Reviews tagging 'Death'

Mr. Mercedes by Stephen King

67 reviews

dummythicc's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

One of the first Stephen King books in a while I've had trouble putting down. I really like it when King leans into crime/thriller versus horror, it's a nice change of pace.

I would've rated it 5 stars, but the child death in this book really upset me, so it probably wouldn't be something I'd read again on a whim.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Death, Incest, and Murder

Moderate: Vomit

bokslukaren's review against another edition

dark tense

3.0

A different sort of story than the usual King , and a bit too many clichés for my taste, but unsettling nonetheless. Also in typical King fashion, a slightly underwhelming ending, though the build-up and tension were absolutely fantastic. The typical straight male gaze as well as the racism and stereotypes was unnecessary and didn't add to the plot or world-building. Finally, is this the same Holly Gibney as in “The Outsider”, and if so: HOW is that possible?  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Death, Incest, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Racial slurs, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Vomit, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Suicide

writerbowen72's review against another edition

dark mysterious 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gore, Violence, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Incest, Mental illness, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

jomojobo's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Wow. Wow wow wow. Talk about a tense emotional roller coaster! As usual, King brings characters to life in a way that few other authors can. Their motivations, emotions, and responses feel realistic, even when the plot requires suspension of disbelief. Though this isn’t necessarily a “horror” novel, it’s plenty horrific, and even the slow parts maintain a sense of foreboding. Our antagonist and his thought process are also particularly relevant given the state of the alt-right manosphere today.

There was a stretch of several pages (and there is always a stretch of several pages in a King book) that I just skipped right over because it was too distressing.

Freddy’s final disposition.

 

I wasn’t sure while reading if I would continue with the series, but after finishing Mr. Mercedes I will definitely be checking out book #2!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gore, Car accident, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Incest, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Stalking, and Death of parent

Minor: Bullying, Cursing, Pedophilia, Sexism, Vomit, Medical content, and Classism

octagon's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Racial slurs, and Murder

Moderate: Racism

Minor: Homophobia

tupeloallie's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Cursing, Death, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Stalking, Car accident, and Murder

Minor: Hate crime, Medical content, Dementia, Grief, and Gaslighting

somebodys_fool's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Child death, Death, Incest, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, Blood, and Murder

jillian_hope02's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Incest, Racism, Suicide, and Murder

thebookkeepers's review

mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.25

This was my first modern crime type of book to read & it was done very well. I loved that it was dual POV and not only do we get the retired detective’s perspective, but also that of the serial killer he’s tracking down. There was a surprising romance subplot I thought was sweet, and I genuinely adored the side characters of Jerome and Holly which helped our detective with his investigation. While this wasn’t as riveting as The Institute was for me, still a solid book and one I’d recommend to fans of classic cop/bad guy contemporary fiction stories. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Racial slurs, Racism, Suicide, Violence, and Murder

jourdanicus's review

adventurous dark medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

This was a good King for me. Not a perfect 5, cuz I still find it hard to get past some things with him, like the whole including a Black character who is really smart and Ivy League-bound... but still uses AAVE in reference to the 'chores' he does for his adult white friend as a 'joke' because that's funny right? Steve, I get that you're the King of Horror (pun intended); does that preclude you from hiring sensitivity readers?

I actually thought his representation of Holly's neurodivergence was pretty well done though. And I laughingly wondered whether the feds have Stephen on some sort of list for how much he must have researched explosives and strychnine for this one?! Brady is probably one of the most creepily realistic portrayals of a domestic terrorist and psychopath I've read in fiction thus far.

Anyways, Jerome 4ever. Holly 4ever too. Looking forward to finishing the Bill Hodges trilogy and moving on to the Holly trilogy!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Racial slurs, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, and Death of parent

Moderate: Cursing, Incest, Mental illness, Sexual content, Violence, Mass/school shootings, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, and Fatphobia