If anything, the second book in the Bill Hodges Trilogy is better, but not because Bill doesn't show up until much later in the tale. Indeed, I loved it because the characters were extremely vivid and interesting and more than practically any other King novel, I felt the avalanche of events pile up beautifully. 
 It's like Misery in that we've got obsessions gone really awry, but it goes a bit further, not limiting us to a closed bedroom, but over thirty-five years, several kinds of obsessed fans, and a Salinger-type writer who's killed for the value of his hidden writings. 
 It's pretty awesome. King has a way of getting deep into the heads and reasons of the baddies and the innocent, alike. Morris isn't as bad as some of King's characters, but he's enough like us book nerds that the sympathy magic works some wonders. Of course, I simply like Pete. He drives the emotion in the tale, and Bill and crew come to save the day, somehow. :) 
 It's a great tale and it moves really well. :) There's very little of the cliche stuff here. Instead, just a great story. 
 Oh, and now there's just a tiny, tiny hint of supernatural. I laughed.