Mr. Mercedes

No cover

Stephen King, Stephen King: Mr. Mercedes (2014, CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform)

280 pages

English language

Published Sept. 10, 2014 by CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform.

ISBN:
978-1-5001-7729-4
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4 stars (1 review)

In the frigid pre-dawn hours, in a distressed Midwestern city, hundreds of desperate unemployed folks are lined up for a spot at a job fair. Without warning, a lone driver plows through the crowd in a stolen Mercedes, running over the innocent, backing up, and charging again. Eight people are killed; fifteen are wounded. The killer escapes.

In another part of town, months later, a retired cop named Bill Hodges is still haunted by the unsolved crime. When he gets a crazed letter from someone who self-identifies as the "perk" and threatens an even more diabolical attack, Hodges wakes up from his depressed and vacant retirement, hell-bent on preventing another tragedy.

Brady Hartfield lives with his alcoholic mother in the house where he was born. He loved the feel of death under the wheels of the Mercedes, and he wants that rush again.

Only Bill Hodges, with a couple of …

37 editions

What a ride.

4 stars

I hate myself a little for that title.

Every time I read a King novel, I'm somehow freshly reminded at how good he is at writing characters. Each one is incredibly unique, and frankly I don't know how he continues to do it despite his astoundingly prolific career that's now several decades long.

Mr. Mercedes is a departure from my normal King read. I usually pick out a classic horror every October to read, but my step-mother-in-law (I know, it's the best I can come up with), said I absolutely had to read this series. Without any spoilers I can confidently say that she has a severely, and wonderfully, twisted mind. This is roughly the equivalent of a an incredibly well down Netflix adaptation of a true crime story.

There are no bumps or jumps in the night, no creepy crawlies, or murderous clowns. The accuracy and...probability of this story …

Subjects

  • Serial murders, fiction
  • Fiction, horror
  • Fiction, thrillers, general