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kellyann04's review
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
pipaya's review
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
kennethhill0729's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
christofd's review against another edition
4.0
4.00/5 Mr. Mercedes follows Det. Ret. Bill Hodges as he tries to catch the Mercedes Killer, the perk (read the book) who killed 8 at the City Centre Massacre.
I was surprised by King’s decision to make the antagonist a POV character, as I thought going into the book that it was going to be a mystery. However, Hartsfield’s POV chapters grew on me, and before long I found myself enjoying his chapters more than Hodges’!
Mr. Mercedes starts off with a bang (the letters to Hodges by Merckill) then gradually slows down up until the final act. To be honest, I didn’t feel the exhilaration that Kind clearly wanted us to feel in the final act, as I was almost certain that they were going to catch him after they found out his identity.
King’s speciality is his character work, and I feel he perfectly crafted the I-love-to-hate-this-character relationship with Brady.
Overall, Mr. Mercedes is well-written book, but I didn’t feel the same spark with the last three quarters as I did with the first.
I was surprised by King’s decision to make the antagonist a POV character, as I thought going into the book that it was going to be a mystery. However, Hartsfield’s POV chapters grew on me, and before long I found myself enjoying his chapters more than Hodges’!
Mr. Mercedes starts off with a bang (the letters to Hodges by Merckill) then gradually slows down up until the final act. To be honest, I didn’t feel the exhilaration that Kind clearly wanted us to feel in the final act, as I was almost certain that they were going to catch him after they found out his identity.
King’s speciality is his character work, and I feel he perfectly crafted the I-love-to-hate-this-character relationship with Brady.
Overall, Mr. Mercedes is well-written book, but I didn’t feel the same spark with the last three quarters as I did with the first.
opheliabox's review
4.0
A bit slow in places, as King is wont to be, but the characters are charming and the villain is truly chilling. A very fun read.
aspenleaf23's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racial slurs, Incest, and Racism
ryantlabee's review
3.0
I’m probably leaning closer toward a 3.5 but I didn’t love this one. A lot of the King’isms I don’t love (cringy sex scene, bad pop culture references clearly written by an older man) weighed it down for me.
evaromero's review
3.0
3'5 en realidad. Algunas partes se me hicieron un poco aburridas porque había muchos personajes que me daban igual. Sin duda, lo que más he disfrutado ha sido leer desde la perspectiva del asesino.
kimberlyf's review
5.0
After being introduced to Holly in [b:The Outsider|36124936|The Outsider|Stephen King|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1524596540l/36124936._SY75_.jpg|57566471], I knew that I wanted to go back to the Bill Hodges Trilogy to get all of Holly’s story. I have seen this series hyped up a lot and I trust my fellow readers (most of the time, anyways) so I went in to the story of Mr. Mercedes blind.
It was an interesting approach to a novel, by telling readers the “who-dun-it” right from the start and even shifting back to the perp’s (or should I say perk’s?) perspective. I was initially a little worried that that would lessen my interest in the story but because of King doing what he does best (his characters) I was enthralled the whole way through. So yes, I got my Holly backstory and what a joy it was to meet Bill and Jerome, too. On to the next one, [b:Finders Keepers|23492589|Finders Keepers (Bill Hodges Trilogy, #2)|Stephen King|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1469092087l/23492589._SY75_.jpg|41884478]!
It was an interesting approach to a novel, by telling readers the “who-dun-it” right from the start and even shifting back to the perp’s (or should I say perk’s?) perspective. I was initially a little worried that that would lessen my interest in the story but because of King doing what he does best (his characters) I was enthralled the whole way through. So yes, I got my Holly backstory and what a joy it was to meet Bill and Jerome, too. On to the next one, [b:Finders Keepers|23492589|Finders Keepers (Bill Hodges Trilogy, #2)|Stephen King|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1469092087l/23492589._SY75_.jpg|41884478]!
ekcje's review
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0