Mr. Mercedes by Stephen King
Reviewed by: Sylvia Shults, Circulation
Genre: Horror
Suggested Age: Adult
What is the book about?: In a mega-stakes, high-suspense race against time, three of the most unlikely and winning heroes Stephen King has ever created try to stop a lone killer from blowing up thousands. In the frigid pre-dawn hours, in a distressed Midwestern city, hundreds of desperate unemployed folks are lined up for a spot at a job fair. Without warning, a lone driver plows through the crowd in a stolen Mercedes, running over the innocent, backing up, and charging again. Eight people are killed; fifteen are wounded. The killer escapes. In another part of town, months later, a retired cop named Bill Hodges is still haunted by the unsolved crime. When he gets a crazed letter from someone who self-identifies as the “perk” and threatens an even more diabolical attack, Hodges wakes up from his depressed and vacant retirement, hell-bent on preventing another tragedy. Brady Hartsfield lives with his alcoholic mother in the house where he was born. He loved the feel of death under the wheels of the Mercedes, and he wants that rush again. Only Bill Hodges, with a couple of highly unlikely allies, can apprehend the killer before he strikes again. And they have no time to lose, because Brady’s next mission, if it succeeds, will kill or maim thousands.
My review: Full disclosure — I’m a huge Stephen King fan. I love the way he describes his characters’ motivations so thoroughly, I love the way he toys with his heroes, putting them through the worst kinds of terror, I even love his wordiness. When I’m in the clutches of one of King’s novels, I don’t WANT it to end too soon. I hugely enjoyed this book. This is King at the top of his game. It’s not one of his mega-novels; it’s less than 500 pages, which makes it easily digestible even for people who don’t like to wade through the massive books he’s known for writing. This is lean (for King), mean prose that electrifies the reader. The suspense is nail-bitingly wonderful … and I enjoyed the way that King made life difficult for ALL of the characters. He’s known for being tough on his heroes. But in this one, King also made things very difficult for his villain. All in all, a fun, thoroughly enjoyable read.
Rating: 5/5
About FDL Reads
Welcome to FDL Reads, weekly book reviews from Fondulac District Library. Librarians (and possibly some other guest reviewers) review all types of books, from children’s picture books, young adult favorites, to the latest adult thriller, and share their thoughts each week at fondulaclibrary.org. If the book is owned by Fondulac District Library (or another local library), you’ll see a direct link to the catalog entry and whether or not it is available. If it is checked out or at another local library, you will be able to place a hold as long as you have your library card and PIN numbers. As with any book review, these are our opinions…we disagree amongst ourselves about books frequently. We all have different likes and dislikes, which is what makes the world an interesting place. Please enjoy, and keep on reading!