Mr. Mercedes
Ratings316
Average rating3.8
Stephen King is usually praised for his supernatural horror. I may be a bit of an odd one out here, but I prefer King when he stays away from the supernatural. Mr Mercedes is atypical King in that it is ultimately a police procedural type story. There is no supernatural horror (although psychological horror is used) and that gives this story a horrifying believability that cuts through.
Mr Mercedes is a mass murderer. He drove a car through a crowd just to feel what it feels like and got away with it. The policeman who was assigned to his case (Bill Hodges) has since retired, leaving the killer feeling unfulfilled - he wanted the chase and now he is not getting it. He now tries to lure the detective out of retirement - with deadly and dangerous repercussions.
This is a very good crime novel. It really grasps the importance of the psychological battle between the perpetrator and the detective. The cat and mouse really is played with to a superb degree. At this stage this is probably my favourite King novel!
I haven't read a lot of Stephen King, but I do like mysteries. He has mastered the formula and included a few surprises along the way. This one is just for fun.
Okay, so going into Mr Mercedes, I was very excited. I'd read more good reviews than bad and, well it's Stephen King, so it was bound to be great right?
Well it most certainly was.
I loved every second of this read and loved the characters especially. I wasn't quite ready for it to end. But at least there are another two books in the series for me to read.
Bill Hodges is a retired police detective and sits at home every day watching bad afternoon TV and contemplating suicide while playing with his fathers old gun. He only has one regret from his entire 40 year police career and that's not being to catch the Mercedes Killer - a lunatic who stole some lady's Mercedes and drove it into a crowd of people outside a job convention, early one morning. He killed 8 people - including a baby - and injured many more. Bill gets a letter in the mail one afternoon from the Mercedes Killer and makes it his life's ambition to catch him.
My favourite thing about Mr Mercedes, was getting into the head of the killer. Brady Hartsfield, is one the creepiest, most disturbing characters I've read. I've read books before where certain chapters are from the killers point of view, but this one was just downright disturbing. And I love every second of it.
My favourite character was Holly. I loved her personality and her willingness and determination to help catch Mr Mercedes, even though she has so many things holding her back. She is severely mentally ill and that's obviously a challenge for her and Bill to overcome but her obsessive tendencies end up working out for her.
Over all, I really enjoyed Mr Mercedes and can't wait to read the next in the series, Finder Keepers.
Stephen King did what Stephen King does best. He had a great plot, a very realistic bunch of characters and the writing skills to pull off his first detective/crime novel.
This was really good, and greatly enhanced by the reading by Will Patton. This is such an effective thriller, I feel like recommending some Xanax along with it. As usual, King is so good at crafting the villain, it adds even more tension. Seeing things through Mr. Mercedes's eyes as well as Hodges (and occasionally from other points of view) creates both engagement and anxiety.
There were a couple times when Hodges drove me insane with his foolishness. I'd say the biggest hurdle with this story is accepting the decisions to keep the authorities uninvolved. It's an essential conceit to keep the story going, and all in all I can swallow it as the price of admission to a cat-and-mouse story between a mass murderer and a retired cop.
The other thing that can be hard to take is the graphically terrible things that happen. The story starts with such a nasty event, which is horrifying on its own, but also establishes real stakes for the rest of the tale. If THAT happened in chapter one, we understand that no one is safe (well, aside from the spoiler embedded in the book's subtitle I guess!)
In fact, if anyone is interested but a little wary, here are some high-level spoilers, including what happens with the dog: the dog is safe and sound; the concert full of tweens does not get blown up; however, some characters do die along the way
Mr Mercedes was the first book I've read from Stephen King that had no supernatural/horror elements and that wasn't a huge tome. Even though it could be said to be a straight forward crime thriller, due to its relentless pace and great characters I loved it. Like all of his books it is written in a very cinematic way so you can really picture the characters and settings. The other thing I like about it is that it's a set trilogy so I'm looking forward to continuing and finishing the story.
Really tense and exciting mystery/thriller. Not what I'm used to seeing from Stephen King. No magic or aliens or other crazy horror things. This is just a good, old-fashioned detective v killer story. The characters are rich and still likable. The pacing is cinematic without coming off as cliched. I enjoyed this far, FAR more than I expected.
Very good, not typical King, and yet...
I'm looking forward to the next in this proposed trilogy :)
Executive Summary: While I don't think this book is as good as either of last year's books ([b:Joyland 13596166 Joyland (Hard Case Crime #112) Stephen King https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348154483s/13596166.jpg 19185026] & [b:Doctor Sleep 16130549 Doctor Sleep (The Shining, #2) Stephen King https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1362415596s/16130549.jpg 17851499]) it's another solid King novel that makes for a good summertime read.Audio book: Will Patton seems to be an excellent fit for this story. His natural reading voice just seems to suit the tone of the book. He doesn't really do voices, but you can tell his characters apart. I'm not sure how I'd like him as a narrator in general, but for this book, he's an excellent choice.Full ReviewI think last year's [b:Joyland 13596166 Joyland (Hard Case Crime #112) Stephen King https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348154483s/13596166.jpg 19185026] was one of my favorite [a:Stephen King 3389 Stephen King https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1362814142p2/3389.jpg] novels in awhile, making this book have a lot to live up to. I don't this one is nearly as good, but I think most fans of Mr. King will find this enjoyable. Most of the novels by Mr. King I read have some sense of the fantastical to them. This one doesn't. It's straight up horror/thriller. No supernatural beings or unexplained phenomena here. That might be why I didn't like it as much.The premise is pretty straightforward. A decorated retired cop whose depression is suddenly shelved after being taunted by the perpetrator of one his most high profile unsolved cases. The killer murdered a crowd of people, including a baby using a big stolen Gray Mercedes. They are a lot of psychological elements as both cop and criminal attempt to out think one another.While the majority of the story is told from Retired Detective Bill Hodges point of view, we are also given numerous chapters told from the killer's perspective as well.The story itself is nothing that special. Where this book shines (as usual) is in the characters. Mr. King always seems to write the most realistic and interesting characters. They aren't necessarily someone you'd want to hang out with or even know, but they are the type that make it hard to look away (or in this case stop listening to the book).Holly and Jerome are both memorable characters to add depth to the duel between our retired detective and the killer who got away. I especially enjoyed Holly's character.Overall, this was an enjoyable read, but far from a must read.
A crime novel by Stephen King. I don't know why I keep persevering with SK's novels. Somehow I keep going till the end even though I'm not really enjoying it. It's easy listening I suppose (audiobook). This one was two stars, barely.
This books is clearly among my favorites of King. First of all I loved the dynamic and plot of a (former) detective looking for a criminal. With that I loved the fact that there are both points of view, hodges and brady. The point of view of brady always gave me chills because how disturbed it was. But King also managed to keep suspence all along the book even with both points of view. Characters are complex and have background history to complete the story which I loved. The whole plot was, to me, well written, without burning steps to make hints appear like that. Once again a good book that many people could enjoy because it's mysterious and not too dark.
Haven't read much King lately and disappointed to find he's still in need of an editor with a butcher's knife to slash away the dead meat. Far too long. Also found a lot of the exposition ringing false, in particular the descriptions of technology. At times it was like asking my grandpa to describe the internet. Noticed that his wife Tabby is thanked for her assistance explaining mobile phones. Can't help but think someone under the age of 70 might have been a better advisor. Liked the characters though these also felt like they were veering on the edge of caricature. He can still drive a plot and raise the tension like a master, but wonder if he's losing touch with the Americana he used to convey so well
Solid Thriller
Once again, Stephen King refuses to be pigeon-holed in a genre category. In the last few years, he's written a long epic with a large cast of characters (Under the Dome), a time-travel love story (11/22/63), a new Dark Tower novel, a creature-filled sequel to the Shining, and now a detective-based thriller. This book does not have any supernatural elements, though some of the descriptions of gore are classic King writing.
The characters are mostly fully fleshed out, with the unfortunate exception of one female character who I felt had a lot of quirks, but didn't feel completely real. Hopefully King will work on that character in the next book that I plan on reading at some point this year so I can remember my plot points and it all makes sense. I have had this on my Goodreads account for a as long as I have been on the site.
The plotting and pacing of this book is excellent. King seems to set it up one way, then constantly pulls the rug out from under the reader. I loved the journey, though the ending felt a little limited, with one character getting sidelined before the big finale. I do not think this is a 5-star book, mainly because it feels too much like a standard thriller (a well done one, but nothing that will make forget all the things that I have read that he has done better.) I highly recommend this book to all fans of King and all readers who enjoy a good detective thriller. I am and always be a die-hard King fan I can not wait to see how this series continues.
Okay, so let me say first of all I in a rookie move I read End of Watch (The end of the series) before reading Mr Mercedes (the first in the series) so I know how this series ends before starting it.
That said, I enjoyed the end of the series, so I knew I would enjoy the first two books, Mr Mercedes in my opinion is one of Kings most underrated books/series! This is thrilling, intense, full of twists and over all very well written.
First plus, the main character in Bill Hodges is brilliant and a really enjoyable protagonist, he's a retired detective struggling to find his way since retiring (dreaming of the cases he didn't solve) I won't go into the plot in this review but safe to say Bill doesn't stay retired for long. Outside of Bill we have some great supporting characters who complement each other well, my personal favourite being Holly who comes in late.
Second plus, what a bad guy! Nothing is more important in a good thriller than a bad guy that keeps you on your toes, the Mercedes killer as he is nicknamed is crazy but in such a controlled way that he is inventive and seriously dangerous. The cat and mouse chase between Bill & the Mercedes killer had me on my toes from the start even though I know how the series ends and that to me tells you just how good kings writing is in this book.
Plot, again no spoilers, we follow the Mercedes killer who has so far managed to successfully avoid the police following a murder spree at a major jobs market, the Mercedes killer isn't happy with stopping there and wants to go down in history.
Our protagonist Bill takes it upon himself to stop the Mercedes killer before he can hurt anyone else.
8/10 BRILLIANT!
I picked up this audio-book after I learned that it's the first book in the series which serves as a "prequel" to the story and titular character of "Holly." I'm grateful I did this as not only did I experience Holly's backstory, but I also met the endearing character - Kermit "Bill" Hodges. The plot is thrilling as it picks up steam barrelling towards a satisfying conclusion, but it's the characters - especially the deeply disturbed villain Brady Hartsfield - who make this story sing. I'm glad that I picked the audio version of the book as the reader Will Patton (most recently in "Silo" on Apple TV+) is an amazing reader who captured the voices in ways which expanded the written text. As soon as this first audio in the series was out of my ears, I immediately reached for the next one - "Finders Keepers"
Hundreds of unemployed citizens line up for a job fair in the early morning hours of a Midwest city. A stolen Mercedes plows through the unsuspecting crowd, driven by a lone driver in a clown mask. When the chaos is over, eight innocent people are dead and more than a dozen more are injured.
Retired police detective Bill Hodges spends his days watching talk shows, haunted by the unsolved cases he left behind. When a letter arrives claiming to be from the Mercedes Killer, he decides to investigate on his own instead of going to the police. In doing so, he must match wits with a crazed psychopath, for whom one murderous rampage was not enough.
“I'm going to kill you. You won't see me coming.”
Mr. Mercedes succeeds in hitting several of my favorite reading elements: a page-turning suspense thriller, well-developed, sympathetic characters, and a seriously creepy bad guy who got under my skin.
The telling of this story in the present tense, a departure from King's regular writing style, has the benefit of moving the narrative along at a rapid pace, which in turn heightened the race-against-the-clock feel for both Brady (the murderer) and Hodges and his crew.
At times the plot feels contrived, particularly the constant rationalization of why Hodges refuses to turn to the police for help even after it becomes clear that Brady is becoming unraveled. This, however, does nothing to diminish the suspense of the novel, as Hodges runs into roadblocks in his investigation and Brady grows more desperate and disorganized.
As usual, King's character development is unparalleled, with a connection being forged between the reader and characters that are only alive for ten pages. While on the surface some of the characters appear to be formulaic (the suicidal, retired detective, the brilliant tech-savvy young kid, the psychopathic maniac with mommy issues, etc.), King's development of these characters is still successful. They are sympathetic and accessible, with even Brady having his moment of sympathy (albeit a very, very brief one).
This book is classic King, probing the conflict between good and evil both within his characters and between them, though this time played out with purely human elements. Despite not being as strong a showing as his last few novels, this was a solid start to what will hopefully be an enjoyable trilogy.
I really enjoyed this book. Stephen King is a great writer and this novel had all of the things that I love...an interesting plot, well-developed characters, nice pacing, and a satisfying ending. If you like suspense, check this book out. I am moving on to the next in the Bill Hodges Trilogy.
Wow! That was intense. It was dark and somewhat disturbing at times, but I couldn’t put it down. Especially towards the later third of the book. What a great read!
In 2016 I picked up [b:Finders Keepers 23492589 Finders Keepers (Bill Hodges Trilogy, #2) Stephen King https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1469092087l/23492589.SY75.jpg 41884478] at an airport bookstore. It wasn't until after paying for it that I realized that that book was actually part two in a new series.Fast forward several years. I'm staring at my shelf and spot Finders Keepers again. I'm running out of new books to read so I finally order Mr Mercedes and begin to read it during the pandemic.Now I know that Stephen King likes to be a genre chameleon from time to time, but he often finds himself using familiar tropes for comfort. This particular book does start in true King fashion but then goes into a pretty tense cat-and-mouse game. A man runs over and kills several people at a job fair in a Mercedes; thus, he is given the nickname Mr Mercedes. Bill Hodges, a retired detective, starts getting taunted by the very same Mr M. This quickly escalates in a game of wits with Bill trying to stop the killer from striking again.Also notable in this book is the first appearance of Holly Gibney, a new fan favorite from this point on who now even has her own spinoff book [b:Holly 65916344 Holly Stephen King https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1674418461l/65916344.SY75.jpg 106237905].
I actually had watched the show to this book first. And now having had read the book, I think the tv show did a great job adapting this book. It's hard for me to say if I like the book or the show better. The story is great. It has a great thrilling drive to it. Definitely recommend reading this and checking out the show, both are a great entertaining experience.
I think it's hard to say you really enjoyed a story when the subject matter is a bit disturbing, but I did enjoy the writing and the characters in this book. It's a great story from King and I'm looking forward to the rest of the trilogy!
A very enjoyable detective book from the Man Himself. It was not what I was expecting, but at the same time, like most of King's work, it was very readable and paced itself quite well. I enjoyed the character of Hodges. I liked the villain. I liked the secondary characters. I'm looking forward to reading the next two in this trilogy.
I know it's not for everyone but I still like King's writing style. I enjoyed this immensely! It has exactly the right pace for me. Not too slow and did not in the slightest feel dragged out.
I heard a lot of people complain they didn't like the character of Hodges but for the typical bored, unable to function without his job, retired cop he was very likeable to me.
Also many people complain about King's portrayal of Jerome and Holly and maybe I'm as oldschool as King but I couldn't see it. 🤷🏻♀️
So yeah liking this a bunch and definitely wanna continue the series!
I enjoyed it, but will probably never read it again. I do however look forward to the next book in this trilogy.