In the frigid pre-dawn hours, in a distressed Midwestern city, desperate unemployed folks are lined up for a spot at a job fair. Without warning, a lone driver plows through the crowd in a stolen Mercedes, running over the innocent, backing up, and charging again. Eight people are killed; fifteen are wounded. The killer escapes.

In another part of town, months later, a retired cop named Bill Hodges is still haunted by the unsolved crime. When he gets a crazed letter from someone who self-identifies as the “perk” and threatens an even more diabolical attack, Hodges wakes up from his depressed and vacant retirement, hell-bent on preventing another tragedy.

Brady Hartsfield lives with his alcoholic mother in the house where he was born. He loved the feel of death under the wheels of the Mercedes, and he wants that rush again. Only Bill Hodges, with two new, unusual allies, can apprehend the killer before he strikes again. And they have no time to lose, because Brady’s next mission, if it succeeds, will kill or maim thousands.

Mr. Mercedes is a war between good and evil, from the master of suspense whose insight into the mind of this obsessed, insane killer is chilling and unforgettable. 

Starting with, I believe either Desperation or The Green Mile, I’ve always tried to “keep up” with Stephen King. Buying his latest book on release day & reading them straight away, with just a few exceptions. I continued the ritualistic buying, but the reading got away from me for awhile, starting specifically with Mr. Mercedes. So, here we are…

I really didn’t know much in the way of plot details heading into this, which I was happy about. This is the story of Bill Hodges, a retired detective, and Brady Hartsfield, a psychotic mass murderer who has developed an obsession with seeing Hodges dead. Hodges worked the Mr. Mercedes case, where Brady drove a stolen car into a crowd of people, killing eight people and injuring many more. And getting away with it. 

Right off the bat, I think Brady Hartsfield becomes one of King’s more memorable villains. He’s a somewhat good-looking (if forgettable) 30-year-old guy with a pretty placid & friendly demeanor. Underneath that demeanor, he’s sociopathic, incredibly racist, violent, and has a creepy sorta-sexual relationship with his alcoholic mother. So…yeah. Brady is one fucked-up dude. 

Hodges is depressed, suicidal, and more than a little bored being off the job. I loved King’s portrayal here…the aging retired detective who only feels fulfilled by working cases, solving crimes, interrogating shitbirds. Bill Hodges is just a good guy, likable in many ways, fragile & flawed in many others. Hodges also enlists the help of several other characters in his attempt to corner Hartsfield, some more compelling than others.

From there, the book becomes an epic & very bloody game of cat & mouse. Hodges becomes as obsessed with finding & stopping Brady as Brady is obsessed with killing Hodges. 

I really enjoyed this!! There were a few cringe-worthy lines of dialogue sprinkled throughout the book, but overall, I dug it. The last 150 pages or so were wicked fucking INTENSE!!!