Mr Mercedes by Stephen King - Book Review

Bill Hodges is struggling to settle into retirement after leaving behind a long and distinguished police career. Slowly slipping into an alcohol-fuelled depression, the days have started to slip by with little purpose for him.

Not all of his cases had been closed at the end, several remaining open with their killers still at large. One, considered the epitome of these, remains firmly entrenched in the newly-retired detective’s mind, the victims continuing to haunt his conscience.

After receiving a personally-addressed letter from an unknown person, Bill is pulled back into the Mercedes Killer’s world, a deranged psychopath who drove a Mercedes Benz into an unsuspecting crowd, killing 8 including a baby.

The letter purports to be from the killer himself, taunting Bill out of retirement. But nothing is as it seems, this case refusing to let him go. As the clues begin to reveal plans for another mass murder, Bill is in a race against time to catch the crazed killer once and for all, saving not only more innocent victims, but maybe even himself.

The first of the Bill Hodges trilogy is a fantastic change of pace when it comes to the trail of horror novels King has released. This book is described as hard-boiled crime and it’s easy to see within the first few pages how it earned this title.

The story is gripping from the onset, told by a man akin to telling stories that leave marks. It’s the initial horror that the killer inflicts that adds such an intense human touch to the tale, one so indescribable, yet necessary for this kind of book.

It’s a book that will leave you fulfilled at the end, although, you won’t remain there for long, its sequel calling for you to explore. I loved it. For an added touch, try the Audio version and see why Will Patton was born to narrate this book.