A few months ago I discussed the Stephen King novel The Outsider. Within that book, there was a specific character that I particularly enjoyed that was introduced in King’s previous works. Wanting to learn more, I decided to dive into Mr. Mercedes. This book is the first in a trilogy of interconnected detective thriller novels penned by King.

Published in 2014, Mr. Mercedes stars retired police detective Bill Hodges, who is thrust back into the world of crime when a notorious killer contacts him through an anonymous letter. Dubbed the Mercedes killer, he is responsible for the senseless murder of eight people after driving a stolen Mercedes Benz into a crowd gathered for a job fair. The case was one of the few Hodges left unsolved after leaving the police force. Feeling lost in his retired life, Hodges takes up a crusade to catch the killer whatever the cost.

The overall story isn’t new in the realm of crime thrillers. However, King always manages to grab your attention with his flawed characters and refusal to pull any punches when it comes to disturbing imagery or concepts. I enjoyed Bill Hodges because he feels different from King’s usual self-insert writer (or teacher) protagonist. The side characters are also endearing. Similar to The Outsider, Holly Gibney is introduced in the second half and steals the story away from our initial heroes. She also manages to undergo the biggest character development despite being a side character. I’m hoping at least one of the following books in the trilogy sees her taking a leading point of view for the entirety.

What makes this story stand out is the fact that one of the major point-of-view characters is the Mercedes killer himself. It’s a brave choice to place the reader directly into the sick and twisted mind of a psychopath and it certainly pays off here. There are many sections in Mr. Mercedes that are extremely difficult to read. Nonetheless, you can’t help but hang on to every word as you marvel at the depravity. I could see some readers finding the killer to be evil purely for the sake of it. However, I found him to be very believable. I think that’s part of what makes the story terrifying. It feels as though his acts of terrorism aren’t the farthest from reality and this keeps you on edge throughout the book.

Despite these praises, there are still elements of King’s writing that I dislike. His dialogue can be hit or miss and certain elements of descriptions and character traits feel unnecessary. There’s a romance subplot that falls flat for me, which is a recent trend in his books. King excels at crafting tension and approachable storylines and I think that’s what he should stick to. Lastly, there are a fair few plot conveniences that allow the heroes to easily unravel the master plot within the final act. It’s the kind of issue that could have been resolved with a slightly longer narrative structure that allowed for additional breadcrumbs to be placed.

Overall, I’d say Mr. Mercedes was still an enjoyable read. The story moves along at a good pace and provides enough in terms of characterization to have me looking forward to more content involving the key heroes. Hopefully, the sequels can continue to expand upon the solid foundation laid out here.

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Mr. Mercedes

29.99

6

Score

6.0/10

Pros

• Entertaining characters
• Mercedes killer is a great villain

Cons

• Plot holes in final act
• Romance subplot