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Mr Mercedes
8.5
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TV Show
Mr. Mercedes is an American mystery thriller television series based on the novel of the same name...
Mr Mercedes
Mr Mercedes
8.5
Rate It
Book
Described as 'the best thriller of the year' Sunday Express, the No. 1 bestseller introduces retired...
Cassie (21 KP) rated Finders Keepers in Books
Jan 21, 2019
Acanthea Grimscythe (300 KP) rated Mr Mercedes in Books
May 16, 2018
I've been a Stephen King fan since sixth grade, when my father let me borrow his copy of Salem's Lot. The most recent book of his I read was the final book in The Dark Tower, and I was less than impressed with it: The Dark Tower felt largely forced to me, and was such a dragging bore that it took me several months to finally get through it -- which I found to be extremely disappointing. That said, Mr. Mercedes was a nice reminder as to why I love King as a writer: his passion for his craft bleeds through the pages of this book.
Mr. Mercedes is the first book in Stephen King's Bill Hodges Trilogy, and it is by far among the best books that I've read as of late. Set in the Midwest, which was a nice change for King's books, Mr. Mercedes begins with a crime against the poor. A group of unemployed jobseekers lined up outside in hopes of landing employment are mowed down by a deranged man behind the wheel of a Mercedes. In the aftermath, he escapes, leaving behind eight dead and several more wounded. Among the dead are a mother and her infant child. Detective Bill Hodges later retires, with no success at discovering who was responsible for the murder. The killer, dubbed Mr. Mercedes, isn't done though; and so, King takes readers on a wild race against time in a desperate attempt to keep the killer from completing his next act of domestic terrorism.
King has a penchant for creating characters that range from the truly good to the entirely depraved, and he has a knack for writing them in a manner so thorough as to leave the reader disgusted. In Mr. Mercedes, I was thrilled to find myself once again encountering a character whose point of view was utterly revolting. Brady Hartsfield is a character I loved to hate, and King does an excellent job of writing from his point-of-view. In complete contrast, Bill Hodges and his team of unqualified partners are good, upstanding (for the most part) citizens that sate the need for a "hero" with little to be left for wanting.
One of the things King does well in his books is foreshadowing, and Mr. Mercedes is no exception. When something bad is going to happen, King says so: only things don't happen the way you expect them to. In Mr. Mercedes, this creates a constant feeling of dread, a constant expectation that certain things will, undoubtedly, happen, and that it is only a matter of when and how. Every page is filled with anticipation of the next big event, some of which bring utter horror while others brought with them tears.
Needless to say, I don't really have any complaints about this read; it was worth the wait. Now, I just have to wait for my turn with Finders Keepers. I'm excited to see how this trilogy continues!
Mr. Mercedes is the first book in Stephen King's Bill Hodges Trilogy, and it is by far among the best books that I've read as of late. Set in the Midwest, which was a nice change for King's books, Mr. Mercedes begins with a crime against the poor. A group of unemployed jobseekers lined up outside in hopes of landing employment are mowed down by a deranged man behind the wheel of a Mercedes. In the aftermath, he escapes, leaving behind eight dead and several more wounded. Among the dead are a mother and her infant child. Detective Bill Hodges later retires, with no success at discovering who was responsible for the murder. The killer, dubbed Mr. Mercedes, isn't done though; and so, King takes readers on a wild race against time in a desperate attempt to keep the killer from completing his next act of domestic terrorism.
King has a penchant for creating characters that range from the truly good to the entirely depraved, and he has a knack for writing them in a manner so thorough as to leave the reader disgusted. In Mr. Mercedes, I was thrilled to find myself once again encountering a character whose point of view was utterly revolting. Brady Hartsfield is a character I loved to hate, and King does an excellent job of writing from his point-of-view. In complete contrast, Bill Hodges and his team of unqualified partners are good, upstanding (for the most part) citizens that sate the need for a "hero" with little to be left for wanting.
One of the things King does well in his books is foreshadowing, and Mr. Mercedes is no exception. When something bad is going to happen, King says so: only things don't happen the way you expect them to. In Mr. Mercedes, this creates a constant feeling of dread, a constant expectation that certain things will, undoubtedly, happen, and that it is only a matter of when and how. Every page is filled with anticipation of the next big event, some of which bring utter horror while others brought with them tears.
Needless to say, I don't really have any complaints about this read; it was worth the wait. Now, I just have to wait for my turn with Finders Keepers. I'm excited to see how this trilogy continues!
Liliannar (58 KP) rated Mr Mercedes in Books
May 29, 2018
Character development (1 more)
Extremely well narrated
Audible version
From the very earliest of pages the reader is drawn into the horrific events that kick of Mr. Mercedes. It isn't much of a spoiler to say that a deeply troubled person commits an awful crime leaving 8 dead. This happens in the first few pages of the book. From there the reader is taken on an in-depth journey into finding out who this heinous person is and what drove them to commit the act. Along the way characters are developed on both sides of the crime as the reader gets to know Detective Bill Hodges, Holly, Gerome, and of course, Mr. Mercedes. This is a great example of how King can build an extremely full world of characters while telling a compelling story.
In true King style there are bits of the story that just don't seem to add, but aren't necessarily a detraction. Bits of the story move much slower than the main story line but they are intermittent and short in nature. As a whole it doesn't detract from the engrossing nature of the book.
In true King style there are bits of the story that just don't seem to add, but aren't necessarily a detraction. Bits of the story move much slower than the main story line but they are intermittent and short in nature. As a whole it doesn't detract from the engrossing nature of the book.
Finders Keepers
8.1
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Book
A riveting crime thriller about a reader whose obsession with a reclusive writer goes too far,...
Liliannar (58 KP) rated The Outsider in Books
Jun 7, 2018
Returning characters (1 more)
Fast Paced
Fast paced read that draws the reader into the story
This was an enjoyable read that was incredibly fast paced. I was excited to see some of my favorite characters from previous King books make small cameo appearances and one played a starring role. If you haven't read through Mr. Mercedes, Finders Keepers, and End of Watch yet, I highly recommend you do so before starting in on this one.
As with King's best work this starts out with the horrors that humans do to each other and then quickly delves into the supernatural. I went through this one quickly and it was quite a fun listen.
As with King's best work this starts out with the horrors that humans do to each other and then quickly delves into the supernatural. I went through this one quickly and it was quite a fun listen.
The Outsider
8.7
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Book
Following the phenomenal success of his Bill Hodges series, MR MERCEDES, FINDERS KEEPERS and END OF...
Acanthea Grimscythe (300 KP) rated End of Watch in Books
May 16, 2018
Whew, I finally finished End of Watch and man... It's been more than twenty-four hours and I'm still messed up about it. King definitely has a way of drawing the reader in, even if said reader is as nihilistic as me when it comes to developing character attachments. Unlike Finders Keepers, book two of the trilogy, King dives right into continuing the story with our main characters, Bill, Holly, and Jerome rather than beginning from the left field as he had with the Saubers family and the Rothstein manuscripts.
The Mercedes Killer himself, Brady Hartsfield, is back thanks to the help of Dr. Babineau. Desiring to truly earn his name as the Suicide Prince, he continues on his rampage of convincing people to kill themselves. His bitterness towards Hodges is stronger than ever and our trio of heroes soon find themselves within the scope of Harsfeild's thirst for blood.
This time around, we aren't really introduced to a whole ton of new characters. In fact, the majority of characters in End of Watch we've already met. Because of that, King is able to jump right into the action and wastes no time in doing what King does best: keeping the reader on the edge of their seat. (Not counting From a Buick 8, of course, but let's not get into that. I'd review it, but I don't even want to pick it up again, let alone buy it.)
Other than that I really don't have a whole lot to say about the final installment in this series that I haven't already said on the books before it. I loved the fact that we were able to immediately return to the story that was left open ended at the conclusion of Mr. Mercedes, rather than being dragged through the filler episode that was Finders Keepers. (I couldn't think of a much better way to word that because before I turned to reviewing books, I spent quite a bit of time reviewing anime and if you've ever watched the mainstream, popular series you know exactly what I mean.) I would have felt alright for the most part if I had skipped Finders Keepers, as it plays a very small role outside of the company being created.
The Mercedes Killer himself, Brady Hartsfield, is back thanks to the help of Dr. Babineau. Desiring to truly earn his name as the Suicide Prince, he continues on his rampage of convincing people to kill themselves. His bitterness towards Hodges is stronger than ever and our trio of heroes soon find themselves within the scope of Harsfeild's thirst for blood.
This time around, we aren't really introduced to a whole ton of new characters. In fact, the majority of characters in End of Watch we've already met. Because of that, King is able to jump right into the action and wastes no time in doing what King does best: keeping the reader on the edge of their seat. (Not counting From a Buick 8, of course, but let's not get into that. I'd review it, but I don't even want to pick it up again, let alone buy it.)
Other than that I really don't have a whole lot to say about the final installment in this series that I haven't already said on the books before it. I loved the fact that we were able to immediately return to the story that was left open ended at the conclusion of Mr. Mercedes, rather than being dragged through the filler episode that was Finders Keepers. (I couldn't think of a much better way to word that because before I turned to reviewing books, I spent quite a bit of time reviewing anime and if you've ever watched the mainstream, popular series you know exactly what I mean.) I would have felt alright for the most part if I had skipped Finders Keepers, as it plays a very small role outside of the company being created.