Mr. Mercedes is the kind of crime thriller typical of our forever infamous Stephen King. Now a TV show and followed by two equally-successful sequels, I picked it up so I wouldn’t be the only member of my adult family (excepting my mamí) to haven’t read it.
As the first installment in King’s Bill Hodges Trilogy, the story introduces wonderful characters and the eerily plausible crime of the “Mercedes Killer.” At the novel’s onset, Detective Bill Hodges has just retired from forty years of service without closing the Mercedes case. In a deep depression and with little going for him, he’s overly eager to be drawn back into his life’s work when the madman comes back to taunt him. The story that unfolds is a tried-and-true detective novel with all the benefits of King’s writing: characters you care about and suspense that doesn’t leave you disappointed.
I’m not one for horror but Stephen King has a way of writing tragedy that is utterly different from other authors. While some pages made my stomach turn, the story was brilliant. Enough predictability to make me feel smart and detective-title-worthy but all the twists and turns necessary to keep me surprised and far from bored.
I have no shame in admitting that I devoured it in two days time and would definitely say it’s worth reading to anyone who can stomach some tough passages and needs a read that can get their heart moving faster.
H O L L Y + O A T E S 