sweep his house for listening devices. He even launches an attack on the construction equipment that will be used to raze his home and build the highway, using Molotov cocktails to burn the machines. Throughout the novel, he systematically severs all his connections to the community, until the last day runs out, and his house is scheduled for demolition.
When the police come to escort him from the house, he shoots at them with the weapons he ordered from the gun shop: a .44 Magnum revolver and a .460 Weatherby Magnum rifle. The resulting exchange of fire damages a police car and attracts the attention of the media. He agrees to leave the house after a reporter (the same one who interviewed him in the beginning, though neither recognizes the other) is allowed to enter and speak to him. Once the reporter has left, Barton tosses out his guns and sets off explosives he has bought, destroying the house with him inside it.
The epilogue describes the aftermath of the standoff. Secrets are revealed about the extension, the city’s attempt to try and cheat Dawes’ widow out of the money she got from the sale of the house, and the fact that there was no real reason for the extension. If the city had not spent the rest of its budget on this project, it would have had its allocation for future project reduced.

The Long Walk: By Stephen King: Book Cover by David Loew

Art Direction Richard Hasselberger
Plot summary
One hundred teenage boys (picked at random from a large pool of applicants) participate in an annual walking contest called “The Long Walk.” Each Walker must maintain a speed of at least four miles per hour; if he drops below this speed for a total of 30 seconds (all at once [...]