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Mr. Mercedes: A Novel (1) (The Bill Hodges Trilogy)
Watch the complete MR. MERCEDES series on Peacock
WINNER of the EDGAR AWARD for BEST NOVEL and #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER!
In a high-suspense race against time, three of the most unlikely heroes Stephen King has ever created try to stop a lone killer from murdering thousands. “Mr. Mercedes is a rich, resonant, exceptionally readable accomplishment by a man who can write in whatever genre he chooses” (The Washington Post).
The stolen Mercedes emerges from the pre-dawn fog and plows through a crowd of men and women on line for a job fair in a distressed American city. Then the lone driver backs up, charges again, and speeds off, leaving eight dead and more wounded. The case goes unsolved and ex-cop Bill Hodges is out of hope when he gets a letter from a man who loved the feel of death under the Mercedes’s wheels…
Brady Hartsfield wants that rush again, but this time he’s going big, with an attack that would take down thousands—unless Hodges and two new unusual allies he picks up along the way can throw a wrench in Hartsfield’s diabolical plans. Stephen King takes off on a “nerve-shredding, pulse-pounding race against time” (Fort Worth Star-Telegram) with this acclaimed #1 bestselling thriller.
WINNER of the EDGAR AWARD for BEST NOVEL and #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER!
In a high-suspense race against time, three of the most unlikely heroes Stephen King has ever created try to stop a lone killer from murdering thousands. “Mr. Mercedes is a rich, resonant, exceptionally readable accomplishment by a man who can write in whatever genre he chooses” (The Washington Post).
The stolen Mercedes emerges from the pre-dawn fog and plows through a crowd of men and women on line for a job fair in a distressed American city. Then the lone driver backs up, charges again, and speeds off, leaving eight dead and more wounded. The case goes unsolved and ex-cop Bill Hodges is out of hope when he gets a letter from a man who loved the feel of death under the Mercedes’s wheels…
Brady Hartsfield wants that rush again, but this time he’s going big, with an attack that would take down thousands—unless Hodges and two new unusual allies he picks up along the way can throw a wrench in Hartsfield’s diabolical plans. Stephen King takes off on a “nerve-shredding, pulse-pounding race against time” (Fort Worth Star-Telegram) with this acclaimed #1 bestselling thriller.
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Community Reviews
Mr Mercedes was a very interesting book for Stephen King. It was interesting in the sense of that it is his first true crime novel. It did read like a crime novel, but didn't really have the "Stephen King" flair to it. Granted, it was a very well-written novel, but it was just missing something. Maybe that something is the thing that has been in all of his latest novels. Other than that, the book was great, and I would definitely recommend reading it.
I've finally gotten around to this trilogy - only because I wanted to be up to date when King releases his new novel, HOLLY, in September.
Now, I've gone about this completely backwards, but that's just how us folks born and raised in Mississippi do things. At least that's what everyone NOT from the 'Sip says, anyway. What I mean by this is I first met the character of Holly Gibney in the short story "If It Bleeds" that was released in April 2020. I enjoyed that one so much that I went on to read THE OUTSIDER featuring Holly and now here I am at her place of origin reading MR. MERCEDES.
This is one of those King novels that you just cannot stop once you start. It's a crime novel, we meet the retired detective Bill Hodges at a very low point in his life, in fact he's considering punching his own ticket early.
Except.
He receives a stranger letter in the mail from the supposed Mercedes Killer. At the time of Bill's retirement, there were a few unsolved cases and this was one of them. Some jerk stole a Mercedes Benz and used it to plow into a crowd of people waiting in line at a job fair, killing 8. This letter puts steel in Bill's backbone and gives him a purpose and off we go to try and catch the killer. I was full steam ahead on this plot line because I just love murder mysteries about serial killers.
King's approach is to reveal to the reader the identity of the Mercedes Killer and give us chapters from their point of view. I appreciated that the killer was aware that they were not normal, they knew their impulses and actions were not those of a regular functioning adult. This person also made mistakes - serious mistakes and setbacks - and it was interesting to see how their thought process worked through the consequences and how they adjusted and moved forward.
As I have come to expect from Stephen King, I got a lot of really great characters. I will say this until the day I go to the Big Library In The Sky - Stephen King is a master of writing characters. He doesn't go overboard, no words are wasted - but he is able to give these individuals faces, names, occupations, personalities - that connect the reader to them and when these characters find themselves in danger or at the center of a tragedy, the reader feels it.
I consumed this one via audiobook from my library and the narrator, Will Patton, is just perfect for this type of story. I do have to say I don't care for the voice he uses when speaking for or about Holly, it just does not match up to what I imagine for her. I've actually already borrowed and started the audiobook for the next book in the trilogy...
Now, I've gone about this completely backwards, but that's just how us folks born and raised in Mississippi do things. At least that's what everyone NOT from the 'Sip says, anyway. What I mean by this is I first met the character of Holly Gibney in the short story "If It Bleeds" that was released in April 2020. I enjoyed that one so much that I went on to read THE OUTSIDER featuring Holly and now here I am at her place of origin reading MR. MERCEDES.
"The truth is darkness and the only thing that matters is making a statement before one enters it. Cutting the skin of the world and leaving a scar. That's all history is, after all: scar tissue."
This is one of those King novels that you just cannot stop once you start. It's a crime novel, we meet the retired detective Bill Hodges at a very low point in his life, in fact he's considering punching his own ticket early.
Except.
He receives a stranger letter in the mail from the supposed Mercedes Killer. At the time of Bill's retirement, there were a few unsolved cases and this was one of them. Some jerk stole a Mercedes Benz and used it to plow into a crowd of people waiting in line at a job fair, killing 8. This letter puts steel in Bill's backbone and gives him a purpose and off we go to try and catch the killer. I was full steam ahead on this plot line because I just love murder mysteries about serial killers.
King's approach is to reveal to the reader the identity of the Mercedes Killer and give us chapters from their point of view. I appreciated that the killer was aware that they were not normal, they knew their impulses and actions were not those of a regular functioning adult. This person also made mistakes - serious mistakes and setbacks - and it was interesting to see how their thought process worked through the consequences and how they adjusted and moved forward.
As I have come to expect from Stephen King, I got a lot of really great characters. I will say this until the day I go to the Big Library In The Sky - Stephen King is a master of writing characters. He doesn't go overboard, no words are wasted - but he is able to give these individuals faces, names, occupations, personalities - that connect the reader to them and when these characters find themselves in danger or at the center of a tragedy, the reader feels it.
I consumed this one via audiobook from my library and the narrator, Will Patton, is just perfect for this type of story. I do have to say I don't care for the voice he uses when speaking for or about Holly, it just does not match up to what I imagine for her. I've actually already borrowed and started the audiobook for the next book in the trilogy...
I've tried to read this more than once over the years since it came out, and I just can't get into it :/
An excellent read! I enjoyed this book and its characters. King's words painted a clear picture of each individual's personality and how their minds worked. I definitely got antsy towards the end the book and annoyed when the suspense didn't wrap up when I thought it would. Oh well. "The fun is in the journey..."
On to book 2.
On to book 2.
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