Mr. Mercedes: A Novel

Stephen King

Jun 2014 · The Bill Hodges Trilogy Book 1 · Sold by Simon and Schuster

About this ebook

Now an AT&T Audience Original Series

WINNER OF THE EDGAR AWARD FOR BEST NOVEL
#1 New York Times bestseller! In a high-suspense race against time, three of the most unlikely heroes Stephen King has ever created try to stop a lone killer from blowing up thousands. “Mr. Mercedes is a rich, resonant, exceptionally readable accomplishment by a man who can write in whatever genre he chooses” (The Washington Post).

The stolen Mercedes emerges from the pre-dawn fog and plows through a crowd of men and women on line for a job fair in a distressed American city. Then the lone driver backs up, charges again, and speeds off, leaving eight dead and more wounded. The case goes unsolved and ex-cop Bill Hodges is out of hope when he gets a letter from a man who loved the feel of death under the Mercedes’s wheels…

Brady Hartsfield wants that rush again, but this time he’s going big, with an attack that would take down thousands—unless Hodges and two new unusual allies he picks up along the way can throw a wrench in Hartsfield’s diabolical plans. Stephen King takes off on a “nerve-shredding, pulse-pounding race against time” (Fort Worth Star-Telegram) with this acclaimed #1 bestselling thriller.

Ratings and reviews

This book successfully taps into Stephen King's other great passion; i.e. the mystery novel. This book brings together three misfits to track down a sociopathic killer with evil intentions and opportunity on his side. Though this is not a hard boiled detective story it's not that far removed. There is a puzzle to be pieced together, lots of gumshoe work to be done and even a fedora hat. It all plays out in brief chapters that jump around but are easy to follow. King has done a few a these mystery books and most of them are good but this book is one of the best.

well, I might nof be the right person to ask. am a bit biased towards Mr. Stephen King. i love his work ( as do most of my friends and family ) adore his work of fiction. This is a thrill ride from the first word to the last.

One of the joys of starting a new SK book is figuring out which King wrote the darn thing. Is it the gore and horror King, or the King who creates unforgettable characters like Delores and Jack. In the case of Mr. Mercedes, it is neither. The book, while expertly paced is really nothing more than an episode of "Criminal Minds" on steroids. It's neither inventive nor memorable and in some instances, almost amateurish in its plot devices. Not even close to his best.

About the author

Stephen King is the author of more than sixty books, all of them worldwide bestsellers. His recent work includes the short story collection You Like It Darker, Holly, Fairy Tale, Billy Summers, If It Bleeds, The Institute, Elevation, The Outsider, Sleeping Beauties (cowritten with his son Owen King), and the Bill Hodges trilogy: End of Watch, Finders Keepers, and Mr. Mercedes (an Edgar Award winner for Best Novel and a television series streaming on Peacock). His novel 11/22/63 was named a top ten book of 2011 by The New York Times Book Review and won the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Mystery/Thriller. His epic works The Dark Tower, It, Pet Sematary, Doctor Sleep, and Firestarter are the basis for major motion pictures, with It now the highest-grossing horror film of all time. He is the recipient of the 2020 Audio Publishers Association Lifetime Achievement Award, the 2018 PEN America Literary Service Award, the 2014 National Medal of Arts, and the 2003 National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters. He lives in Bangor, Maine, with his wife, novelist Tabitha King.