Tuesday, May 26, 2015

Review - Mr. Mercedes by Stephen King




I was pretty excited when I received an advanced copy of Stephen King's upcoming novel Finders Keepers, but I learned it was a sequel to last year's Mr. Mercedes, which I had never read yet. I received Mr. Mercedes as a Christmas Gift, so I dragged it out on Thursday morning and I finished reading the book yesterday afternoon.

While many of King's novels have a horror vibe to it, Mr. Mercedes is a crime thriller! The novel opens up in April 2009, where many people are lined up for the job fair that will open the next morning. Out of nowhere, a maniac driving a stolen Mercedes runs over the crowd, killing several innocent people. While the driver was seen wearing a clown mask, he was never caught.

The novel quickly introduces the main character, an out-of-shape retired detective, Bill Hodge, whom has spent way too much time watching trashy television and debating whether or not to commit suicide. Out-of-the-blue, he receives an odd letter from someone claiming to be the Mercedes Killer. Instead of giving the letter to his ex-partner, Bill decides to investigate the case himself.

At first glance, Brady Hartfield looks like a typical thirty-year-old working a job at a electronic store and working afternoon hours driving an ice cream truck; all so he can support his alcoholic mother, but what people don’t know is that he is the Mercedes Killer and his next target is the ex-cop Bill Hodge.

It seems the Mercedes Killer didn't leave any evidence behind, which is troubling for Bill, but as he does get closer, Brady decides to increase the body count. Bill has no other choice, but to team up with a teenager, Jerome and Holly, a relative to the woman who owned the stolen Mercedes, to help him track down Brady before he kills again.

Mr. Mercedes is definitely a major departure from King's horror novels, but though the genre is changed, King's writing is just as good as ever. From the back and forth narrative from Bill to Brady, I was never once bored with this intriguing thriller. Bill Hodge is an odd sort of hero, but the character is an interesting one at least. Overall, Mr. Mercedes is fast-paced and well-written crime thriller from start to finish.





1 comment:

  1. Awesome! I like Stephen King's writing, but am not a fan of horror. Its nice to hear about one of his books that isn't horror. I'll have to check it out. Thanks.

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