A review by thedadsie
Mr. Mercedes by Stephen King

adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

Far from my favorite King book. It felt undercooked. Maybe Roland Deschain would have recognized Det. Hodges as a fellow Gunslinger, but I didn't find Hodges to be much a compelling character. "Retired cop investigates one of the only cases he didn't close" has been done to death, and despite his charbroiled personality, Hodges never felt as meaty as many of King's other protagonists. I also didn't really like how two women got fridged. Jerome is a bit of a stereotype ("model minority") and Holly is the most interesting character in the book but she doesn't make any real imprint on the plot until like halfway through.

Way too many racial slurs for a book published in the 2010s.
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