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A review by mackenzierm
Mr. Mercedes by Stephen King
4.0
Before dawn, hundreds of men and women are lined up for the opening of a job fair in an American city. It’s cold and foggy, the people are desperate. A lone driver plows through the crowd in a stolen Mercedes, running over the innocent, backing up, and charging again, killing eight people and wounding fifteen. The killer escapes. Ex-cop Bill Hodges is haunted by this unsolved crime and is contemplating suicide when he gets a crazed letter from the ‘perk’ claiming credit for the murders. Brady Hartfield lives with his alcoholic mother in the house he was born in. He loved the feel of death beneath the Mercedes’ wheels and wants that rush again. Only Bill Hodges with a couple of mismatched allies can prevent the killer from striking again.
MR. MERCEDES is my first Stephen King novel but it certainly won’t be the last. King’s storytelling feels conversational, his characters are interesting and relatable, and his plot easy to follow.
I enjoyed Bill Hodges, a retired detective who is still coming to terms with his life as a retiree. He’s a bit melancholic as he contemplates ending his life. The remaining characters who are central to this story: Pete, Jerome, and Holly, are unique, well-written, and characters I want to get to know better, so I hope we get to see them in future installments of this trilogy.
The plot is somewhat of a typical mystery, one where the reader knows whodunnit but the main character does not. I loved the investigative prowess that Hodges’ exhibits working alongside his newfound allies. The ending was well-written with ample tension and suspense, leaving me figuratively biting my nails in anticipation, hoping against all hope, that Hodges would put all the pieces together in time.
The last few pages left me intrigued and I will absolutely be picking up the next two books in this trilogy soon!
MR. MERCEDES is my first Stephen King novel but it certainly won’t be the last. King’s storytelling feels conversational, his characters are interesting and relatable, and his plot easy to follow.
I enjoyed Bill Hodges, a retired detective who is still coming to terms with his life as a retiree. He’s a bit melancholic as he contemplates ending his life. The remaining characters who are central to this story: Pete, Jerome, and Holly, are unique, well-written, and characters I want to get to know better, so I hope we get to see them in future installments of this trilogy.
The plot is somewhat of a typical mystery, one where the reader knows whodunnit but the main character does not. I loved the investigative prowess that Hodges’ exhibits working alongside his newfound allies. The ending was well-written with ample tension and suspense, leaving me figuratively biting my nails in anticipation, hoping against all hope, that Hodges would put all the pieces together in time.
The last few pages left me intrigued and I will absolutely be picking up the next two books in this trilogy soon!