Book Review: ‘Mr. Mercedes’ By Stephen King Is A Psychological Thrill Ride

Stephen King is the master of horror books. His latest isn’t a horror book but a psychological, thrill a minute ride, that will make you not want to put the book down until you finish it.

The book begins with a down on their luck people camped out for a job fair. They have lined up early and set up camp, to get in early and hopefully get a job. Just a few hours before the doors will open, lives will be changed forever. Someone in a Mercedes decides to plow into them, killing some of them, in what is known as the ‘Mercedes’ killer.

Detective Bill Hodges was one of the people assigned to the case and it was never solved. The car was found with no clues on how it was stolen, nothing to direct them to the person responsible. It ended up just being a file on a desk. Bill recently retired and was trying to figure out what he was going to do next. One day he gets a mysterious letter, from the person who claims to be the driver, ‘the perk’ as he refers himself. The letter says he will never be caught and is trying to get Hodges to kill himself. Hodges doesn’t take the bait and decides he’s going to investigate more on the sly and see what he can come up with.

We soon meet the ‘Mercedes’ killer, who’s Brady Hartsfield, a computer genius, who works as an IT guy and drives an ice cream truck. He has a screwed up life with his mom, who he has a very close, screwed up relationship with. He is soon in a game of cat and mouse with Hodges, trying to get him to kill himself, while Hodges is screwing with him, trying to get him to make that mistake that will expose him.

Innocent people die, mistakes are made, clues are figured out, leading up to a heart pounding climax where a lot of innocent people could die if Hodges can’t get to Brady in time.

You can pick up ‘Mr. Mercedes’ in stores on Tuesday, June 3.